Oct. 17 is two weeks before Halloween, but that day will forever haunt the New York Yankees.
Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz kick-started a miraculous turnaround on that date when he launched a walk-off home run in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees.
Thursday was exactly 20 years since Ortiz’s heroics, and the Yankees once again fell victim to a soul-crushing, walk-off loss in the ALCS, this time courtesy of David Fry and the Cleveland Guardians.
Fry smacked a pinch-hit, two-run home run to complete a thrilling 7-5 come-from-behind win for the Guardians in 10 innings at Progressive Field. Fry launched a 399-foot blast off Yankees reliever Clay Holmes to cut New York’s series lead to 2-1.
Fry, who became just the seventh player in MLB history to hit a walk-off homer in the playoffs against the Yankees, was in disbelief over his clutch moment.
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“I just told God … take the at-bat,” Fry said, per ESPN. “I still don’t know what happened.”
New York’s stinging defeat played out similarly to its Game 4 collapse to the Red Sox in 2004. The Yankees blew a ninth-inning lead, but the Guardians didn’t use a steal of second and a single up the middle like Dave Roberts and Bill Mueller pulled off to get even.
Lane Thomas doubled with two outs and then Jhonkensy Noel, who came on as a pinch hitter like Fry, drilled an offering from Yankees closer Luke Weaver 404 feet to right field to level the score.
The outcome really doesn’t get any more demoralizing than that for the Yankees and now they will have to find a way to bounce back from it. If not, they could be in for another meltdown in the ALCS.
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Featured image via David Richard/Imagn Images
