CLEVELAND — They emptied their bench and turned to all but one of their relievers. They needed a home run and three RBIs from their 38-year-old part-time first baseman, a late go-ahead hit from their $162.5 million man and five outs from their closer. They needed extra innings.The New York Yankees’ 7-5, 10-inning win over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night at Progressive Field came with a prevailing theme:This is how the Yankees need to win games with Aaron Judge out of the lineup for who knows how long.Everybody has to do something.“We’re probably going to have to win more games like this,” said first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who contributed a first-inning solo shot.“That was just a huge team win,” said Cody Bellinger, whose bases-loaded, two-run single broke a 5-5 tie in the last frame. “Hopefully, we can get some easier ones in the future.”“It wasn’t pretty,” manager Aaron Boone said, “but very gritty.”
BELLI TAKES THE LEAD IN EXTRAS!#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/tUA1KrPxRw
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 9, 2026The Yankees learned Thursday that Judge — arguably the best hitter in the game — had fractured his first right rib and won’t even undergo further imaging for as many as another six weeks. The right fielder and team captain might not return until at least early August.That’s a long time to go without their best player — especially for a team looking not just to break a first-place tie with the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East but win its first World Series since 2009.It’s also a long time to depend on a roster built to complement Judge to make up for his gaudy production, on-field leadership and the general calm he brings to the team.The Yankees will try to do it with their impressive starting rotation, which on Monday saw Will Warren not nearly at his sharpest but good enough to get through 4 1/3 innings on two earned runs (three total), five strikeouts, two walks and two hits.
