CLEVELAND – On a night for debates, Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees made quite an opening statement.Shane Bieber had no rebuttal.Judge smashed a tone-setting, two-run homer on Bieber's fourth pitch, Cole struck out 13 and the New York Yankees opened the AL playoffs with a resounding 12-3 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday.
Just a few miles from where President Donald Trump and campaign opponent Joe Biden made their cases to the nation in their presidential debate, the Yankees made it look easy in teeing off on Bieber, who was baseball's best pitcher during the condensed regular season but looked average in his playoff debut.Judge and the rest of New York’s hitters hadn't faced Bieber in 2020, but they were well.