The Yankees looked doomed for a lifeless loss on Thursday night, as they entered the eighth inning trailing the Mariners 5-0 in the Bronx.
Not only did the Bombers not have a run on the board entering the eighth, they were searching for their first hit, as Seattle All-Star Bryan Woo had been mowing down the Yanks until Jazz Chisholm grounded a single through the second base hole to spark a rally that ended in a thrilling 10-inning victory, one that many consider to be the Yankees’ best win of the season.
Chisholm’s base hit woke up the Yankee offense, as Ben Rice followed with a single, Austin Wells lifted a sac fly to end the shutout, and Giancarlo Stanton launched a pinch-hit home run to cut the deficit to 5-3. In the bottom of the ninth, down to their final out, Wells tied the game with a single to ignite the Bronx crowd. One inning later, the Yanks walked it off on a sac fly by Aaron Judge, as Anthony Volpe pulled off a nifty slide to avoid the tag from Cal Raleigh, even though the throw from Julio Rodriguez in center easily beat Volpe to the plate.
With the win, the Yanks became the only team in the last century to win two games in extra innings after being no-hit through six innings in a single season, per Stathead’s Katie Sharp. The Yankees also accomplished that feat on May 7, when San Diego’s Dylan Cease flirted with a no-hitter before the Bombers rallied for a win in 10 innings.
MLB.com’s Sarah Langs added to the statistical improbability of the Yankees’ win, as she noted that New York is just the second team in the expansion era to win a game where they had no hits and trailed by five runs or more through seven innings. The only other team to replicate that was the 1977 Pirates.
The win was as thrilling as it was improbable, and it continued the good vibes in the Bronx, as the Yanks have now won four straight to help move past their dreadful June swoon.