MLB: Cleveland Guardians rally to defeat New York Yankees 4-2 in 10 innings, to tie ALDS 1-1 

Oscar Gonzalez singled in the go-ahead run with Cleveland’s second consecutive bloop hit in the 10th inning, and the Guardians bridged a two-run deficit, beating the New York Yankees 4-2 Friday and even their best-of-five AL Division Series at one game each.

Jose Ramirez led off the 10th against Jameson Taillon with a pop-up from the opposite field that fell just ahead of leftfielder Oswaldo Cabrera for a double. Ramirez ran all the way through and slid into third place headfirst when third baseman Josh Donaldson threw the ball past second for an error.

Gonzalez, whose homer in the 15th inning completed a Tampa Bay first round in the wild-card round on Saturday, followed with a soft flare from the opposite field to short right next to Taillon, who made his first big league relay appearance after 143 starts. Josh Naylor added an RBI double that bounced off the wall in center right.

Gonzalez slides into home plate to score against New York Yankees in 10th inning

Winner Emmanuel Clase eliminated Kyle Higashioka on a lineout to Ramirez for the last of the eighth after James Karinchak walked the bases loaded. Clase threw 2 1/3 innings and combined with Trevor Stephan and Karinchak for 4 1/3 innings of one-hit relief when Cleveland ended a six-game postseason-release streak for the Yankees.

Guardians relievers threw 17 2/3 scoreless innings this season.

The series shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday night. There is no travel day as a rainy Thursday had pushed Game 2 to Friday.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a homerun with two runs in the first inning and Cleveland came alongside against All-Star Nestor Cortes when Andres Gimenez had an RBI single in the fourth and Amed Rosario homered in the fifth.

Aaron Judge went 0 for 5 with four strikeouts and dropped to 0 for 8 with seven strikeouts and a run in the series. Just after setting the AL home run record with 62, he was booed by some fans in the sold-out crowd of 47,355 after nipping against Stephan in the seventh.

New York Yankees Aaron Judge waves goodbye to Cleveland Guardians in seventh

Judge is 2 for 37 with 27 strikeouts against Cleveland in three playoff series, including all four of his four-strikeout postseason games.

Cortes saved two runs in the fourth with an acrobatic jump and pitch to the first from a seated position on Myles Straw’s comebacker with two outs and the bases loaded.

After rain delayed Thursday-evening, the game was rescheduled for 1:07 PM, the first early afternoon postseason start in the Bronx since Game 2 of the 2006 Division Series against Detroit.

Shadows crept across the field from the side of first base in the middle innings on a cloudless afternoon, reminiscent of so many World Series games at the old Yankee Stadium in the 1940s and 1950s.

New York Yankees designated batter Matt Carpenter, left, Anthony Rizzo, center, and Judge watching play from the dugout during Cleveland Guardians seventh inning

Stanton had started first in the opening inning on a 3-1 cutter that appeared low but was called a strike by plate umpire Jeremie Rehak.

With Stanton back in the batter’s box, catcher Austin Hedges set up in the low outside corner, but Shane Bieber left a 93 fastball. Stanton drove it to the opposite field and to the right field seats for his 10th homer in 20 postseason games.

Two years ago, Bieber gave up a two-run homerun in the first to judge in the wildcard opener, a 12-3 Yankees win.

Cleveland had been 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position during the postseason before Gimenez hit a soft single into right field with two ups in the fourth which drove into Naylor. Hedges walked for the second time to load the bases.

Straw followed with a one-hop smash and Cortes, falling off the side of third base of the mound, reached out to hook the ball as he hit the mound with his head to first.

He sat up, learned back and made a one-hop throw to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who scooped the ball up for the out. Cortes hit his glove with his bare hand five times as he ran off the field.

Rosario came alongside in the fifth and drove the ball into the Yankees’ bullpen when Cortes dropped a fastball over the plate.

Trevor Stephan #37 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees in game two of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium