CLEVELAND, Ohio — Watching New York Yankees fans celebrate Thursday night during the eighth inning when Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit back-to-back home runs to take a 4-3 lead over the Guardians in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, you would think someone pulled the plug on Progressive Field. Then, in the ninth inning, when the Yankees picked up an insurance run to make it 5-3, some fans began leaving the ballpark.
What were they thinking?
With their backs against the wall and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Guardians’ Lane Thomas doubled off the left-field wall, bringing pinch-hitter Jhonkensy Noel to the plate.
The TBS announcers could not believe that they saw next. Neither could most Guardians fans: An absolute bomb home run into the left-field bleachers sent the ballpark into a frenzy.
The Yankees’ postseason record when leading by two or more runs in the ninth inning or later was 196-1. They fell to 196-2 in the 10th inning when David Fry sent a walk-off home run into the bleachers.
See the video above for fan reaction to one of the biggest postseason victories in Cleveland history.
