Mike Tauchman started it all, drawing the leadoff walk, which sparked a three-run eighth inning. Mike Ford finished it off, blasting the walk-off home run to seal the Yankees’ 5-4 comeback win over the A’s.
The fans who filed into Yankee Stadium on Sunday weren’t supposed to be familiar with either first-year Yankee, who have helped produce a bizarre and memorable season, in which injuries seemingly have no impact on the World Series contender.
The longest-tenured player in pinstripes keeps playing his part, too.
With the Yankees trailing by one entering the ninth, Brett Gardner validated the never-ending optimism in The Bronx, and opened the final frame by crushing a game-tying homer to right off Liam Hendriks.