Cleveland Guardians at New York Yankees: Final Score & Recap

The Cleveland Guardians took down the New York Yankees 9-5 in extra innings on August 20, 2024, at Yankee Stadium, completing a dramatic comeback that erased a 2-0 New York lead built in the first inning. The DiamondIQ model entered the game giving the Yankees a 54% win probability as the home side, but by the final out that figure had dropped to zero, reflecting how thoroughly Cleveland seized control in the late frames. The game remained tightly contested through nine innings and into extras, with neither side scoring from the fifth inning through the eleventh, setting up an explosive twelfth that decided everything.

The decisive sequence unfolded across the tenth and twelfth innings, driven largely by Brayan Rocchio. His single off Jake Cousins in the top of the tenth carried the single largest win-probability swing of the game, shifting the outlook by plus-32.0% in Cleveland's favor, though Josh Naylor's grounded into double play off Cousins in the same frame gave back 19.5 percentage points and kept New York alive. The Guardians ultimately broke the game open in the top of the twelfth, with Lane Thomas delivering a double off Tim Mayza worth plus-31.3% in win probability as part of a six-run explosion that put the result beyond reach. New York managed two runs in the bottom half but could not meaningfully threaten, with Juan Soto's groundout off Emmanuel Clase in the tenth and Austin Wells's lineout off Tim Herrin in the eleventh each serving as critical outs that preserved Cleveland's margins.

Rocchio was the clear standout performer, finishing with a cumulative WPA of plus-61.7% and an RE24 of plus-3.3, numbers that reflect his outsized impact on Cleveland's winning chances throughout the extra innings. Thomas added plus-31.3% WPA and plus-0.6 RE24, while Soto led New York's contributors with plus-17.6% WPA and plus-1.0 RE24 despite the loss. On the mound, Tim Hill led Cleveland's relievers at plus-15.0% WPA, with Clay Holmes and Cade Smith contributing plus-13.5% and plus-10.9% respectively for New York before the bullpen eventually gave way in the twelfth.