The Yankees clear out of the city ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals as they travel to Cleveland tonight to open a three-game series against the Guardians. If it feels like you are experiencing a bit of déjà vu, that is because these two clubs just wrapped up a series in the Bronx a few days ago. The Yankees dropped two of three in that match-up and will look to flip the script on the shores of Lake Erie.
The Yankees are most recently coming off a two-game split with the Red Sox that saw the middle
game of the series postponed. In the finale, the Yankees got two big home runs. One came from Cody Bellinger and the other from Jazz Chisholm Jr., who launched his big fly with a stolen bat, adding another token from a fallen teammate to his growing collection.
Those two and the rest of the Yankees offense will square off against Gavin Williams. Williams earned the win against New York last week after allowing three earned runs on four hits across 5.1 innings. The right-hander is in the midst of the best season of his young career, entering tonight at 9-3 with a 3.20 ERA. He has been even better at Progressive Field, posting a 4-1 record and 2.29 ERA in the land.
Countering for Aaron Boone and the Yankees is Will Warren. The Mississippi Magician is also having the best season of his career thus far in 2026. In 12 starts, Warren sits at 7-1 with a 3.22 ERA. Warren’s last start was that wild game versus the Athletics some 8 days ago. In his last two starts, both on the road, Warren went 6 innings and only gave up two earned runs total.
Cleveland’s offense is not a high-powered machine, but it has a knack for doing just enough to win games. The Guardians enter tonight atop the AL Central thanks largely to their pitching staff and a lineup led by rising star Trevor Bazzana and franchise cornerstone José Ramírez. Those two will bat 1-2 tonight. Warren’s job will be simple in theory and difficult in practice: keep those two off the bases and force the rest of the lineup to beat him.
Last week the Guardians outscored the Yankees 15-10 in the team’s first series without Aaron Judge this season. Boone will deploy a heavy dose of left-handed bats tonight hoping to fluster Williams. Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, Bellinger, Jazz, Spencer Jones, Ryan McMahon, and J.C. Escarra all find themselves in the lineup, while Paul Goldschmidt and José Caballero are the lone right-handed hitters. Goldschmidt is the designated hitter tonight and Caballero will play shortstop.
In the last matchup, Jazz, using his own bat, and Caballero both took Williams deep. Rice also doubled off the Cleveland starter. While this game and series have all the makings of a trap series overshadowed by whatever happens at Madison Square Garden tonight, it could also be the type of game that helps spark a run from the Yankees offense. Here is hoping a second look at Williams in such a short span swings the advantage towards the Bombers.
The Yankees will try to take Game 1 in Cleveland. The Knicks will try to take a commanding lead in the NBA Finals. What is your final score prediction for both games tonight?
How to watch
Location: Progressive Field — Cleveland, OH
First pitch: 6:40 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, FS1
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280
Online stream: MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
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