Anthony Volpe stood on third base, planted like a sprinter in the starting blocks, eyes glued to the line drive that Aaron Judge had sent into center field. The stakes were high, and the Yankees were testing Seattle outfielder Julio Rodríguez’s arm, daring him to make the perfect throw with the game hanging in the balance.
It was a drama-filled moment that unfolded just as the Yankees hoped. Volpe dove across home plate, slapping it down a split second before Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh could apply the tag. Judge’s sacrifice fly clinched a thrilling 6-5 victory for the Yankees in 10 innings on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, completing an impressive comeback after the Yanks had been hitless all the way until the eighth inning.
“I knew who was at third, so my whole thought going into it was get the ball in the air and let [Volpe] take care of the rest,” Judge reflected on the play. “What a great slide—there’s nobody else I’d want out there in a situation like that besides Volpe.”
The jubilant Yankees poured out of the dugout to celebrate, momentarily halted by an umpire review that merely confirmed what they already knew—they had just pulled off an exciting win. Frank Sinatra’s familiar voice filled the stadium once again as the Yankees notched their third walk-off victory of the season, marking their fourth consecutive win in dramatic fashion.
“That was sick,” said Austin Wells, marveling at Volpe’s deft slide. “He totally went around him; got his hand in there. I need to watch it, but that was sick.”
Manager Aaron Boone, witnessing the climax unfold right in front of him, expressed, “I had the best seat in the house. I saw the throw was on target, and I’m like, ‘Oh, no!’ But I saw his hand in there.”
How improbable was this comeback? According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Yankees became just the second team in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to emerge victorious after going hitless and trailing by five runs through seven innings. The only other instance was a dramatic game on June 24, 1977, when the Pirates pulled off a similar feat against the Expos at Three Rivers Stadium.
In this game, it was Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo who kept the Yankees batters off balance until late, stifling them when they had little to cheer about until the spark ignited. Boone, acknowledging the early dominance of Woo, summed up the essence of baseball perfectly: “Baseball is funny like that. The guys didn’t give up. Just keep grinding at-bats.”
Woo’s impressive start included walking his first two batters, then silencing the Yankees until Jazz Chisholm Jr. finally broke through with a single in the eighth inning. At that point, the Yankees found themselves trailing by five runs, having been stifled by an impressive two-run rally from Seattle, which included a three-run homer from Jorge Polanco.
“Guys were having good at-bats all night, hitting the ball right at guys, just missing balls,” Judge acknowledged, reflecting on Woo’s effectiveness. “He’s one of the best pitchers in the game for a reason… He’s been giving us fits for quite a few years, so we were happy to steal that win.”
Wells got the Yankees on the board with a sacrifice fly, and as the inning unfolded, Boone made the call to bring in Giancarlo Stanton as a pinch-hitter. Despite a rocky track record in that role, Stanton, who has faced challenges in limited appearances, made this moment count. He unleashed a striking blow against a 97.6 mph sinker, sending a rocket projected at 415 feet soaring into the right-field bullpen.
“No lead is safe,” Stanton said, embodying the resilience of the lineup. “I had to make sure I was ready to go, and it happens quick. Never put anything past this lineup.”
With momentum shifting, and still two runs down, the Yankees were up against Seattle’s All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz. While Muñoz is known for his wicked sliders and high-octane fastballs, the Yankees spotted a tell. Trent Grisham, positioned at second, couldn’t help but signal from the base, making it clear something was amiss.
“Obviously, they weren’t discreet. But it is part of the game,” Raleigh reflected on the Yankee’s keen observation. “That made it really hard at the end.”
With the bases loaded, Muñoz was one strike from sealing the save when Wells stepped up to deliver a blistering two-run liner to right field, igniting a raucous celebration from the Bronx faithful who had stuck around to witness this incredible comeback.
“It just shows the versatility that we have,” Wells said, emphasizing the team’s collective effort. “We’ve shown that we can go big early in games, and we can come back late. It’s a total team effort to be in that situation at the end—the pitchers making it close and the at-bats not giving in. That was really cool.”
