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David Fry's walk-off homer propels Cleveland Guardians to an epic 7-5 victory in Game 3 over Yankees. After the New York Yankees took Games 1 and 2 to take a 2-0 series lead in the ALCS over the Cleveland Guardians, the Guardians knew they had to respond at home in front of their home crowd to keep their World Series hopes alive. Would they respond? They did that in Game 3 with a 7-5 victory over Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and the Yankees. The Guardians' response was led by a pair of late crucial clutch hits in the ninth and 10th innings from rookie outfielder Jhonkensy Noel and All-Star utility player David Fry.
Similar to Game 2, no team got it going until the second inning, when the Yankees struck first off a Jose Trevino single that gave him an RBI, giving Anthony Volpe the first of his two runs in the game and giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead at the top of the second. The Guardians, a team not necessarily known for its elite hitting, ranked 22nd overall in batting average (.237) during the regular season, got the ball rolling in the third inning.
Guardians first baseman Kyle Banzardo, who struck out once in his two at-bats in Game 2, got the Guardians offense rolling with a two-run homer at the bottom of the third, having him and Brayan Rocchio score to give the Guardians a 2-1 lead as they headed into the fourth. The Guardians continued to push their lead to 3-1 in the sixth after two scoreless innings by both teams off an Andred Gimenez single to center field that helped Lane Thomas score after stealing third earlier to get in a better scoring position.
After it seemed like the Guardians had the game in their favor, the Yankees came roaring back at the top of the eighth, led by their superstars in Judge, who had a two-run homer to help him and Juan Soto score to tie the game 3-3 off a 99mph cutter. Then came the Yankees designated hitter Stanton, who was the unsung hero in Game 1 with a two-run homer to help propel the Yankees to a 5-2 win powered another one, this time a solo homer off an 89mph slider to give the Yankees back-to-to back home runs to provide them with a 4-3 lead.
Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase, who allowed as many runs in the postseason (5) as he did all regular season as one of the best relief pitchers in the MLB, just allowed three runs with all the momentum pendulum swinging the Yankees way in the eighth. Vorpe scored again at the top of the ninth to push the Yankees lead 5-3 as it seemed like the Yankees were on their way to a commanding 3-0 lead.
Could the Guardians pull off the comeback to keep their season alive? Or would they go home with nightmares of those back-to-back homers from Judge and Stanton that broke the game open for the Yankees in the eighth to go down the 0-3 hole? It seemed like the latter was about to unfold, with the Yankees seemingly on their way to a commanding 3-0 lead. But then, in a twist that no one saw coming, the rookie Jhonkensy Noel had the hit of his life at the bottom of the ninth, with all the pressure on him to keep the Guardians season alive.
However, Noel stepped up to the plate like a seasoned veteran, blasting a two-run home run to the left off an 88mph changeup by Luke Weaver after Naylor’s grounded double play that tied the game 5-5 to go into an extra inning. After what seemed like the end, the Cleveland crowd serenaded with hope until Noel kept their hopes alive. That only helped rejuvenate the Guardians heading into the extra inning.
Guardians relief pitcher Pedro Avila came up big when his team needed to strike out the AL MVP favorite Judge in the 10th for the first out and Volpe for the third after allowing two walks. The Guardians had a chance to put it away. Bo Naylor singled to right to get the Guardians offense going at the bottom of the 10th and got to second off a sacrifice hit by Rocchio to get him to scoring position at second.
Yankees relief pitcher Clay Holmes grounded out the Guardians leading hitter this postseason, Stevie Kwan. With one out and Naylor now at third, the Guardians needed a base hit to get on the board to get Naylor home and walk out with the win. All-Star David Fry, a beacon of hope for the Guardians, stepped up to the plate. He showed why he’s among the league’s best with a 399-foot bomb to left-centered field for a two-run walk-off homer. This homer secured the victory and ignited a flame of hope in the hearts of the Guardians and their fans.
Fry’s homer secured a crucial victory for the Guardians and breathed new life into their series against the Yankees. With this win, the Guardians now have a chance to even the series at 2-2 in Cleveland on Friday night, bringing them one step closer to their first World Series appearance since 2016.
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