Rate Homer as the Yankees' best Guardians in Game 2 of ALCS

NEW YORK – Aaron Judge hit his first home run of the postseason with a two-run drive to Monument Park, and the New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians 6-3 on Tuesday night to go 2-0 in the American League Championship Series in the lead.

Judge, who entered the playoffs with just one RBI, hit a sacrifice fly in a two-run second that gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead. With New York leading 4-2 in the seventh, the likely AL MVP hit a fastball to the letters of Hunter Gaddis 414 feet up the middle for his 14th home run of the season.

“It was just good to add two more runs there,” Judge told TBS after the game. “Against a tough team, they have a great bullpen, they battled and battled the whole game. So, to treat ourselves to a few more runs there. Gleyber (Torres) did his thing and got back on base like he has all series. It.” It was good to add two.

In a duel of off-night aces, Cleveland's Tanner Bibee got just four outs in the shortest start of his pro career, and an erratic Gerrit Cole was chased after four walks in 4⅓ innings.

Winner Clay Holmes, Tim Hill and Tommy Kahnle combined to pitch 3⅔ scoreless innings. Jose Ramirez hit a home run off Luke Weaver in the ninth inning, just the second earned run allowed by the New York bullpen in six postseason games over 23⅓ innings.

“It was huge,” Judge said of the bullpen. “We've gotten to the point in the last couple of seasons where we patch up our bullpen after the season. But these guys came in, they're healthy, they feel great. “Some great performances from some guys at the back end.”

After a day off, Game 3 will take place in Cleveland on Thursday. The Yankees lead the ALCS 2-0 for the first time since 2009 against the Los Angeles Angels.

The teams are 32-5 in the best-of-seven championship series when leading 2-0.

Torres reached base for the fifth time in the playoffs and had three hits. Anthony Rizzo had two hits and is 3 for 7 in two games since returning from a broken finger that caused him to miss the division series.

The Yankees became the 30th team to win the first two games of a best-of-seven series without trailing. Of the previous 29, 13 won the series.

Rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio and right fielder Will Brennan made run-scoring errors for the Guardians.

Rocchio dropped Judge's popup in the first inning, allowing Torres to score. After Cleveland got within 3-2, Brennan caused the ball to wobble as he tried to catch Rizzo's double with his bare hands in the sixth inning, which bounced off the low wall along the right field line. Anthony Volpe, who went first, sprinted home.

Steven Kwan extended his record postseason streak in Cleveland to 12 games.

Alex Verdugo had an opposite-field RBI double in the Yankees' second that bounced off left field umpire Vic Carapazza's shoulder and went over the line.

Cleveland got within 3-2 in the fifth when Josh Naylor hit a sacrifice fly and Brennan grounded into a run-scoring forceout after Holmes was relieved with the bases loaded.

Cleveland went 0 of 7 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners stranded.

Cole escaped a two-on-one-out problem in the third and a bases-loaded one-out jam in the fourth when pinch-hitter David Fry fouled out and Rocchio made an ankle turn at the top of the strike zone referred to as the third strike in a nine-pitch at bat.

Holmes struck out Austin Hedges with a low sinker, leaving the bases loaded in the fifth.

Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.