Jhonkensy Noel’s stunning, game-tying home run became the unforgettable highlight of the Guardians’ ALCS Game 3 victory over the Yankees.
You don’t just hand someone a bat and tell them to hit a home run—especially not with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, down 5-3, after losing the lead in heartbreaking fashion. But that’s exactly what Guardians manager Stephen Vogt did. And Jhonkensy Noel, known as "Big Christmas," delivered in unforgettable fashion.
Noel's two-out, game-tying pinch-hit home run on Thursday sent Game 3 of the ALCS into extra innings. There, David Fry blasted a two-run walk-off homer, sealing a 7-5 Guardians win. Fry reflected on the moment, saying the script couldn’t have been written better—Cleveland’s gentle giant stole the spotlight from New York’s captain, Aaron Judge, who had tied the game with his own eighth-inning homer off the seemingly invincible Emmanuel Clase.
“It’s like, ‘Here you go, Big Boy, hit a two-run homer,’ and he did,” Fry said. “It’s so cool.”
Noel’s no-doubt shot off Yankees closer Luke Weaver came on a 1-0 changeup that hung over the middle of the plate. Weaver, admitting it was his worst pitch of the night, said, “The ball came out different. He took an aggressive swing. It felt like he was looking for it.”
Noel, speaking through interpreter Agustin Rivero, said his plan was simple: look for a pitch he could handle and make a strong swing. “It was about location,” Noel explained. “That’s my strength, and I knew I could execute if I got the right pitch.”
His clutch home run was just the sixth time in MLB history that a postseason homer tied the game in the ninth inning or later. It was only the second in Cleveland’s playoff history, the first since Albert Belle’s legendary blast in the 1995 ALDS.
The last pinch-hit home run to tie a playoff game in the ninth or later came in 2012, when Raúl Ibañez did it for the Yankees. For Noel, who hadn’t homered since August 30, it was a breakout moment. He was just 1 for 15 in the postseason and hadn’t had an extra-base hit in 41 plate appearances.
Vogt’s instructions were clear: Noel was pinch-hitting for one reason—“to hit a homer.”
Noel knew that every time his number is called, it’s because Vogt and the Guardians trust him in big moments. “That’s something they’ve done all year,” he said. “I know when the matchup is right, they trust me.”
Vogt added that Noel thrives under pressure. “He’s never overwhelmed by the moment,” Vogt said. “Whether he’s struggling or not, when he steps up, he gives you everything. He’s not afraid of the big moment.”
The Guardians’ dugout erupted when Noel connected. Fry summed up the reaction: “It was amazement. But then it was like, ‘Of course Jhonkensy hit a game-tying homer off a guy throwing 98 with a changeup.’ Nobody does that.”
Starter Matthew Boyd said the team had a sense something special was coming. “You just knew something good was going to happen,” Boyd said. “He’s come through in big moments before. I’m so happy for him.”