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Yankees vs. Guardians score: David Fry hits walk-off home run, Cleveland saves season in dramatic Game 3 win

The Cleveland Guardians are on the board. Thursday evening at Progressive Field, the Guardians won an instant classic over the New York Yankees to steal Game 3 of the ALCS (CLE 7, NYY 5 in 10 innings). Cleveland got a game-tying homer in the ninth and a walk-off homer in the tenth after the Yankees hit back-to-back homers to take the lead in the eighth. Sheesh.

After Game 3, the Yankees still hold a 2-1 series lead in the ALCS, though they were one strike -- one dinky strike -- away from a commanding 3-0 series lead. Instead, the Guardians have life heading into Friday's Game 4. This postseason has been loaded with dramatic late-inning home runs and Game 3 added four -- four! -- to the ledger.

Here now are four takeaways from Cleveland's Game 3 win.

1. The Yankees got to Clase

In 74 1/3 innings during the regular season, Emmanuel Clase allowed two home runs and five earned runs. In 5 2/3 postseason innings, Clase has allowed three homes and six earned runs. The best closer in baseball has had a rough October.

With a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning and Juan Soto at first base, Clase entered to face Aaron Judge. The best closer in the game vs. the best power hitter in the game. Four pitches later, the game was tied. Seven pitches after that, the Yankees had the lead. Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit back-to-back home runs off Clase to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 Yankees lead.

Clase got ahead in the count 0-2 against both Judge and Stanton, it should be noted. Clase held hitters to a .074/.113/.074 line after getting ahead in the count 0-2 during the regular season. Zero extra-base hits! Then he gave up back-to-back homers by Judge and Stanton. Remarkable. Clase could not put Judge and Stanton away.

The Yankees added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a Gleyber Torres sacrifice fly after Cleveland botched a rundown and was unable to tag Anthony Volpe out between second and third. Volpe bumped into José Ramírez as he received the throw, and Ramírez dropped the ball. Volpe was safe at third and Torres got him in with a two-strike sacrifice fly.

2. Big Christmas in October

That insurance run proved to be rather important. In the ninth inning, Jhonkensy Noel -- Big Christmas -- came off the bench to sock a pinch-hit, game-tying, two-run home run off Yankees closer Luke Weaver. The bat flip says it all:

Without the insurance run in the top of the ninth, Noel's homer would have been a walk-off, though I suppose the insurance run only delayed the inevitable for New York.

As for Weaver, he was one strike away from ending the game. He got ahead in the count 0-2 on Lane Thomas, but Thomas worked the count back full, then banged a double off the top of the wall in left field. Thomas has had a tremendous postseason after a pretty rough showing with Cleveland following his trade from the Nationals at the deadline.

As good as Weaver has been this postseason, the Guardians have gotten to him a bit in the ALCS. Ramírez hit a solo home run in Game 2 in New York, then Thomas hit a ball off the top of the wall and Noel hit the game-tying homer in Game 3. No closer is safe this postseason. Clase, Weaver, Devin Williams, Edwin Díaz, they've all blown games.

3. Fry cooked the Yankees

The Guardians are not really a power-hitting team. They slugged 185 home runs during the regular season, their most since 2021, but also only the 13th most in baseball. In Games 1 and 2, Cleveland hit two home runs, both solo shots when down by four runs: Brayan Rocchio in the sixth inning in Game 1, and José Ramírez in the ninth inning in Game 2. Too little, too late.

In Game 3, Cleveland clocked three home runs, and all three were meaningful. Kyle Manzardo got the Guardians on the board with a two-run homer in the third inning. Noel tied it with his two-run shot in the ninth. And, in the tenth inning, Dave Fry sent everyone home with a two-out, two-strike, two-run walk-off home run. Take it away, David:

The Yankees surrendered four home runs in six games this postseason before allowing three in Game 3. Their starter (Clarke Schmidt) and two best relievers (Weaver and Clay Holmes) each gave one up. Clase (two), Weaver, and Holmes all gave up home runs in two-strike counts. That's some hitting by the guys at the plate.

