CLEVELAND – In the end, Fernando Cruz stood alone in the Yankees’ bullpen. As compatriot after compatriot was pulled into action in the Yankees’ eventual 7-5, 10-inning win over the Guardians at Progressive field, Cruz remained in the 'pen. Some of his fellow relievers were called in to put out fires. Some were asked to eat innings. But all of that usage ended with closer David Bednar slapping his glove in celebration on the infield after getting Brayan Rocchio to ground out to end the game. In the words of manager Aaron Boone: “It wasn’t pretty, but it was gritty.” How gritty? Well, Boone was forced to use his whole bench and seven of his eight relievers. Not every move worked, but the right buttons were pushed at the right time. From the moment Aaron Judge was held out of the Yankees’ lineup a week ago due to a stress fracture in his right rib, the biggest question on everyone’s mind around the team was how it was going to make up for the loss of Judge’s offensive production. The Yankees were able to answer that for at least one night, as Monday’s win came with seven runs on nine hits and six walks. The biggest hit of the night came in the 10th inning, when Cody Bellinger recorded a two-run single off Guardians reliever Shawn Armstrong. With Cleveland’s infield playing in, Bellinger shot Armstrong’s 2-2 fastball through the hole between shortstop Rocchio and José Ramírez at third to stake the Yankees to a two-run lead. “I had a job to get done, and I wanted to do that and keep it simple and not do too much,” Bellinger said. Instead of trying to send a ball to the moon, Bellinger took what he was given with the pitch and put it in the perfect spot. “That’s why he’s Cody Bellinger,” Boone said with a chuckle. Bellinger’s big at-bat was set up by a fantastic plate appearance from light-hitting utility infielder Max Schuemann that ended with a walk. Schuemann entered the game as a pinch-runner for Goldschmidt in the eighth inning, and it looked like that substitution would end up hurting the Yankees considering he was forced to hit in extras instead of Goldschmidt and his 380 career home runs. But he was able to work a five-pitch walk that set up Bellinger’s heroics.
