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3 unsung heroes from the Guardians' dramatic win over the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS
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- 3 unsung heroes from the Guardians' dramatic win over the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS
CLEVELAND — David Fry and Jhonkensy Noel were the undisputed heroes for the Guardians on Thursday in a 7-5 win in 10 innnings over the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field.
Noel's two-run home run off Yankees closer Luke Weaver tied the score 5-5 in the ninth and Fry's two-run home run off reliever Clay Holmes gave the Guardians the victory in the 10th in front of a sellout crowd of 32,531.
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The homers to the left-field bleachers were dramatic and necessary for the Guardians as they countered homers by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton off closer Emmanuel Clase in the eighth and trimmed the Yankees' lead to 2-1 in the seven-game series.
Cleveland Guardians' Kyle Manzardo hits a two-run home run in the third inning against the New York Yankees during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday in Cleveland.
However, the Guardians don't win that game without a few unsung heroes, such as Kyle Manzardo , Lane Thomas and Andrés Giménez .
"Everyone generally loves each other," Fry said. "We come to the field excited to play. It's like, yeah, we got punched in the mouth with the best pitcher in baseball, Emmanuel Clase . And it's like, he picked us up all year; it's time we pick him up. There were so many little moments that obviously Matty [ Matthew Boyd ] gives us a huge start, then the bullpen comes in, does their thing and Gimé makes unreal plays."
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Here's a breakdown of Giménez, Thomas and Manzardo's contributions Thursday:
Cleveland Guardians' Kyle Manzardo runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning against the New York Yankees during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday in Cleveland.
Kyle Manzardo gives Guardians first lead of ALCS against the Yankees
Manzardo , a rookie, hit his first playoff home run in the third inning to give the Guardians a 2-1 lead.
Manzardo drilled a 3-1 pitch by Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt 395 feet into the seats in right field to give the Guardians their first lead of the series. Manzardo's homer had a 108 mph exit velocity and also scored Brayan Rocchio , who led off the inning with a single.
Cleveland Guardians' Kyle Manzardo celebrates a two-run home run in the third inning against the New York Yankees during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday in Cleveland.
Manzardo , batting second behind Steven Kwan , singled in his first at-bat and grounded out in his third at-bat. Fry pinch-hit for Manzardo in the seventh inning and finished with a walk, a strikeout and the walk-off homer that also scored Bo Naylor .
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"Manzo has been awesome," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "Ever since he came back in September [from Triple-A Columbus], he's been great. And with he and David manning the DH, we feel good about them being at the plate anytime, anywhere."
Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas reacts after a two-run home run by teammate Jhonkensy Noel during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Oct. 17, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Lane Thomas flashes range, hits key double in ALCS against the Yankees
The homers by Noel and Fry don't happen without a two-out double by Thomas in the ninth inning.
"I think the at-bat that got forgotten was off Weaver two outs in the ninth," Fry said. "Lane has an unbelievable at-bat and then hits a double off the wall to keep the game alive before Jhonkensy's homer. There are just so many things that these guys do as a team, they're so tough. I mean, it's so much fun to be a part of."
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José Ramírez reached base on an error to begin the Guards ninth, but Josh Naylor hit into a 1-6-3 double play against Weaver. Thomas then lined a 3-2 pitch off the fence in left-center to give Cleveland hope, and scored on Noel's homer.
Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas steals third base in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday in Cleveland.
"Thomas put a really good at-bat on Weave to kind of lay off some tough pitches, got back in the count, hits the double, and then obviously Noel really got into one," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "They scratched and clawed their way back in. I thought Clay was pretty sharp and then just left one up that Fry was able to elevate.
"... Amazing game to witness. That was playoff baseball. Both sides just kept coming with haymakers and big at-bats, big moments off of two really good bullpens. They outlasted us tonight. They had one more good swing than us."
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Thomas made a diving catch in the first inning on a ball hit by Juan Soto and finished with two walks, two runs and a stolen base.
Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez throws to first base against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 1 in Cleveland.
Andrés Giménez extends lead, flashes range in ALCS against the Yankees
Giménez hit an RBI single to right field in the sixth inning to score Thomas and extend the Guardians' lead to 3-1.
Giménez , a Gold Glove and Platinum Glove recipient at second base, flashed his range in the 10th inning when he ran down a ground ball to his left hit by Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Pedro Avila struck out Aaron Judge to start the 10th and then walked Giancarlo Stanton before Chisholm put the ball in play. Giménez fielded the ball, spun around and made an off-balance throw to Josh Naylor, who picked the ball out of the dirt and barely kept his left foot on first base to record the second out of the inning.
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"Andrés Giménez is the best infielder on the planet," Vogt said. "He has been, and he will be. He makes plays that make us wow every single day it seems like.
"For him to even get to that ball, spin and throw a very good runner out and for Naylor to make an-in between hop pick as he's falling over fully stretched, that is just unbelievable defense by both of them. ... What Andrés does night in and night out is so much fun to watch. We are spoiled to watch him play second base every day."
Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez fields ground balls before Game 1 of the ALCS against the Yankees on Monday in Bronx, New York.
Boyd said "getting an out there more than anything was amazing."
Avila intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo and struck out Anthony Volpe to get out of a jam.
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"That was an incredible game on both sides," Vogt said. "All the emotions, ups and downs, back and forth, you name it. If there's an emotion, we all felt it on both sides.
"I couldn't be more proud of our guys. That's exactly who we are. We never quit. We get punched in the teeth pretty hard there in the eighth, and our guys stepped up huge for the guy [Clase] that carried us all year long. That was really fun to see."
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 3 unsung heroes for Guardians in ALCS Game 3 win over Yankees
