Bird homer, Judge grab help Yankees stay alive
NEW YORK — Masahiro Tanaka’s seveninning gem was saved when Aaron Judge prevented a home run in right field, and Greg Bird homered to give the Yankees a 1-0 victory over the Indians in Game 3 on Sunday night, extending their American League Division Series.
Aroldis Chapman got a five-out save as the Yankees avoided a three-game sweep by the defending AL champions. With two on in the ninth, Chapman struck out cleanup hitter and former Reds teammate Jay Bruce, and Carlos Santana flied out to center.
The Yankees got a splendid performance from Tanaka in an old-fashioned October pitching duel with Indians starter Carlos Carrasco. Tanaka got a boost when Judge robbed Francisco Lindor of a two-run homer in the sixth.
Bird came through with the huge hit the Yankees had to have when he connected against loser Andrew Miller in the seventh. The Yankees rebounded from a bruising loss Friday in Game 2 that led to heavy criticism of manager Joe Girardi, booed Sunday night by the home crowd during pregame introductions.
Game 4 is Monday night at Yankee Stadium, with young ace Luis Severino scheduled to start for the Yankees. The Indians might go with Game 1 winner Trevor Bauer on three days’ rest.
The Indians had won six straight ALDS games, one shy of the 2009-11 Yankees for the best such streak ever.
This was the Yankees’ first 1-0 postseason victory since Game 3 of their 2001 ALDS against the A’s, when RESULTS, SCHEDULE Derek Jeter’s backhanded flip beat Jeremy Giambi to the plate for a crucial, memorable out.
Judge’s grab was the big defensive play Sunday.
With a runner on first in a scoreless game, Lindor lofted a sixth-inning drive toward the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium. Judge backed up to the wall with his 6-foot-7 frame and barely needed to jump to extend his glove above the fence and make the catch, just to the right of the auxiliary scoreboard.
It was the first time he has taken a homer away.