Early on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, it seemed pretty safe to put the champagne on ice in the visiting clubhouse.
The Blue Jays jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, turning a raucous Bronx crowd into a group mourning the end of their season. However, the Jays did what most expect from the Yankees — kick the ball around the yard.
Toronto made two crucial errors to ignite an Aaron Judge-led comeback, allowing the Bombers to keep their season alive in an 9-6 win over the Jays in Game 3 of the ALDS.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, the Jays led 6-3 as Austin Wells lofted a can of corn popup down the left field line. Third baseman Addison Barger drifted near the left field line and dropped the ball, allowing Wells to reach second base.
And that was where the game officially began to change.
Trent Grisham was the next batter and walked to set up first and second with one out for Judge. The captain launched a 100-mph fastball off the left field foul pole to tie the game and shift all of the momentum back to the pinstripers.
Had Barger made that catch, the two-time AL MVP would have never had the opportunity to have arguably his biggest postseason moment.
However, Barger wasn’t the only Jay to make a blunder. With two outs in the bottom of the first — after Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s two-run homer took the air out of the building — Ben Rice grounded what should’ve been an inning-ending roller to second base. However, Isiah Kiner-Falefa booted the ball, allowing the next batter in Giancarlo Stanton to smash an RBI single, making it 2-1.
Toronto also had a blunder that led to an insurance run for the Yanks. Right fielder Anthony Santander misplayed a line drive off the bat off Cody Bellinger, turning what should’ve been an out into a double, setting up second and third with one out — before Rice lined a sac fly to right, making it 9-6.
It was an uncharacteristically poor defensive game for the Blue Jays who ranked as the best in baseball with 38.5 fWAR and fourth in defensive runs saved (51).
The Jays had a legitimate chance to end the Yankees’ season. However, they let the Bombers live to fight another day, only now, they are equipped with the undisputed best hitter in baseball that may have hit his postseason stride after years of struggles.
