Dodgers thriving, lead 2-0 as Phillies’ big three go missing in NLDS
USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale breaks down NLDS matchup between the Phillies and Dodgers, with the latter holding a commanding 2-0 lead.
Sports Pulse
On the brink of elimination and trailing by five runs, the New York Yankees pulled off a dramatic comeback to beat the Toronto Blue Jays and force Wednesday’s Game 4 in the best-of-five American League Division Series.
Toronto stormed out to 6-1 lead early at Yankee Stadium in Game 3 and it it looked like a sweep was in order, but New York scored eight unanswered runs – including Aaron Judge’s titanic three-run homer – to win 9-6 and live to fight another day. The Yankees turn to starter Cam Schlitter to extend their season, less than a week after the rookie turned in one of the greatest playoff performances in franchise history to clinch wild card series against the Boston Red Sox.
But can the Blue Jays recover from the loss? Said manager John Schneider: “I got all the confidence in the world in these guys showing up ready to go and just doing their normal day and competing their (expletives) off.”
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Wednesday’s game will air on Fox Sports 1 and can be streamed with Fubo.
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Myles Straw hit a one-out RBI single in the top of the eighth against Camilo Doval to increase Toronto’s lead to 5-1. David Bednar come in to pitch and got Andres Gimenez and George Springer to strand runners on irst and third.
Jazz Chisholm couldn’t handle a hotshot that may have been an inning-ending double play, opening the door for the Blue Jays to tack on in the seventh. Devin Williams relieved starter Cam Schlittler and struck out George Springer, but Nathan Lukes delivered a two-run single with two outs to make it 4-1 Blue Jays.
Eric Lauer intentionally walked Aaron Judge with one out and nobody on base, then got Cody Bellinger to line out to left for the second out. Yariel Rodriguez came on for Lauer and walked Giancarlo Stanton but got Jazz Chisholm to ground out and end the inning with a runner in scoring position.
Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez started the top of the fifth with singles against Cam Schlitter, Clement advancing to third on the latter with nobody out. George Springer ripped a sacrifice fly to center field that brought in the go-ahead run but Schlittler limited the damage by striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with two outs.
Addison Barger hit a leadoff double in the top of the fourth against Cam Schlittler, but the rookie right-hander got Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho to fly out before whiffing Anthony Santander to the threat with a man on third.
July acquisition Ryan McMahon hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the third off lefty Mason Fluharty, tying the game 1-1. McMahon had three hits – all singles – in 12 at-bats in the 2025 postseason entering Game 3.
Today is the anniversary of Don Larsen pitching the only perfect game in a World Series in 1956 as the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5, 2-0. There will be no such game in Game 4 of the ALDS, as both starters gave up hits in the first inning. Toronto’s three hits led to them taking an early 1-0 lead, while New York wasted Aaron Judge’s one-out hit, his 12th of the postseason.
The Blue Jays are swinging early, and George Springer got the party started with a leadoff double to left on the game’s second pitch off Yankees rookie starter Cam Schlittler, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his ninth run of the ALDS with a single. Further damage was avoided when Cody Bellinger made a spectacular sliding play for the third out, stranding two batters on base.
First pitch in Game 4 is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. ET.
Trent Grisham (L) CFAaron Judge (R) RFCody Bellinger (L) LFGiancarlo Stanton (R) DHJazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 2BPaul Goldschmidt (R) 1BAustin Wells (L) CAnthony Volpe (R) SSRyan McMahon (L) 3BGeorge Springer (R) DHNathan Lukes (L) LFVladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1BAddison Barger (L) 3BAlejandro Kirk (R) CDaulton Varsho (L) CFAnthony Santander (S) RFErnie Clement (R) 2BAndrés Giménez (L) SSJohn Schneider’s message to pitchers for bullpen game
“Be flexible, be ready. Again, we’ve done this. A lot of teams have done this. There’s no set script. I think everyone kind of understands where they fit within their lineup, and things can change in a hurry.
“I think (the pitching and bullpen coaches) do a really good job of communicating that with them, and I think they’ve done it enough to where they’re going to be prepared. You never know how the game’s going to start. So you can have all the best laid out plans and it changes.
“So I think they have to be flexible and just be ready to go when the phone rings.”
Aaron Boone on Yankees’ starting pitchers
“Our rotation has been huge for us this year and especially as we really started to play well in the final six, eight weeks of the season. It started with a lot with our starting pitching, being able to give us just — whether it’s a high end max six or seven inning or whether it was a five inning. Just our starting pitching was giving us a real chance to win ball games every day.
“That’s the nature of the postseason sometimes. It’s not going to be perfect. The other guys are really good. The other teams are really good. And the Blue Jays have done a good job against our starters here these first three games of the series.”
“The last three days have been pretty positive for him. He hit in our little sim game in Toronto against Max (Scherzer) and Chris (Bassitt). Running today for the first time. We’ll take it a day at a time and just listen to how he’s feeling.
“In talking to him when he got here yesterday, I think he’s probably turned the corner a little bit in terms of making some steady progress. It wasn’t just kind of hitting in the cage, it was facing some live pitching and knowing that he was going to be running today for the first time.
“So I think he’s making some strides, and we’ll continue to take it a day at a time.”