New York (AFP) - Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge blasted home runs Tuesday as the New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians 5-1 to advance in Major League Baseball's playoffs.
The Yankees clinched a 3-2 division series victory over the Guardians in a game that was delayed after rain washed out the decider on Monday.
The win means the Yankees will play the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series starting Wednesday with a place in the World Series up for grabs.
"We know we've got a big challenge now going to Houston but we look forward to it," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the win, paying tribute to the hitting of Stanton and Judge.
"When those guys are rolling it makes it challenging," Boone said."For (Stanton) to get us off to that start in the first was huge."
The Yankees were always in the driving seat Tuesday after jumping on starter Aaron Civale early on.
Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes meanwhile stymied the Cleveland bats, allowing just three hits, one run and one walk before departing after the fifth inning.
Civale's rocky start saw Gleyber Torres walk before Anthony Rizzo advanced to first base after being hit by a pitch.
Stanton then stepped up to smash a line drive to right center field for a three-run shot that left the Yankees 3-0 up.
Josh Donaldson then singled on a ground ball prompting Cleveland skipper Terry Francona to yank Civale from the mound for Sam Hentges.
Francona admitted later that pulling starting pitcher Civale in the first inning had been a tough call.
"I felt terrible taking him out that quickly, but I just didn't think we could give up any more," Francona said after the defeat.
Hentges got through the remainder of the inning with no more damage but then saw Judge crush a home run into right center field in the bottom of the second for a 4-0 lead.
Cleveland pulled a run back in the top of the third when Jose Ramirez's sacrifice fly scored Austin Hedges.
But Rizzo restored the Yankees' four-run cushion at the bottom of the fifth, singling to score Torres.
"Every game is its own game.They beat us today," Francona said.
"We pushed them about as far as we could and they came out and beat us today, so they get to move on and we don't."
