After riding a wave of six wins in seven games, the New York Yankees ran into a buzzsaw Monday night in the form of the Cleveland Guardians.
The result: a 6-4 loss that reminded everyone baseball seasons are long, unforgiving, and often unpredictable.
The Yankees were down 6-0 at one point, but a pair of two-run homers put them in a position to compete. The comeback, however, fell short.
Schmidt Shaky in Second Start Since Activation
Clarke Schmidt, still finding his rhythm after a spring shoulder setback, was making just his second start of the season—and he got burned.
The right-hander looked like a man trying to fix a leaky faucet while the sink was still running. He labored through four innings, throwing 80 pitches, giving up five runs on seven hits, and issuing three walks.
Though he did strike out seven, he also allowed two costly home runs.
It wasn’t all doom, but it wasn’t far off either. Schmidt’s stuff showed flashes, but the rust was undeniable, especially against a Guardians lineup that’s clearly found its groove.
Ramirez and Manzardo Do the Damage
The heart of Cleveland’s offense beat strong through Jose Ramirez and Kyle Manzardo. Ramirez, always the spark plug, lit up the night with a home run and four RBI, while Manzardo chipped in with a solo shot and a walk.
Together, they were the wrecking crew the Yankees couldn’t keep at bay. New York’s arms had no answers, and by the time they did, the damage was done.
Domínguez and Chisholm Go Deep
On the offensive side, the Yankees had their moments—mostly courtesy of Jasson Domínguez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Domínguez, nicknamed “The Martian” for good reason, took a curveball from Guardians starter Gavin Williams and launched it into orbit for a two-run homer.
Jasson Dominguez hits a 2-run homer! 😤 pic.twitter.com/a8FL9jBq1k
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 22, 2025
Later in the eighth, Chisholm made it interesting by cracking his seventh home run of the season off Paul Sewald, tightening the score to 6-4.
Williams, however, had otherwise kept the Yankees in check.
Gomez Shines in Relief
Yoendrys Gomez quietly kept the Yankees in it, tossing three effective innings out of the bullpen. No strikeouts, no flash, just good old-fashioned run prevention.
He allowed a lone run on three hits and a walk, trimming his ERA to a tidy 2.70. While the bats didn’t fully answer the call, Gomez at least kept the phone line open.
With Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase unavailable, it was Cade Smith who slammed the door shut in the ninth, snuffing out any hopes of a late-game miracle.
The Yankees now sit at 14-9, still holding the top spot in the AL East—but with a reminder that momentum doesn’t last forever, especially when Jose Ramirez is on the other side.