CLEVELAND — The Yankees suffered a heartbreaking loss and sprinted through their Bizarro bullpen.
Tim Hill and Tim Meza, who were rarely used, put runners on base and got big outs.
Key players Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes hit big home runs with runners on base.
The Yankees were just one hit away from celebrating a come-from-behind victory, but suffered a shocking 7-5 walk-off loss to the Guardians in the 10th inning of Game 3 of the ALCS on Thursday.
Who would have predicted the outcome after watching the bullpen-dominated first six games of the playoffs?
“We have to get out there and do our job… to get things done,” Holmes said. “What we expect is to enter zero every time. We couldn't do it, but we still believe it's good. [in Game 4]”
The Yankees' bullpen allowed three runs (two earned) and a 0.857 WHIP in 23¹/₃ innings, giving them a 5-1 start heading into the playoffs and regaining room in the rotation.
However, it is unreasonable to expect near-perfection at this time of year.
“It's baseball, stuff like that happens,” Aaron Judge said. “You don't want to see that situation, but they've been very good to us all season. Especially in the postseason, they've been passive.”
With starter Clark Schmidt out and leading 2-1, the Yankees had no intention of filling the final 13 outs by following the Holmes-Tommy Kahnle-Weaver recipe that manager Aaron Boone relies on. I didn't.
Instead, Hill ended the fifth inning with a runner on second base, Meiza ended the sixth inning with a runner on the corner, and Kahnle ended the seventh inning with runners on first and second base, 3-1. We maintained the point difference.
After Ian Hamilton left with an injury, Mayza allowed an RBI single to the leadoff batter.
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Back-to-back home runs by Judge and Giancarlo Stanton gave the Yankees a 4-3 lead and it looked like they were in good shape, until Weaver recorded his first save since assuming the closer's role in early September. Ta.
With two outs and a count of 0-2 in the 9th inning, Lane Thomas hit a double off the top of the wall. Jonski Noel then hit a two-run home run as a pinch hitter to tie the game.
“Honestly, we’re just one pitch away,” Weaver said. “I really felt like I let the team down and let myself down.”
Weaver started his first career trip to the playoffs with six consecutive scoreless innings, allowing a home run in Game 2. Perhaps it was a sign that his sense of invincibility was fading.
“I just threw the worst pitch of the tournament.” [to Noel]” Weaver said.
Holmes (a demoted closer who got out of trouble in the playoffs) was hit with a leadoff single in the 10th inning, and with two outs, he allowed a walk-off home run to David Frye.
He told Frye that his pitch was no different than if there was no runner on third base. That could have happened if he had given Frye a different pitch earlier in the inning.
“Maybe I made the sinker a little faster there and threw it where I couldn’t throw it,” Holmes said. “If it’s a good sinker well below the zone, it’s probably going to be a more favorable outcome.”
