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October 18, 2024 ndowd

Oct 17, 2024, 11:25 PM ET

It’s another blockbuster night in MLB’s league championship series — and what a night it has been so far.

First, the Cleveland Guardians got their first win of the ALCS in dramatic fashion. They tied the game in the ninth inning with a two-out, two-run homer before David Fry blasted a two-run shot in the 10th for the 7-5 walk-off victory over the New York Yankees, cutting New York’s series lead to 2-1. Meanwhile, in the NLCS, the Los Angeles Dodgers look to take a commanding 3-1 lead over the New York Mets at Citi Field.

With all of baseball’s final four teams in action, we’ve got you covered with live updates and analysis from both games, plus takeaways and what’s next for the winners and losers after the final pitch.

Live updates

Takeaways

Yankees lead series 2-1

The Guardians had Game 3 under control for much of the night, following a script that could not have been more perfect. Matthew Boyd threw five crisp innings to hand the advantage over to the leverage-relay squad of Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase — and it was going fine until Clase’s anchor leg. Baseball’s most dominant reliever, a guy who surrendered two homers during the regular season, gave up a stunning, game-tying two-run slicing blast to Aaron Judge, then a solo shot to Giancarlo Stanton.

So it was the Yankees with the perfect script, turning a two-run lead over to red-hot closer Luke Weaver in the ninth. Two down. None on. Two strikes. Lane Thomas doubled off the wall to keep the Guardians alive. Then, on the second pitch he saw, rookie pinch hitter Jhonkensy Noel launched one into the left-field seats. The scripts? Out the window. And the new script called for a starring role for Cleveland’s super-utility All-Star David Fry, who hit a two-run blast to left off of Clay Holmes to walk it off for Cleveland. The Guardians were very close to dead, and now they are very much alive. This game will have a win probability chart that looks like the worst roller-coaster ride ever designed.

What to watch in Game 4: The Guardians and Yankees will both turn to young righties making their postseason debut in Game 4 — Gavin Williams for Cleveland, Luis Gil for New York. Gil had the much better regular season. Both pitchers have been trying to stay sharp with simulation games and side sessions. We’ll see who is ready from the opening bell Friday, but the early innings will be critical. Either way: We have a series. — Bradford Doolittle

Five amazing facts from Cleveland’s comeback win

Just how amazing was the Guardians’ thrilling extra-inning Game 3 win over the Yankees? Here are some wild numbers and facts, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information:

Jhonkensy Noel is the first player with a game-tying HR in the bottom of the ninth inning or later of an ALCS game since Raúl Ibañez did it for the Yankees in Game 1 of the 2012 ALCS against the Tigers.
Noel is the 3rd pinch hitter in MLB postseason history to hit a game-tying or go-ahead HR with his team trailing with 2 outs in the 9th inning or later. He joins Jim Leyritz (1998 NLDS) and Kirk Gibson (1988 World Series).
This is the second game in MLB postseason history in which both teams hit game-tying home runs in the eighth inning or later. The other was Game 1 of the 1995 ALDS between Boston and Cleveland
The Yankees are now 196-2 in their postseason history when leading by multiple runs in the 9th inning or later — and both losses have come against Cleveland ( Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS and tonight)
David Fry’s walk-off HR is the third in Cleveland playoff history, joining Oscar González (2022 AL wild-card series) and Tony Peña (1995 ALDS).