It is really, really hard to string together singles and walks against postseason pitching. To win, you have to hit the ball out of the park, and you need to do it with men on base. Manzardo did it in the third, Noel did it in the ninth, and Fry did it in the tenth. The Guardians got the big swings in Game 3 that weren't there for them in Games 1 and 2.

4. Boyd went five innings

For the first time since Sept. 6, left-hander Matthew Boyd completed five innings in a start. He went 4 2/3 innings and two innings in his two ALDS starts, in part because Cleveland's bullpen is so good, and manager Stephen Vogt wants to get into it as soon as possible.

In Game 3, Boyd held the Yankees to one run in his five innings, and he retired the final 10 batters he faced after Jose Trevino's RBI single in the second inning. Only two of those 10 batters hit the ball out of the infield. Boyd finished his evening with four strikeouts, three walks, and two hits allowed in five innings. He threw 75 pitches.

Boyd is a spin rate monster and he threw only 35 fastballs among his 75 pitches in Game 3. He fed the Yankees a steady diet of changeups, sliders, and curveballs, and they had a hard time squaring anything up.

Lefties have given the Yankees trouble all year. They went 73-45 against righty starters during the regular season, the best record in baseball, but only 21-23 against lefty starters. Is it possible the Yankees were happy to see Boyd out of the game and the bullpen getting involved in the sixth inning? Seems farfetched, given how good the bullpen is, but maybe?

5. Up next

We have ourselves a series. The Yankees still have a 2-1 lead in the ALCS, but Cleveland's momentum-swinging Game 3 win makes the series more competitive. Historically, teams with a 2-1 lead in a best-of-seven have gone on to win the series 70% of the time. New York is still in good position. The Guardians just have an opening now. Luis Gil and Gavin Williams are the scheduled starters for Game 4 on Friday.

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Live updates
 

Guardians win in walk-off fashion

David Fry hit a two-run, walk-off homer in the 10th inning to give the Cleveland Guardians a 7-5 win over the New York Yankees Thursday night in Cleveland's Progressive Field. 

The Yankees now lead the best-of-seven ALCS, two games to one. 

The Guardians blew a 3-1 lead by allowing back-to-back home runs in the top of the eighth to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. It was their elite-level closer, Emmanuel Clase, who coughed them up, too, with two outs. 

They didn't give up, though. Jhonkensy Noel hit a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, 5-5, and send it to extra innings. 

In the bottom of the 10th, Bo Naylor led off with a single and was bunted to second. A grounder advanced him to third with two outs and Fry then came through to make this a series.

 

Leadoff man aboard

Bo Naylor singles. The Guardians can't pinch run because he's their last catcher.

 

Onto the bottom of the 10th

Bo Naylor, Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan are coming up for the Guardians. Clay Holmes is in for the Yankees.

 

Incredible defense 

Andrés Giménez cuts down a bouncer in the hole between first and second and barely gets the runner at first. Domínguez moved to second and then Anthony Rizzo was intentionally walked. It's Anthony Volpe with two outs.

 

Giancarlo Stanton walks and is replaced

Jasson Domínguez is on to pinch run. 

 

For what it's worth, the Guardians' bullpen is deeper than the Yankees. And that might not be worth much, because the big guns have been burned and were also touched up in this game.

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No one has had a chance to catch their breath. These playoffs have been incredible.

 

TIE GAME AGAIN!

Jhonkensy Noel homers with two outs in the ninth to tie the game. Unbelievable!

Yankees closer Luke Weaver had been untouchable for a while. He closed the regular season with a 0.92 ERA in his last 17 outings. He came in with four saves in four chances in the playoffs with a 1.29 ERA. 

Noel hit 13 homers in 179 at-bats in the regular season and has big-time power, as was on display in that one. What a colossal blast. It could be argued that it saved the Guardians season, though they still need to prevail in extra innings in this one. 

We head to the 10th. There is no automatic runner on second in the playoffs. 

