YANKEES WIPE OUT JAYS’ 5-RUN LEAD, STAY ALIVE IN ALDS
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge hit a tying three-run homer in the fourth inning, Jazz Chisholm Jr. socked a go-ahead solo homer in the fifth and the New York Yankees avoided elimination in the American League Division Series with a 9-6 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 on Tuesday.
The Yankees stormed back from a 6-1 deficit through 2 1/2 innings thanks to the homers from Judge and Chisholm off Louis Varland (0-1).
“Happy with how the offense responded and pitching staff responded, and live to see another day,” Judge said.
New York forced Game 4 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, when rookie Cam Schlittler will start for the hosts while the Blue Jays are expected to use a bullpen game.
New York also overcame Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s third homer of the series. Guerrero went deep on Carlos Rodon’s 2-0 changeup three batters into the contest and scored on a headfirst slide on a single by Ernie Clement in Toronto’s four-run third.
The Blue Jays led 6-3 with one out in the bottom of the fourth when New York’s Austin Wells reached on a fielding error by third baseman Addison Barger. Trent Grisham walked, and Varland replaced Mason Fluharty on the mound.
Judge swung and missed at a 100 mph fastball for an 0-2 count and took a timeout. On the next pitch, the AL batting champion and two-time MVP hit a fastball off the left field foul pole to forge a 6-6 tie.
“You just got so much adrenaline pumping and you’re so locked in on the moment,” Judge said. “You really don’t hear anything. The noise is probably so loud it’s deafening. … I was locked in on my teammates, locked in on the ball. You’re kind of floating around the bases. Before you know it, you’re back in the dugout and the moment’s over and it’s time to cheer on the next guy.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “It’s an amazing swing. That’s shades of Edgar Martinez right there, taking that high and tight one and keeping it fair down the line. Manny Ramirez used to do that really well, too. But just a great swing on a pretty nasty pitch obviously.”
Asked whether he thought the ball would stay fair, Boone said, “I have such a good angle from where I sit on fair/foul down the left field line. So I was kind of giving it some body language, but I felt like it was going to hold.
“The wind most of the night … the ball was carrying to left, and that at-bat, when I looked up, the flag was dead. So probably keeping it from maybe blowing it foul.”
It was Judge’s 17th career postseason homer. Before connecting, Judge was seen consulting with Giancarlo Stanton in the dugout during the pitching change.
Judge ended the night 3-for-4 with a walk, his second career three-hit game in the postseason. He set a career playoff high with four RBIs.
After Varland fanned Stanton for the first out of the fifth, Chisholm sent a 1-1 fastball into the second deck of the right field seats for a 7-6 lead.
Wells added an RBI single later in the inning. In the sixth, Judge was intentionally walked with the bases empty and one out. After Cody Bellinger doubled Judge to third, Ben Rice lifted a sacrifice fly.
For Toronto, Daulton Varsho hit an RBI single and Anthony Santander had a two-run single in the third.
Alluding to the Blue Jays’ errors that led to two unearned runs, Toronto manager John Schneider said, “It’s tough as a whole to play here. I think we did a really good job of coming out and taking the lead. You’re talking about giving a really good team extra outs.”
Rodon allowed six runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings and was lifted after Santander’s hit. After Rodon’s short start, five New York relievers combined on 6 2/3 scoreless innings.
Fernando Cruz got four outs, and Camilo Doval recorded three outs. Tim Hill (1-0) stranded Clement at second with the score tied in the fifth before pitching a 1-2-3 sixth.
Devin Williams pitched a perfect seventh and got the first out of the eighth. David Bednar ended a five-out save by retiring Guerrero on a grounder to third base.
YANKEES NEED STRONG ENCORE FROM CAM SCHLITTLER TO EXTEND ALDS AGAIN
NEW YORK — A monster performance by Aaron Judge allowed the New York Yankees to keep their season going.
It also provided them a chance to get rookie Cam Schlittler another opportunity at making a postseason start.
Schlittler will be on the mound Wednesday night when the Yankees host the Toronto Blue Jays and attempt to even the American League Division Series at two wins apiece.
The Blue Jays will employ a bullpen game, with Louis Varland serving as the opener after he endured an ugly relief outing on Tuesday.
The Yankees are trying to overcome a two-games-to-none deficit in the best-of-five division series for the third time. They achieved the feat in 2001 against the Athletics and in 2017 against Cleveland.
Judge is 7-for-11 in the series after going 3-for-4 with four RBIs in New York’s 9-6 win on Tuesday. The two-time MVP helped keep the Yankees alive by hitting a tying three-run homer in the fourth inning off Varland. He also made a diving catch in right field in the fifth inning, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Rice in the sixth.
