CLEVELAND — Rookie pinch hitter Jonkenzie Noel hit a tying homer with two outs in the ninth inning, David Fry connected for two runs in the 10th, and the Guardians pulled past the New York Yankees 7-5 in Cleveland on Thursday. 2-1 in the American League Championship Series.
Cleveland led 3-1 in the eighth before Aaron Judge All-Star closer Emmanuel Klaus and Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer with a solo drive.
With the Guardians trailing 5-3 to snap out of a 3-0 series deficit, Lane Thomas doubled off Luke Weaver in the ninth before Noel tied it with his towering homer.
Bo Naylor led off the top of the 10th against Clay Holmes, and Brian Rocchio had a sacrifice bunt. Naylor reached third on a comebacker before Frye, who had hit a Division Series-saving homer against Detroit, sent a 1-2 single into the left field bleachers.
Fry was mobbed by his teammates, and the fans cheered on the progressive field.
A win on Friday would tie the series.
The Fries Swing ended up being an instant October classic.
The Guardians, who have defied the odds all season, were minutes away from a heartbreaking loss after taking a two-run lead into the bottom of the eighth. Noel, who made his debut in June, crushed a 1-0 pitch from Weaver over the wall in left field to tie the game at 5-5 and give them new life.
Thomas doubled Weaver with two outs before Noel, known as “Big Christmas,” hit one of the biggest home runs in Cleveland history.
As he rounded the bases, Progressive Field fans danced in their seats and in the aisles, reminiscent of Rajai Davis’ tying homer off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
Frye and Noel shots put the Yankees up 4-3 against Glass after Judge and Stanton combined for their homers.
But the Guardians aren’t done, and there’s still a chance to end the longest World Series drought, which stretches back to 1948. At this point, they seem capable of anything.
Batted .143 (3 of 21) with 8 strikeouts this October against Glass, the AL’s saves leader in 2024 and MLB’s most feared reliever.
After trailing 1-2, Judge, who had been on the field five hours before the game, took batting practice, sat back and drove a 99 mph cutter to right off Glass, the ball clearing the outfield wall.
New York players came out of the dugout to celebrate Judge, who would become the AL MVP after hitting 58 homers in the regular season, circling the bases following his 15th homer of the season.
The Yankees, who had won three in the first seven innings, were exchanging closing high-fives when Stanton crushed a 1-2 slider from Glass and sent it over the center-field wall.
Glass has been flawless all season, allowing just five runs and recording 34 consecutive saves while dominating every time he takes the mound. But he was tagged for a three-run homer in the ninth by Detroit’s Kerry Carpenter in the ALDS before Judge and Stanton got him within eight pitches.
New York went two on with no outs in the ninth but scored just one run on Kleiber Torres’ sacrifice fly. Eli Morgan ended the inning by throwing a third strike past Juan Soto.
Rookie Kyle Manzarto hit a two-run homer in Cleveland’s third.
The 30th regular season matchup between the Guardians and Yankees is another tight contest between two franchises that know each other well this time of year. This will be their seventh meeting in the playoffs.
As Matthew Boyd went five innings, Cleveland finally got some length from a starter, the most Guardians manager Stephen Vogt has allowed this postseason. The left-hander gave up two hits before retiring 10 straight, seven on easy grounders.
