Category: Sports News

NEW YORK — Ryan McMahon looked up and saw Jarren Duran’s foul popup veering toward the Boston bench.

Without hesitation, the New York Yankees third baseman raced over. As he made a running catch, McMahon hit the padded railing and flipped head over heels into the Red Sox dugout, crashing to the ground while hanging onto the ball.

Fortunate he didn’t get hurt, McMahon jumped right to his feet and quickly bolted out of enemy territory. He joined his happy teammates on the field as the crowd at Yankee Stadium roared.

“I didn’t feel anything,” McMahon said. “Just kept rolling with the adrenaline, popped back up and I was just excited to make the play.”

McMahon’s courageous catch in the eighth inning helped New York close out a 4-0 win over Boston in the deciding Game 3 of their AL Wild Card Series, advancing the Yankees to a best-of-five Division Series against Toronto.

It was a play that brought back memories of shortstop Derek Jeter’s famous grab for New York when he sprinted to snare Trot Nixon’s popup and crashed into the Yankee Stadium seats along the left-field line in the 12th inning of a game against the Red Sox on July 1, 2004.

McMahon, however, wasn’t about to compare the two web gems.

“We’re not going to do that. Completely different scale,” he said.

OK, perhaps Jeter’s headfirst dive into the stands was more dangerous. But the stakes in this game were significantly higher.

McMahon’s highlight-reel catch secured the second out of the eighth for rookie starter Cam Schlittler, who struck out 12 in a dominant playoff performance.

“I was just chasing it down,” McMahon said. “All of a sudden I was going over the rail. Just glad to get the catch, get the out for Cam. He was rolling, so I just wanted to keep his momentum going.”

McMahon didn’t start for the second time in the series because the Red Sox started a left-hander on the mound. He entered on defense in the sixth for Amed Rosario with the Yankees protecting a lead.

Two innings later, McMahon left his mark on a memorable game.

“Unreal. Glad he’s OK,” teammate Giancarlo Stanton said. “Just shows how good he is, how hard he plays.”

McMahon ran 75 feet to complete the catch — with a hard somersault landing at the end.

“That was amazing,” Schlittler said.

McMahon, an All-Star last year, was acquired in a trade from the last-place Colorado Rockies on July 23 to solidify New York’s defense at third base and provide another left-handed bat.

He hit .208 in 54 regular-season games for the Yankees but had a .971 fielding percentage.

“It’s plays like that in crunch time, that’s why you go out and get a guy like that,” New York captain Aaron Judge said.

NEW YORK — Cam Schlittler’s key to putting Boston Red Sox bats to sleep was his own slumber.

Making only his 15th major league start, Schlittler struck out 12 in eight dominant innings as the New York Yankees blanked Boston 4-0 to win their AL Wild Card Series in a deciding third game.

Overpowering hitters with 100 mph heat in a winner-take-all elimination game, the 24-year-old rookie became the first pitcher in postseason history to throw at least eight shutout innings with 12 or more strikeouts and no walks.

Against the archrival Red Sox, no less, the team he grew up rooting for in Massachusetts.

“A star is born tonight,” manager Aaron Boone proclaimed after his Yankees advanced to a Division Series matchup with Toronto.

Schlittler prepared for the big moment by speaking with Yankees great Andy Pettitte, a five-time World Series champion and winner of a record 19 postseason games.

“I got really good sleep last night. I wasn’t too worried about it,” Schlittler said. “I woke up and I was locked in, so I knew exactly what I needed to do and go out there, especially against my hometown team. So as I told Andy yesterday, I wasn’t going to let them beat me. So I was just overconfident in that fact, making sure I wasn’t getting too carried away with it.”

The 6-foot-6 Schlittler started the season at Double-A Somerset, was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 3 and debuted in the majors July 9 after Clarke Schmidt injured his elbow.

Schlittler grew up a Red Sox fan in Walpole, Massachusetts, but has said several times he wanted to play for the Yankees. He had faced Boston only once before, as a freshman at Northeastern in a 2020 spring training exhibition.

He outpitched Connelly Early, a 23-year-old left-hander who debuted on Sept. 9 and became Boston’s youngest postseason starting pitcher since 21-year-old Babe Ruth in 1916. Schlittler threw 11 pitches 100 mph or faster — including six in the first inning, one more than all Yankees pitchers had combined for previously since pitch tracking started in 2008.

