The moment finally arrived. In his 51st postseason game, Aaron Judge had his big breakthrough. Down in the count 0-2 against Emmanuel Clase, Judge smashed a two-run homer in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the ALCS on Thursday.
Afterwards, Judge said he was just aiming for a simple hit to right field with Stanton waiting behind him. “Off the bat, I thought it was going to go off the wall. My first thought was just to get to second base,” he shared.
That home run marked Clase’s first extra-base hit allowed this year after reaching an 0-2 count. Then Stanton followed up with another solo homer, also from an 0-2 count! New York took a 4-3 lead thanks to these back-to-back homers and star power shone brightly.
Game Drama Unfolds:
But instead of cruising to victory and taking a commanding series lead, the Yankees’ bullpen faltered. Luke Weaver surrendered Jhonkensy Noel’s tying homer in the ninth, and Clay Holmes gave up David Fry’s walk-off blast in the tenth (CLE 7, NY 5). What should’ve been Judge’s shining postseason moment faded into disappointment.
“It’s baseball. Stuff like that happens,” Judge commented after their loss. “Everyone in this room has faith in those guys.” Despite this setback, New York still holds a favorable position with a 2-1 series lead; historically teams with such an advantage win about 70% of these matchups.
Fans might think that even though Game 3 felt crushing—”It feels a little devastating,” Weaver admitted—the Yankees only need two wins out of four games left to secure their spot at the top.
Weaver and Holmes have been pitching relentlessly throughout October; they’ve appeared in every playoff game so far! Weaver pushed each pitch clock down during Game 3 while both relievers worked three times over four days—exhaustion could be creeping up on them now!
Tommy Kahnle also faced heavy workload pressures heading into Game Four after throwing nearly two innings previously…yet somehow all pitchers need shake off past mistakes before Friday arrives!
The Yankees’ lackluster bullpen depth became evident when trade deadline acquisitions Mark Leiter Jr., Enyel De Los Santos failed miserably (24 runs given over combined innings), leading De Los Santos being waived mid-August while Leiter missed both ALDS & ALCS rosters entirely…
Ian Hamilton injured himself covering first base during sixth inning playtime requiring MRI scans Thursday; should removal occur from roster likely means Leiter returns leaving team without one reliable arm amid increasing workloads among trusted players…
Postseason baseball demands perseverance despite fatigue or physical limitations—Cleveland’s relievers too have endured grueling schedules throughout October—but finding ways bounce back remains crucial avoiding further diminishing memorable moments like Judges’ becoming mere footnotes again soon enough…
Manager Aaron Boone expressed confidence post-loss: “This is what we’ve been great at all year… We’ve had tough losses before but bounced back stronger.” He acknowledged sting felt after battling hard against formidable opponents yet promised readiness come tomorrow!
What do you think? Can they bounce back?