“Tonight was special, but there’s still more work to be done,” Judge said after the Tuesday contest. “Hopefully we have some more cool moments like this the rest of the postseason. We’ve got another big game tomorrow night.”
Judge helped the Yankees overcome a 6-1 deficit, improving his average to .500 (11-for-22) in six playoff games this season. He also is 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position in the postseason. Including the playoffs, Judge is batting .397 (48-for-121) with 14 homers and 27 RBIs over his past 36 games since Aug. 27.
“It was the best-player-in-the-game type (of) performance,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It was special when obviously, needless to say, we’re backs against the wall and then some in a Game 3 situation. ”
The Blue Jays hit .392 and scored 23 runs in the first two games at Toronto, but they mustered just two hits in the final five innings of Game 3. Errors by second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa and third baseman Addison Barger set up four runs for the Yankees.
Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run homer in the first inning and is 8-for-13 with eight RBIs and five runs in the series.
Ernie Clement had four hits and is 7-for-11 in the series, but the Blue Jays struck out 11 times. George Springer went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, and Alejandro Kirk was 0-for-4.
“It just goes to show if you leave your foot off the gas for even a second, a good team will pounce on you and make stuff happen,” Clement said.
Schlittler will take the mound after a historic 12-strikeout performance in eight innings during a 4-0 win over the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the AL wild-card series on Thursday.
The 24-year-old right-hander threw 107 pitches and allowed five hits in his postseason debut, becoming the first pitcher in major league history to toss at least eight scoreless innings and fan at least 12 without allowing a walk in a postseason game.
Since making his major league debut on July 9, Schlittler had his worst start on Sept. 5 in a home game against the Blue Jays. He lasted 1 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits in a 7-1 loss. Toronto batters fouled off 24 of Schlittler’s 66 pitches.
“It was impressive how many foul balls there were, but I think I’m a different pitcher now than I was when I faced them a month ago and now even from two weeks ago,” Schlittler said Tuesday afternoon.
“They had a good game plan that day and they were able to foul a lot of balls off and work my count. Going into tomorrow, just making sure that I can make those adjustments and get the weak contact that I’m looking for.”
Schlittler also pitched in New York’s lone win in Toronto this year, on July 22. In that outing, he allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings for a no-decision, throwing 90 pitches in the Yankees’ 5-4 victory.
Toronto heads into a bullpen game one day after using six relievers — Mason Fluharty, Varland, Braydon Fisher, Brendon Little, Yariel Rodriguez and Tommy Nance — to cover 5 1/3 innings. Every Blue Jays reliever except Justin Bruihl, Jeff Hoffman and Rodriguez has pitched at least twice in the series.
Varland got three outs on Tuesday, but he served up Judge’s tying homer in the fourth inning and Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s go-ahead blast in the fifth.
Eric Lauer is expected to serve as the Blue Jays’ bulk reliever. The left-hander allowed three hits while getting only one out in the seventh inning on Sunday. He has faced the Yankees in the regular season just once in his career, when he threw 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball for a win in 2019.
“These guys will be ready to go,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “It’s really comforting for me to see them do that all year. I know they’re going to do it again and you have to take out the outside noise that comes with playing here and all that kind of stuff.”
MARINERS CLUB 3 HOMERS, PUSH TIGERS TO BRINK OF ELIMINATION
DETROIT — J.P. Crawford, Eugenio Suarez and Cal Raleigh each belted a home run, sending the Seattle Mariners to an 8-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday and a 2-1 lead in the American League Division Series.
The Mariners can clinch the best-of-five series and their first trip to the AL Championship Series since 2001 with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday in Detroit.
Following a nearly three-hour rain delay before the first pitch, Seattle right-hander Logan Gilbert (1-0) struck out seven and allowed one run over six innings in his second career postseason start. He gave up four hits and didn’t issue a walk.
“It was vintage Logan,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “He attacked the zone. He got into good counts, and he let the split and the slider do his work for him and kept him in stride. …
“And to get that … on the road in a big game tonight after a long rain delay, you can’t discredit that either. Able to come out and throw an outing like that after waiting a couple of hours is another feather in his cap. So he answered the call tonight, no question about it, and it was what we needed, for sure.”
Relievers Matt Brash, Eduard Bazardo, Caleb Ferguson and Andres Munoz closed out the victory.
The Tigers have dropped eight straight games at home and have not won in Detroit since Sept. 6 against the Chicago White Sox.
The Mariners jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Victor Robles, who doubled, went to third on J.P. Crawford’s single, and he scored when the throw from left fielder Riley Greene got away from catcher Dillon Dingler. Randy Arozarena then singled to center to bring home Crawford.