“He is not afraid. He expects this,” Boone said.

Schlitter’s strikeouts were two more than any other Yankees pitcher had in his postseason debut. He allowed just five singles and threw 75 of 107 pitches for strikes, starting 22 of 29 batters with strikes and topping out at 100.8 mph.

“Impressive, but he’s been our secret weapon ever since he got called up,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said. “No moment is too big for him.”

His cap pulled low, just like Pettitte, Schlittler got 18 swings and misses — 11 on fastballs.

“Electric stuff,” said Boston’s Alex Bregman, a two-time World Series champion.

New York took the lead with a four-run fourth set up when Cody Bellinger’s soft fly dropped in front of center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela. Amed Rosario and Anthony Volpe each had an RBI single before Austin Wells hit a potential double-play grounder that glanced off first baseman Nathaniel Lowe’s glove and into shallow right field as two runs scored on the error.

Schlittler kept his head bowed when he walked to the dugout after his final out in the eighth, showing only the slightest emotion with a small fist pump and tip of his cap to the capacity crowd of 48,833 at Yankee Stadium.

“As pressure-packed a game as I have ever been in, as a player, manager, going into the World Series, that’s clinching to go into a World Series, just because the context in my brain of what I think our team is,” Boone said.

Schlittler hadn’t reached double digits in strikeouts since pitching for Northeastern against James Madison on April 17, 2022, three months before the Yankees made him a seventh-round draft pick and signed him for a $205,000 bonus.

“I think it’s a testament to him and his work ethic and his determination and his mindset. He comes from a great background. His family and coaches I think gave him a lot of positive mentorship that allowed him to be the best he could be,” Yankees northeast amateur scout Matt Hyde said. “I kept watching him coming back to the dugout and he was keeping his head down. He was going about his business.”

Schlittler has a WHOOP device affixed to his left shoulder that sends measurements to an app on his phone, tracking heartbeat, strain, levels of sleep and recovery. The company that makes it is based in Kenmore Square, down the block from Fenway Park in Boston.

“I got 96% recovery two nights ago and then I got like 93 last night,” he said. “I was really comfortable, last night going to bed and being confident in myself.”

CLEVELAND — Dillon Dingler grew up rooting for the Cleveland Guardians. But in Game 3, he sent them home.

Playing in the ballpark where he attended many games as a youngster, the second-year catcher hit a go-ahead solo homer in the sixth inning to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 6-3 victory over Cleveland in the decisive game of their AL Wild Card Series.

Dingler also threw out José Ramírez trying to steal second at a pivotal juncture, helping the Tigers reach the Division Series for the second consecutive season.

“It’s obviously cool. I was always a longtime Guardians fan growing up,” said Dingler, raised about 55 miles from Cleveland in Massillon, Ohio. “It was special. Every time we come here, a lot of family, a lot of friends cheering on, and it’s kind of cool because all of them are Guardians fans.

“Ultimately, it was very special. Kind of closing the door, winning this series.”

Dingler had 16 family members and friends at a Tigers-Guardians game earlier this season. For Game 3, it was only his parents and wife.

Dingler went 8 for 22 in his last six regular-season games, but he was hitless in nine at-bats in the playoff series before coming to the plate with the score tied 1-all and two outs in the sixth.

He got an elevated changeup on a 1-1 count from left-hander Joey Cantillo and launched it 401 feet into the bleachers in left-center to give the Tigers the lead.

Dingler became the first Detroit batter to homer for his first postseason hit since Nick Castellanos in a 2014 Division Series against Baltimore.

Dingler also joined Parker Meadows (2024 Wild Card Series) and Marty Castillo (1984 World Series) as the only rookies in franchise history to hit go-ahead home runs in the postseason.

“I was scratching and crawling a little bit. I was able to get a pitch to hit and do a little damage,” Dingler said. “The team with the biggest momentum or the most momentum was the one that was going to carry on.”

Dingler went to Ohio State and was a second-round pick in the 2020 amateur draft. He made his major league debut last July and his first opening-day roster this season. He then became Detroit’s everyday catcher when Jake Rogers got hurt early in the year and took advantage of the opportunity.

Dingler, who turned 27 on Sept. 17, had a .278 batting average in 126 games along with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. He also had nine three-hit games this season, tied for second-most among catchers in the majors.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, a former catcher himself, said Dingler’s stability and presence behind the plate have been huge.

