Brian Anderson's epic home run call highlights the exciting ALCS battle

Milwaukee Brewers regular TV player Brian Anderson was in the middle of some incredible American League Championship Series action on Thursday night as the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Yankees 7-5 in Game 3 of the series.

Anderson, who has worked for Turner/TNT Sports during the championship series phase of baseball's season since 2017, was in the locker room when Jhonkensy Noel hit a game-winning two-run home run with two outs in the ninth, and then again when Former Brewers prospect David Fry hit a two-run walk-off home run in the 10th. Cleveland, whose 3-1 lead evaporated in the eighth when star closer Emmanuel Clase was on the mound, rallied to stay out of the series, three games to nil.

More: TNT is extending the contract of Brewers broadcaster Brian Anderson, and he has a new sport on the schedule

It was the Noel doubt that set Anderson up for one of his best calls ever.

“Ohhhh! Oh my God! The big Christmas has happened! The ultimate gift under the tree! Oh my God! Jhonkensy Noel, the biggest swing of his life!”

(His name is Noel, hence the nickname “Big Christmas”; you get the idea. And…yeah, it's probably better to just watch it than read the transcript.)

The blast wiped out the home runs that Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit in the eighth against Clase, turning a 3-1 Cleveland lead into a 4-3 deficit. It also offset the insurance run the Yankees scored in the top of the ninth thanks to a weak Cleveland defense, although the Guardians made up for it with an amazing play by second baseman Andrés Giménez in the top of the 10th.

Maybe you prefer to listen to the home team announcers? Fair enough; Here's Tom Hamilton, a graduate of Waterloo High School (Jefferson County), calling in the explosions of Fry and Noel.

Former Brewers prospect David Fry seals the win

But the drama wasn't over yet. With a runner on and two outs in the 10th, Fry launched a game-winner against Yankees reliever Clay Holmes.

If Fry's name sounds familiar to Brewers fans, it's because he was drafted by the organization and played in the Brewers' minor league system for four seasons. The first All-Star of 2024 was traded to Cleveland in an unfortunate trade for backup player JC Mejía, acquired in November 2021. Fry was sent to Cleveland in March 2022 as a player to be named later.

On paper, it's a bad trade, although Fry likely didn't play a role in Milwaukee's long-term plans at the time of the trade. Mejía is no longer part of the Brewers organization and has been suspended multiple times for using banned substances. In his small sample size over two seasons in 2022 and 2023, he allowed 13 earned runs in 13⅔ innings, an 8.56 ERA. Mejía also struggled with Cleveland in 2021, posting an 8.25 ERA in 17 games (11 starts) and 52⅓ innings, but he was just 25 years old when the Brewers added him as a relief depth player.

Mejia was suspended for 162 games in September 2023 due to a second positive test for a performance-enhancing drug. He was suspended for 80 games in May 2022 for an initial positive test for stanozolol, a synthetic steroid derived from testosterone. The Brewers released the pitcher in November 2023.

Fry never appeared on the organization's top 30 prospect list compiled by MLB.com, but made his big league debut with Cleveland in 2023.

This story has been updated to add video.

Brian Anderson's epic home run call highlights the exciting ALCS battle

ByVanessa

Former Brewers prospect David Fry seals the win

By Vanessa

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