Seattle added a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Suarez hit his first home run of the postseason to center field off Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (0-1). With two on and two outs, Cal Raleigh singled up the middle against Tommy Kahnle to send Dominic Canzone home from second.
Flaherty, who was making his 11th career playoff start, allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits over 3 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked three.
Dingler scored to cut the deficit to 4-1 in the fifth inning when Kerry Carpenter grounded into a forceout.
Crawford pushed the margin to 5-1 in the sixth with his homer to right field off reliever Brant Hurter. He later flied out to left field in the eighth inning to score Luke Raley.
Raleigh upped the lead to 8-1 in the ninth inning with his two-run shot to center off Brenan Hanifee that scored Arozarena.
Detroit mounted a late rally on Spencer Torkelson’s double that brought home Jake Rogers and Jahmai Jones, and Andy Ibanez’s single that scored Torkelson.
“Well, we’re not going to quit,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “You know, we had two games where we pitched tremendously well, and we had a lot of parts of this game where we pitched tremendously well. …
“They do hit homers when you make mistakes, but we’re going to play the rest of this series out and see if we can answer the challenge of getting through this lineup and putting up more runs.”
TIGERS ASK CASEY MIZE TO SAVE SEASON VS. MARINERS
DETROIT — A year ago, Detroit pitcher Casey Mize was told that he was not going to be on the Tigers’ roster for the American League Division Series.
On Wednesday, the Tigers will call upon the former No. 1 overall pick to help them stave off elimination in Game 4 of the ALDS against Seattle.
The Mariners lead the series 2-1 and are a win away from returning to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2001.
“When I’m going through difficult times or whatever the past few years, getting back on the field and being productive, but then being called upon to compete and be your best in times of need, it’s like every athlete’s dream,” Mize said.
It will be Mize’s second career postseason start. Last week, Mize allowed one run on one hit in three-plus innings during Detroit’s 6-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the American League wild-card series. He threw 62 pitches while walking two and striking out one.
Mize had mixed results in two regular-season starts against the Mariners this year, going 1-1 with a 6.23 ERA. He threw 5 2/3 shutout innings for a win at Seattle in his season debut on April 1, striking out six. However, the Mariners tagged him for six runs on six hits in three innings in Detroit on July 12.
In addition to Mize’s best pitching, the Tigers will need to start hitting the ball better. They fanned nine times in an 8-4 loss on Tuesday, raising their major-league-leading playoff total to 68.
“This is the hardest time to hit,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I mean, I know just when you’re facing high-end pitching in October, it’s a grind. And obviously their guys are really talented and are exposing a little bit of the zone control that we talk about all the time, where those who win the strike zone usually win the competition.
“We’ve got to get back at it (Wednesday).”
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller, who went 4-6 with a 5.68 ERA in 18 regular-season starts, will start in his first career postseason appearance.
“I’m excited, ready to go,” Miller said. “This is where we expect it to be, and go seal the deal (Wednesday) and move on and see what happens (between Toronto and) New York. But one day at a time, take care of business (Wednesday) and go from there.
“I think we’re feeling good. Got a lot of confidence. We’ve had confidence in this locker room all year. We’re having fun and we’re confident. So that’s a good combo.”
Miller has dominated the Tigers in his career, firing a total of 19 scoreless innings while going 2-0 in three starts. He struck out 15 and walked one in those outings — two in 2023 and one last year.
The Mariners relied on the hitting of Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and Jorge Polanco in the first two games. In Game 3, they received homers from Eugenio Suarez and J.P. Crawford in addition to Raleigh.
“Job’s not finished yet,” Raleigh said. “We know we got tough road ahead of us, really tough pitching (Wednesday). And you know it’s gonna be a challenge. We’ve got to bring it (Wednesday). We can’t take a game off. So we’re ready, and we’re still hungry.”
FACING ELIMINATION, PHILLIES PUT BALL IN AARON NOLA’S HANDS VS. DODGERS
LOS ANGELES — Even with their flaws exposed, the Los Angeles Dodgers get their first chance to advance out of the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies as the matchup shifts to the West Coast for Game 3 on Wednesday.
Strong starting pitching and a late-strike offense allowed the Dodgers to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. An issue has been a bullpen that has carried its second-half struggles into the postseason.
While the Dodgers rode their bullpen to a championship last season, manager Dave Roberts is crafting a new plan. The relievers combined for a 5.26 ERA in September and now have a 6.97 ERA through four postseason games.
Los Angeles has worked around the problem by recording 26 of its 27 outs with three different starting pitchers in Game 1 and used three more starters in Game 2 that delivered 25 of the 27 outs.
“It’s unchartered territory for everyone,” Roberts said of his pitching plan. “So there’s a balance of trying to build up some type of consistency to then get to the next graduation point as far as back-to-back (games) or whatever it is. … Those are things that we talk about daily to put our players in the best position (for success).”