 

Lane Thomas doubles

This one isn't quite over just yet. The tying run comes to the plate again, in the form of Big Christmas, Jhonkensy Noel. 🎄

 

J-Ram reaches, but GIDP happens

He hit it hard at Anthony Rizzo and Rizzo couldn't handle it. The Guardians had the tying run at the plate. But Josh Naylor hit into a double play and the Yankees are one out away.

 

There it is

The falling behind three games to zero stat. Teams down 0-3 in MLB best of sevens are 1-39. That one, of course, is the 2004 Red Sox.

 

Onto the bottom of the ninth

Andrew Walters came in to a tough situation and got Gleyber Torres to flyout and struck Juan Soto out. That flyout brought home a run, though, so it's 5-3 Yankees heading to the ninth. Luke Weaver will deal with José Ramírez, Josh Naylor and Lane Thomas, so he'll earn the save, if he completes it.

 

5-3 Yankees

A sac fly on an eight-pitch PA for Torres provides some insurance. And here comes Soto.

 

Eli Morgan strikes out Austin Wells and the Guardians are bringing in Andrew Walters to face the top of the order.

 

Yankees now have runners on second and third

The sloppiness of the ALCS has returned. Anthony Volpe on bad baserunning should've been out heading to third, but there was a collision and the ball came loose from José Ramírez's glove. There are no outs now for Austin Wells. He's in the nine hole, which means Gleyber Torres, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are coming ... 

 

Onto the ninth

Luke Weaver strikes out David Fry. We head to the ninth with the Yankees leading 4-3. 

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Kwan walks

It is now up to David Fry with two outs and two on here in the bottom of the eighth. Steven Kwan on first base represents the go-ahead run. The Yankees are going to closer Luke Weaver for the four-out save. That didn't work out for the Guardians. 

 

Steven Kwan up with the tying run on second and two outs. Kwan has been very hot this postseason.

 

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton go back-to-back

Aaron Judge homered off the best closer in baseball for 2024, Emmanuel Clase. It was 3-1 with two outs and two strikes and Clase threw a cutter. A pretty good one. But Judge went with it to the opposite field with a low liner that stayed up long enough to leave the yard. 

That went 356 feet and was 109.9 mph off the bat. 

Then Giancarlo Stanton followed with a shot to center field and the Yankees took a 4-3 lead. 

What an amazing turn of events. The Guardians led most of the game and had the bullpen set up to go to their studs. They went to their top guy and he gave up back-to-back bombs to Judge and Stanton.

Clase only gave up two home runs in the entire regular season, which was 74 1/3 innings worth of work. He had a 0.61 ERA and 0.66 WHIP. He was 47 for 50 in save chances. His last blown save was May 19. His last regular-season home run allowed was June 9, though he also gave up a game-tying shot in Game 2 of the ALDS. He's now given up more runs in the playoffs than the regular season and more home runs in the playoffs than the regular season. 

Much had been made of Judge's career-long postseason struggles and things had been worse in 2024, before his last at-bat in Game 2 of the ALCS, when he hit a two-run homer. He now has another two-run shot. 

Stanton is now 8 for 26 with two doubles, three homers and six RBI in the playoffs this year and has a great postseason resume. 

The Yankees are now six outs away from a 3-0 lead in the ALCS. 

 

Absolutely.

 

I think we can all agree that the broadcasts should show the closer entrances. 

 

Vogt's coming to the mound. It's Clase time.

 

Here we go ...

Hunter Gaddis walks Juan Soto with two outs, which means Aaron Judge is the tying run. And here comes Emmanuel Clase. MVP vs. top closer. 

 

Gaddis walks Juan Soto, and here comes Emmanuel Clase vs. Aaron Judge as the tying run. Fun!

 

Gaddis is in to begin the eighth.

 

3-1 Guardians going to the eighth

Hunter Gaddis is coming in, though we can safely assume Emmanuel Clase is available for 4-5 outs if things get hairy. Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton are two batters away.

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Tommy Kahnle on for the Yankees here in the bottom of the sixth. Runner on, nobody out. 

 

Guards have Hunter Gaddis warming.

 

Chisholm's leadoff walk in the seventh snaps a string of 13 straight Yankees retired.

 

The base cam

This is legitimately an amazing view: 

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