ALCS Game 3 takeaways: Jhonkensy Noel, David Fry help Guardians stun Yankees

Christmas came early in Cleveland.

On Thursday, the Cleveland Guardians secured a season-saving extra-innings win, defeating the New York Yankees 7-5 in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field. The Guardians will look to even up the best-of-seven series on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET.

Here are three takeaways from Cleveland's thrilling victory:

Yankees' Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton come through in the clutch

Game 3 was undoubtedly the most frustrating loss of the 2024 postseason for New York, but for a moment, it appeared as if it would be one of the team's most memorable victories.

After Guardians right-hander Hunter Gaddis issued a two-out walk to Yankees outfielder Juan Soto in the eighth inning with his team leading 3-1, manager Stephen Vogt brought in star closer Emmanuel Clase to pitch to slugger Aaron Judge.

Judge's postseason struggles have been well documented, but the six-time All-Star finally had his October moment on Thursday. Judge, down to his last strike in the at-bat, sent a 99 mph Clase cutter 358 feet to right field, just clearing the fence for a game-tying two-run homer.

Then, Stanton, the next batter in the inning, made manager Aaron Boone's decision to move him up to the cleanup spot for Game 3 pay off. The former National League MVP capped off a seven-pitch at-bat by crushing a slider from Clase 390 feet to center field for a go-ahead home run.

According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, this marked the first time in Yankees history that the team hit a game-tying and a go-ahead homer in the same inning in the eighth or later in a postseason game.

…But Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel and David Fry deliver in the biggest moments

Despite the Yankees regaining momentum, the Guardians didn't roll over and quickly threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning. Cleveland managed to get two men on base, forcing the Yankees to bring in closer Luke Weaver, who ultimately struck out Fry to get out of the inning unscathed.

Hope seemed lost, especially after Guardians All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor grounded into a double play in the ninth inning. Nevertheless, after outfielder Lane Thomas collected a two-out double, Vogt sent Noel to the plate to pinch-hit in place of Daniel Schneemann.

On the second pitch of the at-bat, "Big Christmas" sent the crowd at Progressive Field into a frenzy, clobbering a Weaver fastball 404 feet for a no-doubt, game-tying two-run homer. As per Langs , Noel is the first rookie to hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning or later of a postseason game in MLB history.

The Yankees couldn't score a run off Guardians right-hander Pedro Avila in the 10th inning, and Boone ultimately turned to Clay Holmes to pitch in the bottom of the frame. Holmes allowed a leadoff single to catcher Bo Naylor, who advanced to second base on a Brayan Rocchio sacrifice bunt. Holmes then got outfielder Steven Kwan to ground out, which brought Fry to the plate.

Fry, the hero of Cleveland's ALDS Game 4 win over the Detroit Tigers, once again came to the rescue, launching a two-run walk-off homer 399 feet to left-center field. Fry's clutch hit was the third walk-off home run in Cleveland's postseason history, according to ESPN .

Guardians get their best starting pitching performance of the postseason

Starting pitching has been the Guardians' glaring weakness throughout the season, and this shortcoming has been repeatedly exposed in October. Cleveland hadn't had a starter pitch through five innings in its first seven postseason games, but Thursday was a different story.

Matthew Boyd , who tossed 6.2 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts across two ALDS starts against the Tigers, turned in the Guardians' best — and longest — starting pitching performance of the postseason in Thursday's win over New York.

The left-hander gave up just one earned run on two hits while issuing three walks and four strikeouts in five innings. Boyd worked around two first-inning walks to escape a jam before running into trouble in the second, during which he allowed three baserunners and the Yankees' lone run — an RBI single by catcher Jose Trevino. However, Boyd rebounded strongly, retiring the last 10 batters he faced.

Boyd's emergence as Cleveland's unsung hero has been nothing short of remarkable. The 33-year-old signed with the Guardians on June 29, just over a year after Detroit announced he was set to undergo Tommy John surgery. He pitched well over eight regular-season starts, posting a 2.72 ERA . It remains to be seen whether Boyd will appear again in the ALCS, but if the Guardians can force a Game 7, one has to imagine he would get the nod to start.