Guardians 7-5 Yankees (Oct. 17, 2024) Game Recap

CLEVELAND – Jhonkensy Noel saved Cleveland's season. David Fry expanded it.

With two big swings, the Guardians bounced back against the big, bad New York Yankees and cemented an AL Championship Series that was all but over.

Noel hit a two-run pinch-hit home run with two outs in the ninth inning and Fry hit a two-run pitcher in the 10th inning as Cleveland edged past New York 7-5 in an unforgettable Game 3 on Thursday night. to take the Guardians to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Cleveland's unexpected season, which included 92 wins and the AL Central title, was in jeopardy after Aaron Judge hit a two-run home run off All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase and Giancarlo Stanton, followed by a solo drive in the eighth pass to give the Yankees a 4-run home run. 3 lead.

But Noel, a burly outfielder named Big Christmas, delivered a gift in October, and Fry followed with his second significant home run of these playoffs.

“That’s exactly who we are,” said Stephen Vogt, the Guardians’ first-year manager. “We never gave up. We got hit pretty hard there in the eighth round, and our guys put in a lot of effort for the guy who has carried us all year. It was really fun to see that.

It was exhausting, exhilarating and dramatic as the Yankees and Guardians packed a season's worth of highlights into three innings.

“That was playoff baseball,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Both teams kept coming out with haymakers and big offenses, big moments from two really good bullpens. They have outlasted us. They had more momentum than us. That is.” Part of it. We’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

The Guardians trailed 5-3, had no runners on base in the ninth and were on the verge of falling to a 3-0 deficit when Lane Thomas doubled off Luke Weaver, who has been perfect in eight save chances since taking over was as the Yankees approached September. Then Noel delivered his massive home run.

As he rounded the bases, fans at Progressive Field danced in their seats and in the aisles in a moment reminiscent of Rajai Davis' tying home run off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.

It was fitting that Davis, who now works for Major League Baseball, was there to see Noel's home run, which now belongs alongside him in Cleveland history.

“We are a team that doesn’t give up,” Noel, who scored one of 15 goals in the playoffs, said through an interpreter. “We play 27 outs, so that’s pretty much what happened today.”

Fry joked that Noel's home run was stunning and not a surprise at all.

“It was amazing,” he said of the reaction in Cleveland’s dugout. “There was so much excitement, but then it was just like, oh yeah, of course Jhonkensy hit a game-winning home run against a guy who's hit 98 home runs.”

“No one does that. Like Vogter said, it's like hitting a two-run home run early in the game, big boy, and he did. It’s so cool.”

Fry's swing immediately ended a fall classic.

Bo Naylor singled off Clay Holmes in the 10th and Brayan Rocchio singled. Naylor took third on Steven Kwan's comeback before Fry, who hit a home run that saved the Division Series in Game 4 in Detroit, sent a double into the left stands.

Fry watched the ball sail into the stands before heading to first. He was mobbed by teammates after crossing home plate as fans threw drinks in the air as they tried to process the emotional rollercoaster they had endured.

“I lost consciousness,” Fry said. “I remember halfway down the first base line looking back at the dugout and saying, OK, I just have to make sure I touch all four bases and come home and celebrate.”

Cleveland can even the series with a win on Friday.

The Guardians still have a chance to end baseball's longest World Series drought, dating back to 1948.

Judge hit a home run in Game 2 but batted just .143 (3 for 21) with eight strikeouts in October before facing Clase, the AL's saves leader and MLB's most feared reliever.

After falling behind 2-1 in the count, Judge, who had been on the field for batting practice five hours before the game, leaned back and sent a 99-mile-per-hour cutter from Clase in the opposite direction to right , with the ball just passing the outfield wall.

New York's players streamed out of the dugout to celebrate as Judge, the projected AL MVP after hitting 58 home runs in the regular season, rounded the bases after hitting his 15th home run of the season.

The Yankees, who had yielded just three hits in the first seven innings, were still exchanging hugs and high-fives when Stanton nullified a 1-2 slider from Clase and sent it over the centerfield wall.

But even though they had the lead, the Yankees took nothing for granted.

“I wouldn’t say we’re looking forward to the World Series,” Judge said. “We still have one game, even if it’s 3-0.”

Clase was impeccable all season, allowing just five runs and recording 34 consecutive saves while dominating almost every time he took the mound. But he was tagged for a three-run home run in the ninth by Kerry Carpenter in the ALDS before Judge and Stanton caught him within eight pitches.

New York had two ons with no outs in the ninth, but scored only one run on Gleyber Torres' sacrifice fly. Eli Morgan ended the inning by throwing a called third strike past Juan Soto.

Rookie Kyle Manzardo hit a two-run home run in the third for Cleveland.

The 30th postseason matchup between the Guardians and Yankees was another hard-fought matchup between two franchises that know each other well at this time of year. This is their seventh meeting in the playoffs.

Cleveland finally got some length from a starter when Matthew Boyd went five innings, the most Vogt has allowed this postseason. The left-hander allowed two hits in the second before giving up 10 straight, including seven on easy grounders.

TRAINER ROOM

Yankees: Reliever Ian Hamilton was taken off the field in the sixth inning after apparently injuring himself while covering first base. The team said he was left with calf tightness. … Boone said LHP Nestor Cortes got through a short practice pitching session Wednesday without any issues. Cortes is recovering from an elbow strain and has not played a game since September 18th. If New York advances, he could be added to the World Series roster.

NEXT

Guardians RHP Gavin Williams will start Game 4, his first postseason appearance. The hard-throwing Williams had a disappointing regular season (3-10, 4.86 ERA), which began with him being on the injured list for several months with an elbow problem. He faces Yankees RHP Luis Gil, who went 15-7 in the regular season.

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