The New York Yankees aren’t finished just yet. After trailing 6-1, they stormed back to secure their biggest comeback victory in a franchise elimination game, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the ALDS.
The Yankees scored eight consecutive runs in the game’s middle innings to clinch a 9-6 win. Rookie Cam Schlittler, whose stellar postseason debut came in the Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox, will now start as they face another elimination game on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Blue Jays manager John Schneider is expected to use multiple bullpen pitchers to try and slow down the Yankees’ suddenly potent offense.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
After being outscored 23-8 in the series’ first two games, the Yankees needed an early spark. However, the Yankee Stadium crowd was quickly silenced by another Vladimir Guerrero Jr. home run.
The powerful hitter crushed a Carlos Rodón changeup over the left-center-field wall to give Toronto an immediate 2-0 lead. The Yankees answered with a two-out single by Giancarlo Stanton in the first, but the Blue Jays dampened the Yankees’ spirits in the third inning.
BLUE JAYS’ TREY YESAVAGE MAKES MLB PLAYOFF HISTORY IN DOMINANT YANKEES STUNNER
Toronto scored four runs with RBI singles from Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement, and Anthony Santander, making it 6-1 and forcing Rodón out of the game, similar to Max Fried in Game 2, who also couldn’t last beyond three innings.
However, the Yankees remained resilient, with Aaron Judge hitting an RBI double in the third, and Stanton adding a sacrifice fly to score Cody Bellinger, reducing the deficit to 6-3.
Despite the Blue Jays holding a comfortable lead after three innings, the Yankees were searching for a breakthrough moment to shift the series’ momentum. They found it when an apparent routine pop-up by Austin Wells turned into a critical error by Addison Barger in shallow left field.
With Wells on second and Trent Grisham walking, Judge had an opportunity to tie the game with one swing. Judge has faced criticism for his postseason performance, and while he leads in playoff hits, he hadn’t delivered a home run.
It was the perfect moment for a signature Judge play against Louis Varland, the Blue Jays’ high-leverage reliever, who has previously allowed two home runs to Judge.
On a two-strike count, Judge connected with a 99.7 mph fastball off the plate and drove it down the left-field line, hitting the foul pole for a three-run homer, tying the game at six and igniting the Yankee crowd.
The Yankees knew the game was tied and that they needed more runs to prolong their season. In the fifth inning, Jazz Chisholm Jr. blasted a Varland fastball into the second deck in right field, giving the team its first lead of the series. Wells added an RBI single, extending the lead to 8-6.
Leading 9-6 after a Ben Rice sacrifice fly in the sixth, the Yankees needed nine outs from their best bullpen pitchers, Devin Williams and David Bednar, to advance to Game 4. Williams delivered four outs, including two strikeouts, while Bednar secured the final five outs without allowing a hit.
The Yankees also relied on Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval, and Tim Hill, who shut down the Blue Jays’ offense as the Yankees gradually closed the gap.
Game 4 is scheduled for an 8:08 p.m. ET start at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
