For a few innings Monday night in Cleveland, this one looked like it belonged to the Yankees. Paul Goldschmidt got hold of a 2-2 pitch and crushed a 2-run shot 388 feet at 104.9 off the bat, the kind of swing that quiets a building and gets the visiting dugout loose. The only person enjoying it more than the Yankees was the fan in the seats who came down with the souvenir.
Goldschmidt's 2-run homer carried into the stands, where a fan made the grab of the night.
That should have been the story. Goldy doing Goldy things, the Yankees flexing on the road, a fan getting a keepsake off a Hall of Fame résumé. Instead, Cleveland clawed back into it, and by the time the 6th rolled around Progressive Field was a powder keg waiting for a match. Paul Blackburn provided the spark and Angel Martinez lit it.
Martinez's 10th of the year — a 2-run shot off Blackburn that flipped the scoreboard to 5-4 Cleveland.
Two-run homer, 10th of the season, and just like that the Guardians were in front 5-4 with nobody out in the 6th. The pun writes itself — Guardian Angel — and frankly it should. Martinez has quietly turned into the guy who keeps showing up in the middle of games that matter, and a divisional swing game against the Yankees in June is exactly the spot you want your young bats taking over.
The Yankees still have outs to work with, but momentum at Progressive Field is a real thing, and right now it's wearing red. If Cleveland holds this, it's the kind of W that travels — the kind that turns a Monday night into a season marker.