The Cleveland Guardians’ offense woke up in Game 3 on Thursday as the team rallied for seven runs to match their best output of the 2024 postseason and bring the ALCS to 2-1 with a win over the New York Yankees.
The highlight of the night was Jhonkensy Noel’s monstrous home run with two outs in the ninth inning to tie the game and avoid going down 3-0 in the series, and Big Christmas made franchise history in the process.
MLB Senior Writer Anthony Castrovince shared a stat on X that pointed out how Noel joined Albert Belle with his 1995 ALDS Game 1 shot against the Boston Red Sox as the only two Cleveland players with game-tying home runs in the ninth inning or later in postseason history.
Jhonkensy Noel joins Albert Belle (1995 ALDS GM 1 vs. BOS) as the only Cleveland players with game-tying HR in the ninth inning or later in postseason history
h/t @bmags94— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) October 18, 2024
For a team that has been around since 1901, this is an impressive stat that puts into perspective just how historic this moment was for Noel.
This moment immediately became one of the biggest in Guardians’ history and set the stage for another equally as impactful moment when David Fry hit a walk-off 2-run homer in the tenth inning.
Despite being just 1-for-15 in the postseason prior to the home run, manager Stephen Vogt believed in his 23-year-old rookie and was rewarded for pinch-hitting him in the team’s biggest spot of the season.
Noel’s power was on full display as a rookie even though he hit just .218, and the team needed every bit of it on Thursday.
The Guardians will look to tie up the series on Friday in a huge Game 4 matchup.
NEXT: Must-See Video Shows How Progressive Field Erupted After David Fry's Home Run
