BRONX, NY — The Yankees saved their season from certain doom, overturning a 6-1 deficit by scoring eight unanswered runs to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-6 in Game 3 of the ALDS on Tuesday night in the Bronx.
By halving its deficit in the best-of-five series, New York has an opportunity to knot things up on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees overturned their five-run, third-inning deficit within one inning, punctuated by a rare, signature Aaron Judge postseason moment — a three-run, game-tying home run off the left-field foul pole in the bottom of the fourth.
Judge, whose postseason performances have been scrutinized mercilessly over the last eight years, went 3-for-4 with four RBI.
“It’s great. I’m just trying to do my job,” Judge said. “It’s just what I’ve been trying to do all year. Not try to do too much. Guys on base, try to drive them in. No one on base, try to get a rally going. That’s all you can do, especially in front of our fans. They were getting a little restless down 6-1, but they erupted when we tied it up and took the lead.”
Down three following an RBI double from Judge and a sacrifice fly from Giancarlo Stanton in the third, Austin Wells reached second when Blue Jays third baseman Addison Barger dropped his pop-up down the left-field line with one out in the fourth. Trent Grisham walked before Judge turned on an inside, 0-2, 99.7-mph fastball from reliever Luis Varland that stayed fair by mere inches.
“I felt like I made good contact,” Judge said. “I thought we had a chance. You just never know with the wind if it’s going to push it foul, if it’s going to keep curving or not. But I guess a couple ghosts out there in Monument Park helped keep that fair.”
The entirety of Yankee Stadium froze as the liner seared down the line, then exploded into pandemonium as Judge’s missile hit its target. The imposing slugger dropped his bat and raised his hand toward his dugout as he began his trip around the bases.
Jazz Chisholm got one more on Varland in the fifth when he cracked a no-doubter off the second deck in right field to make it a 7-6 game — the Yankees’ first lead of the ALDS after being outscored 23-8 in the first two games. Austin Wells made it a two-run game with a two-out single, scoring Amed Rosario from second.
“All I was thinking was ‘we gotta win this game,'” Chisholm said. “That’s all that was really going through my head the whole game.”
Judge was intentionally walked with one out in the sixth and moved to third when a Bellinger liner to right was misplayed by Anthony Santander. He scored on Ben Rice’s sacrifice fly.
The rally revived a Yankees team that looked as good as dead in the third after starting pitcher Carlos Rodon imploded. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued to haunt the Bronx Bombers when he hit his third home run in as many games in this ALDS, a two-run shot in the first inning.
Toronto then plated four in the third off Rodon. Daulton Varsho’s blooper clanged off the heel of Cody Bellinger’s glove to score Davis Schneider on a sleeping Jazz Chisholm, whose back was turned while the Blue Jays’ left fielder got a late start rounding third.
Ernie Clement added one more with a single before Anthony Santander drove in two more with a one-bagger. Rodon’s night was done after just 2.1 innings, as all six runs were earned on six hits.