“What he’s given us on the offensive side is exceptional,” Hinch said. “Our pitchers trust him. You have to earn that. You can’t just show up, be a big leaguer, put on a big league uniform and get that. Inevitably, you have to go out and do it.”

Right-hander Kyle Finnegan, who got the win by retiring all four Cleveland batters he faced, also lauded Dingler’s composure.

“He’s a great target to throw to and it gives you a lot of confidence even when things aren’t going your way. He has a way to calm you down and get you back in the strike zone,” Finnegan said. “And I mean, for him to hit a big one over there is amazing.”

The series win over the AL Central champion Guardians gave the wild-card Tigers plenty of satisfaction. Detroit was up 15 1/2 games on Cleveland in early July and 11 games on Sept. 4 before the biggest collapse in division or league play in baseball history.

Detroit lost five of six to Cleveland over the past two weeks as the Guardians won the division for the second straight season.

The victory also avenged last year’s loss to the Guardians in the deciding Game 5 of their Division Series.

“It doesn’t matter how you get (to the postseason). We got here,” Tigers outfielder Riley Greene said. “We’re moving on and we feel great.”

After having one of the AL’s best records through August, the Tigers are hoping they’ve got back their groove when the Division Series begins in Seattle.

“We had our ups and we certainly had our downs. Careful — maybe we’ve woken a sleeping giant with this team,” owner Christopher Ilitch said in the jubilant clubhouse after the game.

CHICAGO — Dansby Swanson just kept making plays for the Chicago Cubs in the NL Wild Card Series. Grounders up the middle and in the hole. Soft liners and popups.

The shortstop, a two-time Gold Glove winner, was in the right place every time — drawing high praise from San Diego manager Mike Shildt in defeat.

“We play great defense, but Dansby Swanson absolutely beat us with his glove this series,” Shildt said.

With Swanson leading the way, Chicago turned in another sharp defensive performance while eliminating San Diego with a clinching 3-1 victory. In a three-game series that only had 11 runs, the Cubs won with their gloves more than their bats.

“When you can limit their chances because you catch the ball, it makes a difference,” Swanson said, “and I think that that was on display the last three days.”

Defense was part of Chicago’s identity all season long, helping the Cubs to a 92-70 record and the top NL wild card.

It starts with Swanson, second baseman Nico Hoerner — a Gold Glove winner in 2023 — and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong up the middle. But left fielder Ian Happ has three Gold Gloves, and right fielder Kyle Tucker — who has been serving as the team’s designated hitter while recovering from a calf injury — is a former Gold Glove winner.

Rookie Matt Shaw has played terrific defense at third, and first baseman Michael Busch and catcher Carson Kelly also are highly regarded for their defense.

“Our defense up the middle, Carson behind the plate, those guys want the plays,” pitcher Jameson Taillon said. “They want to make the plays. They want the ball. That’s what makes great defenders.”

Crow-Armstrong gave Taillon a lift with a sliding catch on Manny Machado’s sinking liner for the final out of the first inning. The 23-year-old Crow-Armstrong should be in the mix for his first Gold Glove this year.

“That’s my job. That’s what I’m out here to do,” he said. “That’s why I’m on this team, is to go play center field. If I hit, then that’s just the added bonus.”

Busch reached over the railing in front of the visiting dugout to retire Machado on a foul popup in the fourth. He also managed to stay on the bag when he reached up to grab Shaw’s high throw on Jake Cronenworth’s grounder for the second out of the ninth.

Swanson made a pair of nice plays on Luis Arraez. First, he knocked down Arraez’s leadoff liner in the fourth before throwing him out. Then he made a slick stop on Arraez’s grounder in the sixth.

Machado walked after the play in the sixth, but he was erased when Swanson started a 6-3 double play on Jackson Merrill’s grounder.

“The defense certainly stands out tonight, especially our middle infielders,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Pete this series, Matt Shaw this series, like absolutely some huge plays.”

The 31-year-old Swanson, a World Series winner with Atlanta in 2021, also made a big play in Game 1 when he had an over-the-shoulder grab on Ryan O’Hearn’s soft liner at a key moment in the Cubs’ 3-1 victory.

“It’s kind of been a staple of our group all year,” Swanson said. “We have so many talented defenders and guys that can prevent runs being scored. We talk about it all the time. Winning baseball is a race to 27 outs. The quicker you can get there, obviously the more games that you’re going to win.”