By Tiffany Williams –
On Thursday night, the New York Yankees faced off against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 of the 2024 American League Championship Series. The intense game ended with the Cleveland Guardians securing a 7-5 victory, narrowing the Yankees’ series lead to 2-1. The Yankees had previously taken Game 1 with a 5-2 score and Game 2 with a 6-3 score.
Historically, teams that win game three after falling behind 2-0 in a seven-game postseason series have gone on to win the series 14 out of 51 times, with four of those victories occurring in the League Championship Series. Notably, the 1985 Royals were the only American League team to win a seven-game ALCS after going down 0-2 and winning game three.
Clarke Schmidt took the mound for the Yankees, marking his second start of the 2024 postseason and his fifth career postseason appearance. In his 4.2 innings of play against the Guardians, Schmidt threw 78 pitches, with 48 strikes. He conceded two runs on five hits, walked two batters, and struck out two.
The Yankees made their mark in the second inning when Anthony Volpe’s play earned them their first run of the game, putting them ahead 1-0. However, the Guardians swiftly turned the tables in the bottom of the third when Kyle Manzardo’s impressive 108 mph home run off a 94 mph sinker, marked his first career homer, and propelled the Guardians to a 2-1 lead.
The Guardians extended their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning with Lane Thomas crossing the plate. However, the Yankees mounted a comeback in the top of the eighth inning with back-to-back homers. Aaron Judge’s long ball off a 99.2 mph cutter tied the game at 3-3, followed by Giancarlo Stanton’s homer off an 89.5 mph slider, propelling the Yankees to a 4-3 lead.
In the top of the ninth, the Yankees furthered their lead to 5-3 with Anthony Volpe scoring. Yet, in a dramatic bottom of the ninth inning, Jhonkensy Noel’s homer and Lane Thomas’s run tied the game at 5-5, forcing the match into extra innings. In the tenth inning, David Fry’s homer and Bo Naylor’s run extended the Guardians’ lead to 7-5, securing the crucial victory.
Game four of the 2024 American League Championship Series is scheduled for Friday night at 8:08 PM, promising another thrilling matchup between these two competitive teams.
Sports Insider Daily 