Although the New York Yankees are regular participants during the October festivities, one of the biggest knocks against them during the Aaron Boone era has been a lack of mental toughness in critical games. Well, nobody can question the resilience they displayed in a postseason-extending 9-6 win versus the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.

Facing a 6-1 deficit in the bottom of the third inning, which could have easily given way to another high-stakes humiliation, the Yankees maintained their composure and started building momentum. Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge notched back-to-back doubles and Giancarlo Stanton hit a sacrifice fly to put the team within three runs of its AL East rival. After New York forced 2020 Cy Young Shane Bieber off the mound, it hammered the up-and-down Blue Jays bullpen.

Judge decisively exorcised his playoff demons by smashing a game-tying three-run home run off the foul pole in the fourth, continuing what has been a terrific postseason performance thus far for No. 99. Jazz Chisholm Jr. propelled the club to a 7-6 lead in the next inning, courtesy of his own triumphant blast, and the Yankees never looked back. A dialed-in superstar and excellent pen are the obvious headliners in this epic mid-game resurgence, but this win goes even deeper.

With a death certificate for New York's 2025 season on the verge of being issued, this group exemplified the brand of never-say-die baseball that one needs at this time of year. Stanton explained the mindset in the dugout amid the previously bleak circumstances.

“Just chip away,” the 2017 National League MVP and two-time Silver Slugger told MLB Network's Lauren Gardner after going 1-for-4 with two RBIs. “As long as we've got outs, we've got a chance. With our backs against the wall, it's a great win, and {we} gotta do it tomorrow.”

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Yankees dig deep in The Bronx

Most squads will say the same thing when enduring overwhelming adversity, and most of the time, they are unable to recover. Belief is not enough. Players have to rise above the pressure and execute. The Yankees did exactly that, with some help from two costly Toronto errors — Former Yankees player Isiah Kiner-Falefa made one before a Stanton RBI single in the first, and Addison Barger made the second shortly before Judge's potentially series-altering homer.

The 2024 AL Pennant winners must continue to make the Blue Jays pay for their mistakes if they are going to send this ALDS back to The Great White North. One debacle does not discount top-seeded Toronto, but the club will now be forced to employ a bullpen outing for Wednesday's Game 4. When a franchise that boasts multiple former MVPs (including Giancarlo Stanton) is given an opening, it can be extremely dangerous.

Following a 21-inning thumping, we now have a series. The Yankees will fight to save their season once more, starting at 7:08 p.m. ET.