Ryan McMahon seemingly put his life on the line to record an out in the Yankees’ Game 3 win over the Red Sox on Thursday night. At least one of his teammates thought so.
“I thought he was dead,” said Yankees catcher Austin Wells.
McMahon flew toward the Red Sox dugout at full speed to track down a pop fly in the top of the eighth inning to secure an out for Cam Schlittler’s historic performance. McMahon secured the ball and then flipped completely over the railing, landing hard on one of the visiting benches.
“I was so worried for him,” Wells said after the Bombers win to advance to the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays. “And then he bounced up and he was fine and I was like holy s–t, that was crazy.”
When the umpire ran over to signal out, Yankee Stadium erupted. It brought flashbacks of Derek Jeter’s running catch into the stands against Boston in July of 2004, for both Yankee and Red Sox fans.
McMahon was brought over to the Yankees in a trade with the Rockies mainly for his ability to pick it at third base, and he displayed exactly that on Thursday night after he entered the game in the top of the 6th as a defensive replacement.
“I was just chasing the ball and then all of a sudden, I’m going over the edge,” McMahon told the Daily News. “Can’t think about it in that moment, I was just trying to get an out for Cam and try and keep him rolling, and I’m glad I got the out. …
“[I’ve] gone over the rail, shoot man, about four or five times now, yeah, I’ve done it before. [I felt fine afterward], the adrenaline keeps you going.”
For the 30-year-old, this is the first time since 2018 — the last time the Rockies made the playoffs — where he’s playing legitimate, meaningful baseball. The veteran is enjoying the ride early in October and knows the challenges are far from over.
“It’s been fun, man,” McMahon told The News. “It’s still baseball, doing it as a group, really chasing a dream and feeling like you can achieve it, it’s pretty cool. We got a good ball club, we’re about to go up against in Toronto. So, we just got to keep the main things the main things and keep making plays, playing good defense, pitching and hitting, playing ball.”
The 2024 All-Star hasn’t exactly torn the cover off the ball since putting on the pinstripes. He slashed .208/.308/.333 with four homers and 18 RBI in 54 regular-season games. McMahon also went just 1-for-5 in the Wild Card series against the Red Sox as he platooned with Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario throughout the three games.
However, the third baseman gave Yankee fans a play to remember on Thursday night.
