In a Bronx tale straight out of October legend, the New York Yankees refused to go quietly into the playoff night. Trailing 6-1 in the third inning of an elimination Game 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays, Aaron Judge unleashed a three-run homer that rattled the foul pole and ignited a furious rally. The Yankees poured on eight unanswered runs to claim a 9-6 victory Tuesday night, forcing a decisive Game 4 in their American League Division Series.
The win marked the largest comeback in a playoff elimination game in Yankees history and improved their postseason record when trailing by five or more runs to a gritty 4-58. For the Blue Jays, who had dominated the first two games in Toronto with a combined 23-8 scoring edge, the collapse was a gut punch, squandering a golden opportunity to sweep the series and advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2016.
Yankees starter Carlos Rodón entered the night looking to rebound from a rough Game 2, but the Blue Jays wasted no time making him pay. In the top of the first, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushed a 427-foot two-run homer to center, scoring Davis Schneider and giving Toronto a quick 2-0 lead. Giancarlo Stanton responded immediately for New York, lining an RBI single to left that plated Judge, trimming the deficit to 2-1.
The third inning turned into a nightmare for Rodón and the home crowd. Daulton Varsho singled home Schneider for a 3-1 edge, followed by Ernie Clement’s RBI single that scored Guerrero. Then, in a pivotal sequence, Anthony Santander — the Blue Jays’ $92 million offseason signing who battled injuries all year — ripped an opposite-field two-run single, ballooning Toronto’s lead to 6-1 and mercifully ending Rodón’s night after just 2 1/3 innings.
The Blue Jays capitalized on two defensive errors during their big frame, turning routine outs into extra baserunners and pressuring the Yankees’ beleaguered bullpen. Shane Bieber, Toronto’s starter, cruised through his early innings, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out four.
As the deficit mounted, whispers of another early October exit filled Yankee Stadium. But Judge, the towering captain who’s been a singles machine in these playoffs (.500 average, 11 hits entering the game), had other plans. In the bottom of the third, he laced an RBI double to left, scoring Trent Grisham to make it 6-2. Stanton followed with a sacrifice fly that brought home Cody Bellinger, pulling New York within 6-3.
The turning point came in the fourth. With runners on first and second and one out, Toronto turned to reliever Louis Varland. The right-hander hung a 99 mph four-seamer, and Judge demolished it — a 373-foot laser that kissed the foul pole in left for a three-run homer, tying the game at 6-6. The ball’s trajectory was so razor-thin that Judge later quipped, “I guess a couple of ghosts out there in Monument Park helped to keep that fair.”
The Stadium erupted in pandemonium, a wave of relief washing over 48,000-plus fans who’d braced for the worst. It was Judge’s first homer of the 2025 postseason and his first ever on a pitch outside the strike zone.
Momentum firmly in the Bronx Bombers’ corner, Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered the dagger in the fifth. The dynamic shortstop launched a 409-foot solo shot to right off Varland, who was charged with the loss after surrendering four runs in 1 2/3 innings. New York led 7-6 for the first time in the series, and the crowd’s roar could be heard across the Harlem River.
The Yankees tacked on insurance in the bottom of the fifth when Austin Wells singled home Jasson Domínguez, pushing the score to 8-6 despite Wells being thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Ben Rice added the final touch in the sixth with a sacrifice fly that scored Judge, who had doubled earlier, for the 9-6 cushion.
New York’s bullpen, maligned after the first two games, steadied the ship. Clay Holmes, Tim Hill, and Luke Weaver combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and stranding four Blue Jays runners. Bieber, pulled after 53 pitches in the third amid criticism from ex-player Vernon Wells (“You don’t take Shane out with 53 pitches with Game 4 being a bullpen game”), watched his team sputter offensively the rest of the way.
Judge was the undisputed hero, finishing 3-for-4 with four RBI, three runs scored, a double, and a walk — his first three-hit postseason game since Game 3 of the 2018 ALDS against Boston. Stanton contributed two RBI, while Chisholm’s homer was a game-changer. For Toronto, Guerrero continued his ALDS tear, going 7-for-10 with three homers and eight RBI, including a grand slam in Game 2. Varsho, Clement, and Santander each drove in runs, but the bullpen’s unraveling and defensive miscues proved costly.
The Blue Jays, now up 2-1, will hand the ball to their rookie sensation in Game 4 on Wednesday, aiming to close out the series and notch their first playoff sweep since 2016 against Texas. For the Yankees, it’s do-or-die once more, leaning on their record-setting rookie to deliver another gem. As Judge’s blast reminded everyone, in October, ghosts and grit can bend the arc of history.
The series shifts to a winner-take-all thriller, with the winner advancing to face the ALCS foe. Blue Jays manager John Schneider downplayed the blown lead postgame: “We outplayed them for two games up north. Tonight? They got the breaks. We’ll be ready.” Yankees skipper Aaron Boone echoed the resilience: “This team’s got fight. Judge just flipped the script.”
