The Cleveland Guardians managed to claw their way back into the American League Championship Series with a breathtaking victory over the New York Yankees in Game 3. Trailing 2-0 in the series, the Guardians kept their hopes alive with a dramatic escape act, thanks largely to the late-game heroics of David Fry and Jhonkensy Noel.
Dramatic Turnaround
As the game stretched into the nerve-wracking tenth inning, the urgency was palpable. The Yankees, bolstered by the momentum from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton's back-to-back homers in the eighth, seemed poised to further tighten their grip on the series. Judge, who has become synonymous with clutch playoff performances, expressed his anticipation when reflecting on his homer. "I thought it was too low," he admitted, suggesting he was taken by surprise when his swing connected perfectly.
Yet, despite the Yankees' ferocious offense, Guardians’ pitcher Emmanuel Clase bore witness to their resilience. Clase, whose cutter averaged a blistering 99.5 mph, was once again entrusted with the responsibility to stem the tide. He conceded Judge's home run off a pitch right on the outside corner, which presented a rare moment of fallibility in his otherwise spectacular season where he boasted a regular-season ERA of 0.61.
Fry's Heroics and Historical Feat
The Guardians' savior under the lights was David Fry, who unleashed a game-winning home run off Yankees' reliever Clay Holmes, marking a significant turning point. Holmes, until that fateful delivery to Fry, had been a rock for the Yankees, not yielding any runs in 12 previous postseason appearances. Fry's homer not only broke that streak but also shifted the momentum firmly back in favor of the Guardians.
Setting the stage for this climactic moment was Bo Naylor. Naylor's crucial single in the 10th inning served as the catalyst for Fry's historic homer that redefined the course of the match.
Noel's Timely Equalizer
The fireworks began earlier when Jhonkensy Noel stepped up and delivered a game-tying home run. With precision timing, Noel took advantage of a changeup from Luke Weaver that hung over the plate, launching it out of the park. Weaver's changeup, which recorded a 48% whiff rate during the regular season, failed him at the crucial moment, enabling the Guardians to level the playing field and setting the stage for the late-inning theatrics.
As the dust settled on Game 3, the Guardians had successfully pulled themselves back into the series, narrowing the Yankees' lead to 2-1. The win not only revitalizes their pursuit of an ALCS title but also underscores the unpredictable nature of postseason baseball, where every pitch, every swing, and every play can shift the balance of power.