CLEVELAND — Aaron Judge delivered his signature October moment, which would have been replayed repeatedly throughout his career.
You can almost hear Michael Kay introducing Judge during his Monument Park celebration years from now: “And who could forget his iconic game-tying, two-run home run in Game 3 of the Yankees’ American League Championship Series victory over the Cleveland Guardians in 2024, propelling them to the brink of their first World Series berth since 2009?”
It was the moment everyone in the ballpark had been waiting for on Thursday night. Lil Wayne’s hit 2005 song “Fireman” blasted through the Progressive Field speakers as the best closer in the world, Emmanuel Clase, waltzed in from the bullpen. The Cleveland Guardians led 3-1 in the eighth inning, with two outs, a runner on first base, and the game’s best hitter, Aaron Judge, stepping into the batter’s box.
On a recent podcast, Guardians catcher Austin Hedges boldly claimed that Clase is the best pitcher in MLB history. “He’s better than Mariano,” Hedges declared. “If you need three outs, he’s the best pitcher of all time to get them.”
Clase began the showdown against Judge with a 98.7 mph cutter that missed its mark. Hedges had called for the pitch to be inside, on Judge’s hands, but it drifted over the heart of the plate. Judge just missed it, fouling it off behind him. He then swung over a perfectly placed cutter on the black at the bottom of the strike zone, falling behind 0-2 against a pitcher Hedges deemed the greatest to ever step on a mound.
On the 0-2 pitch, Clase attempted to get Judge to chase a cutter off the plate, but Judge didn’t bite. Those two outside cutters were crucial, setting the stage for what would unfold next.
Clase delivered another cutter to the outer edge, and this time, Judge beat him to the spot. He didn’t miss it. Judge claimed he was just trying to poke a single into right field to bring Giancarlo Stanton up with two runners on base, but the ball kept carrying.
Throughout the postseason, Judge has spoken about the ghosts of Yankees greats who seem to be on their side. His home run landed in the same spot where Sandy Alomar Jr. hit his game-tying home run off Rivera in Game 4 of the 1997 American League Division Series. Twenty-seven years later, Mariano’s ghost delivered a measure of payback against anyone doubting his legacy as the greatest of all time.
As Judge’s ball soared through the Cleveland sky, the entire Yankees dugout surged over the railing. Judge didn’t revel in the moment; it was the second-fastest home-to-home speed of his career, according to Statcast (only his home run against José Berríos in the 2017 Wild Card Game was quicker).
Judge’s home run off Clase felt improbable. He had allowed just five runs during the regular season and was by far the most unhittable pitcher in the game. Guardians designated hitter David Fry noted after the game that when Clase enters, the Guardians’ dugout often feels like they can stop watching, convinced the game is already decided.
“So we were like, obviously, shook,” Fry said of Judge’s home run.
“Obviously that guy over there is going to be the MVP,” Guardians starting pitcher Matthew Boyd said. “He took one of the guys that’s going to be in there for Cy Young on an amazing pitch.”
In the next at-bat, Giancarlo Stanton delivered the go-ahead home run off Clase, a stunning development that suddenly had the Yankees six outs away from a 3-0 lead in the ALCS. A 3-0 lead over the Guardians would have been insurmountable; they do not have the talent that the 2004 Boston Red Sox possessed.
But the Yankees did not capitalize on Judge and Stanton’s back-to-back home runs. In the ninth inning, the Guardians were down to their final strike and faced with the reality that their season was on life support. Yankees closer Luke Weaver, who had done his best Mariano impersonation over the last month, gave up a two-out double to Lane Thomas. Guardians manager Steven Vogt sent up pinch-hitter Jhonkensy Noel to face Weaver. On the second pitch he saw, Weaver hung a change-up over the heart of the plate that Noel, appropriately nicknamed “Big Christmas,” sent on a sleigh ride 404 feet over the left field wall to tie the game.
“It hurts a little bit more knowing how hard they worked to get the game to where it was,” Weaver said of Judge and Stanton. “It hurts even more knowing I was one pitch away. It all stinks. It hurts more knowing how close we were and how big a 3-0 (lead) would be.”
With the game in extra innings, the Yankees could not come through in the top of the 10th. Yankees manager Aaron Boone brought in Clay Holmes for the bottom half of the inning. Holmes entered with a 14 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings streak to start his postseason career. The only pitcher with a longer streak was, of course, Mariano with 16 scoreless innings.
Holmes’ scoreless streak snapped at 15 1/3 innings pitched after he left a sinker up in the zone to Fry, who clobbered a walk-off two-run home run for the Guardians, who now trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. The Yankees are now faced with needing to quickly flush a gut-wrenching loss knowing how close they were to setting themselves up for a potential sweep.
“A loss is a loss, whether it’s a clean one or we lost 3-1 or like this,” Stanton said. “This one obviously stings a bit more, but at the end of the day, an ‘L’ is an ‘L’ by one, two, eight, whatever. Tomorrow is a new day. We got to get it done.”
The Yankees will start rookie Luis Gil in Game 4. Gil has not started since Sept. 28 and has battled command issues all season. His opponent, Gavin Williams, hasn’t pitched since Sept. 22. An advantage the Guardians may have going into Game 4 is all of their top bullpen arms did not throw many pitches Thursday night and should be available. For the Yankees, Tommy Kahnle threw 26 pitches, with Weaver tossing 20 of his own. Meanwhile, Holmes will have to figure out how to bounce back after a devastating performance.
Judge was one of Holmes’ biggest clubhouse advocates when the reliever went through his struggles during the regular season, routinely telling reporters that he was the right choice to be the team’s closer. And Holmes is a key reason why Judge’s home run is now merely a footnote.
(Top photo of Aaron Judge swinging: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
