The Cleveland Guardians have kept their hopes alive in the American League Championship Series with a thrilling comeback victory over the New York Yankees. In Game 3 on Thursday night, the Guardians managed to tie the game in the ninth inning with a two-run home run from Jhonkensy Noel, followed by a walk-off two-run homer from David Fry in the 10th inning, resulting in a 7-5 win at Progressive Field.
The victory prevented the Guardians from falling into a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 series deficit, and now the Yankees lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Despite the Yankees’ strong pitching depth, the outcome of Game 3 has added a new layer of intrigue to the series.
Fry’s important homer marks his second pivotal hit this postseason, having previously delivered a critical home run in Game 4 of the AL Division Series. The Yankees were ahead after Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit back-to-back homers in the eighth inning off Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase, who struggled in that critical moment.
Noel’s clutch swing came after Lane Thomas, who nearly homered himself, hit a double to set the scene for the pinch-hitter. Noel connected on a pitch from Yankees closer Luke Weaver, sending it soaring 404 feet and leveling the score at 5-5.
Shifting to the eighth inning, Aaron Judge tied the game with a two-run shot, followed by Stanton’s drive that gave the Yankees a lead. This swing of momentum came after five solid innings from Guardians pitcher Matthew Boyd and solid relief, which saw Cleveland leading 3-1 until the Yankees rallied.
Earlier in the game, rookie Kyle Manzardo hit a three-run home run to give the Guardians a brief lead, marking his first playoff homer. Jose Trevino contributed to the Yankees’ early scoring with a single that put them ahead in the second inning.
As the teams prepare for Game 4, which will feature Yankees rookie Luis Gil against the Guardians, the stakes have been raised for both sides.