The Cleveland Guardians were looking at a painful end to Game 3 of the American League Championship Series and possibly their season. Trailing the New York Yankees 2 games to 0, the Guardians had two outs and nobody on base. Slugging centerfielder Lane Thomas kept hope alive when he doubled high off the left centerfield wall off of Yankee closer Luke Weaver, and rookie Jhonkensy Noel stepped to the plate.

With all the pressure in the world on his shoulders, Noel was calm as he stood in against the ace relief pitcher. After taking a pitch for a ball, Noel took advantage of a pitch in the middle of the plate and blasted it high and far over the leftfield fence for a game-tying 2-run homer. The blow allowed the Guardians to tie the score at 5-5.

Cleveland was able to hold the Yankees off the scoreboard in the top of the 10th inning, and David Fry won the game with a similar 2-run home run off of Clay Holmes in the bottom of the 10th. The Guardians were able to get their first win of the series and they will attempt to square the ALCS at 2-2 when they face the Yankees Friday night at Progressive Field.

History made by Noel with tying blast

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Jhonkensy Noel (43) hits a two-run home run during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees in game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field.
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The tying home run by Noel marked the second time in Cleveland’s history that a player hit a tying home run in the ninth inning or later of a postseason game. The only other player in franchise history to accomplish that feat was Albert Belle. The former Cleveland slugger hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the 11th inning off of Rick Aguilera of Game 1 of the 1995 American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Catcher Tony Pena would go on to win the game for the then-Indians when he blasted a two-out home run in the bottom of the 13th inning off of Red Sox left-handed pitcher Zane Smith.