Left-hander Tanner Scott led the club with 23 saves, but he also had 10 blown saves and hasn’t even been used in the Dodgers’ four playoff victories so far.
In Game 3, top starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the call after he did not allow an earned run in 6 2/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds in the wild-card round. Yamamoto was 12-8 with a 2.49 ERA in 30 regular-season starts.
The right-hander’s only start against the Phillies in two seasons came in April when he gave up an unearned run over six innings and was left with the loss.
The Phillies have received strong starting pitching over two games with nothing to show for it. Philadelphia also has bullpen concerns after its relievers gave up five runs in the past two games.
On offense, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are a combined 1-for-14 with eight strikeouts. Schwarber’s issues go back to the regular season after he batted .204 with 36 strikeouts over 25 September games, although he did hit seven home runs.
“It’s kind of weird and crazy to see there’s only been one homer hit in the first two games,” Harper said. “Pitching has been good on both sides. I think there’s been maybe two guys that have kind of played well on both sides.”
After using a pair of left-handed starters in the opening two games of the NLDS, the Phillies now turn to right-hander Aaron Nola, who was 5-10 with a career high 6.01 ERA in 17 regular-season starts after dealing with ankle and rib cage injuries.
Left-handed starter Ranger Suarez will be available to back up Nola.
In 12 career regular-season starts against the Dodgers, Nola is 3-3 with a 4.31 ERA and is 1-1 with a 3.76 ERA in four starts at Dodger Stadium.
To give the series an entirely different look, the Phillies received approval from MLB to wear their powder blue throwback road uniforms on Wednesday.
“They like playing in them so we had to go through a lot of hoops with Major League Baseball just to get it cleared,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy will make his first start of the series, while catcher Will Smith (hand) is a possibility to make his first start of the postseason.
Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader (groin) is a game-time decision to start.
CUBS REMAIN CONFIDENT DESPITE 2-0 DEFICIT VS. BREWERS IN NLDS
The Chicago Cubs have no margin for error heading into Wednesday’s Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.
That’s the reality because the Cubs are down 2-0 after two lopsided losses in the teams’ best-of-five series.
In order for Chicago to save its season, it must roll off three straight victories against a Brewers team that posted a franchise-record 97 wins to earn the top seed in the NL.
Cubs outfielder Ian Happ, however, said he isn’t interested in the big picture — only the immediate one.
“You can’t look at it as this daunting three games,” he said. “You have to take it as, win (Wednesday), move on, win (Wednesday), move on. And so that’s the only thing that we can do as a group, is just win on Wednesday, go from there.”
Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong kept the faith when asked if his team has a chance to win the series.
“Absolutely,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I’d be a fool if I was here and didn’t think so. That’s why we’re here.”
The Cubs are in the playoffs on the strength of a high-octane offense that recorded 793 runs during the regular season, the fifth-highest total in the majors. Chicago, however, has just 12 runs in five playoff games.
The Cubs have won only one playoff series since their run to the NL Championship Series in 2017. That said, the Brewers haven’t won a postseason series since they reached the NLCS in 2018.
Illinois native Quinn Priester (13-3, 3.32 ERA in regular season) will look to send Milwaukee back to the NLCS on Wednesday when he starts in Game 3 against fellow right-hander Jameson Taillon (11-7, 3.68).
Priester is a graduate of Cary-Grove High School in Chicago’s northwest suburbs. And on Wednesday, he will have a chance to end the season of his favorite boyhood team.
“To have this opportunity to pitch in the postseason, it certainly brings about pressure or nerves, or anxiety,” Priester said, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “It’s all those things, but would I rather be sitting at home? Absolutely not. In no world would I rather not have this opportunity.”
Priester, 25, is 1-0 with a 6.28 ERA in three appearances (two starts) against the Cubs this season. He is 1-0 with a 6.20 ERA in 20 1/3 innings over four career outings (two starts) against them.
Taillon, 33, permitted two hits over four scoreless innings before exiting after 60 pitches in a no-decision in Chicago’s 3-1 victory Thursday over the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the wild-card series.
He is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts this season vs. the Brewers. Taillon is 6-10 with a 3.33 ERA in 113 2/3 innings over 21 career appearances (20 starts) against them.
Taillon will need to keep Milwaukee’s bats in check in Game 3. Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio each hit a three-run homer, and William Contreras added a solo shot in the Brewers’ 7-3 victory on Monday.
The power surge was a welcome sight for Chourio, who experienced right hamstring tightness in the series opener.
“It’s the mental hurdle,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I’m sure it’s not 100 percent. But I’m more worried about behavior than feelings. However he feels isn’t as important as how he behaves.”
