NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees are taking on the Cleveland Guardians today at Yankee Stadium after being rained out last night.
They won their first game in the best-of-five series Tuesday night.
Yankees' bats go mostly silent in Game 2 loss
NEW YORK -- Oscar Gonzalez singled in the go-ahead run with Cleveland's second straight bloop hit in the 10th inning, and the Guardians overcame a two-run deficit to beat the Yankees 4-2 Friday and even their best-of-five AL Division Series at one game apiece.
Giancarlo Stanton staked New York to a quick two-run lead with a opposite-field home run in the first inning, but Cleveland starter Shane Bieber and a host of relievers shut the door from there. In all, the Yankees struck out 15 times, including four by slugger Aaron Judge.
Game 3 is set for Saturday night in Cleveland.
"Ready for the ballgame"
CBS2's Zinnia Maldonado caught up with fans as they made their way into the stadium. She found some folks who said Thursday's rain delay worked in their favor.
With tickets in hand -- a hand sporting Yankees nails and carrying a Yankees purse -- Andra Grivulis told Maldonado she's ready for Game 2.
"I want to win today, I want to win tomorrow, and then we'll talk about Houston next week," she said.
She was one of the thousands of fans who had to switch plans after Thursday's game was postponed due to rain.
"The idea of going into work dragging today. Whereas, I stayed all day yesterday at work. Now, it's PTO day," she said.
"Worked out great for me," said Louis Dilullo, of Rhode Island. "This morning, I woke up at quarter to five, drove down to Stamford, Connecticut, took the train. Now, I'm ready for the ballgame."
Friday morning, long lines of fans headed into the stadium with big energy, coming off a high as the Yankees lead the division series against the Guardians after taking home a win during Game 1 on Tuesday.
"Everybody's so excited, they got their kids. Yeah, it's a good time, it's nice to see," Harlem resident Hope Maddox said.
"Hopefully, a good game out of Nestor Cortez today. It's going to be tough, Bieber is a good pitcher," said Bronx resident Peter Passidomo.
Should the series go the maximum five games, the two teams face the prospect of playing four games in four days in two cities. The Yankees head to Cleveland to play Game 3 Saturday and Game 4 Sunday.
Mayor Eric Adams said this year's MLB postseason is expected to generate at least $93 million in economic activity. Business owners near the stadium said it's a good thing if the team comes back home for Game 5 Monday.
"This neighborhood and a lot of neighborhoods got devastated during the pandemic, and we're still digging out," said Joe Bastone, who owns Yankee Tavern. "So we do need the economics. But all I know is we've got to win today, we've got to beat the Guardians."
The first pitch is set for 1:07 p.m.
Fans buzzing for a Friday afternoon game
Friday was supposed to be a workout and travel day for the Yankees, who now have to play a game before heading to Cleveland for Saturday night's Game 3. There are no more scheduled off-days for the rest of the division series.
Despite that, many are looking forward to Friday's game and say they're confident the Yankees will continue to make their fans proud.
Tuesday's Game 1 was the first postseason game in the Bronx since Game 5 of the 2019 ALCS.
"It's hard to win playoff games. Certainly really good to get the first one at home," Manager Aaron Boone said after the game.
After being postponed Thursday due to rainy weather, fans are hoping for a similar outcome Friday when the gates at Yankee Stadium open for Game 2, kicking off around 1 p.m.
All tickets for Thursday's game are valid for Friday, and there are no refunds or exchanges.
Despite the change in timing, fans remain dedicated.
"Just in the last month, I've been to three Yankees games," one fan told CBS2.
Mayor Eric Adams said this year's MLB postseason is expected to generate at least $93 million in economic activity, bringing in more customers to local businesses and creating more jobs.
"When you have playoff baseball, it is just an economic revitalization for the entire city," he said earlier this week. "It not only brings up our spirits, but fills up our cash registers and pockets."
"When it all comes down to it, it's great for New York, great for the area. You're going to have more people coming down, the hotels more coming in," said business owner Joseph Michialis.
The mayor said each home playoff game played by the Yankees and the three wildcard games played already by the Mets are projected to generate more than $15 million for the city.
Gates open at 11:30 a.m. for today's game.