The New York Yankees experienced a dramatic turnaround Thursday night, transitioning from being held hitless deep into their game against the Seattle Mariners to orchestrating a comeback that defied expectations.
The Yankees’ 6-5 victory in the Bronx suggests a closely contested matchup, but it barely scratches the surface of the evening’s narrative. A graph illustrating win probability, however, vividly captures the roller-coaster nature of the game:
FanGraphs.com
At one precarious moment in the eighth inning, the Yankees’ chances of securing a win plummeted to a mere 1.3%. The Mariners held a commanding 5-0 advantage, and their starting pitcher, Bryan Woo, an All-Star, was on the verge of achieving what would have been the first no-hitter of the 2025 Major League Baseball season.
But as the home half of the eighth began, Jazz Chisholm Jr., also an All-Star (and a participant in the Home Run Derby), disrupted Woo’s pursuit of baseball immortality:
That timely hit proved to be more significant than just breaking up the no-hitter. Ben Rice followed with a base hit of his own, advancing Chisholm to third. Chisholm then scored New York’s initial run on a sacrifice fly by Austin Wells. Subsequently, Matt Brash was brought in to relieve Woo.
Moments later, Giancarlo Stanton, entering as a pinch-hitter, launched a home run that narrowed the Seattle lead to 5-3:
Entering the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees still faced a two-run deficit, translating to a win probability below 10%. With two outs, they managed to load the bases, placing the onus on Wells to sustain their hopes. He rose to the occasion:
Fast forward to the 10th inning. A rejuvenated Devin Williams managed to strand the runners at second and third by striking out Randy Arozarena and inducing two ground-outs. The bottom of the inning began poorly for the Yankees when Oswald Peraza’s bunt attempt resulted in a pop-up that failed to advance Anthony Volpe, who was positioned at second base.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone then decided to have Paul Goldschmidt pinch hit for Jasson Dominguez. Dan Wilson responded by intentionally walking Goldschmidt, and Trent Grisham made them pay for this decision by earning an unintentional walk, loading the bases with just one out and bringing up the formidable Aaron Judge.
Judge fulfilled his role by hitting a shallow fly ball to center field, but it was Volpe’s skilled slide around Cal Raleigh’s attempted tag – and Julio Rodríguez’s accurate throw – that proved to be the game’s defining moment:
With that play, Judge was credited with the walk-off sacrifice fly. A different perspective on the play is warranted:
As noted by MLB, that run allowed the Yankees to become the first team since the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 24, 1977, to secure a victory after trailing by five or more runs and being hitless through eight innings. Additional details:
Thursday night’s improbable victory elevated the Yankees’ season record to 52-41, reducing the Toronto Blue Jays’ lead in the American League East to two games. Meanwhile, the Mariners fell to 48-45, trailing the Boston Red Sox by one game in the race for the third and final AL wild-card berth.
