Thursday night in the Bronx gave us one of those moments — the kind of playoff magic that turns good players into Yankees legends and rivalries into folklore.
Ryan McMahon Channels Jeter With Dugout-Diving Grab
What Ryan McMahon did in Game 3 against the Red Sox wasn’t just a highlight — it was an instant classic.
The Yankees were up 4-0, top of the eighth, hanging onto their season like it was a lifeline — because it was. And that’s when Jarren Duran of the Red Sox sent a high floater into the no-man’s-land behind third base. It looked like trouble. But McMahon? He had other ideas.
This guy sprinted 75 feet, locked in, eyes never leaving the ball. And then, airborne, he launched himself like a heat-seeking missile and snagged the ball mid-dive, flying headfirst over the dugout railing and straight into the Red Sox bench like a scene out of a baseball action movie.
We’re talking full somersault, Boston players diving out of the way, the kind of chaos that makes you spill your drink and scream at your TV. And when McMahon popped back up — ball still in glove — Yankee Stadium exploded. Twitter lit up. Fans called it “the Jeter Flip 2.0.” It wasn’t just a catch. It was a statement.
Cam Schlittler’s Postseason Debut Shocks Hometown Team
And while McMahon was flipping over dugouts like a stuntman, rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler was putting on a masterclass.
Let’s talk about this kid: 24 years old. Grew up a Red Sox fan in Massachusetts. Made his MLB debut in July. And here he is in October, shutting down his childhood team with eight scoreless innings, 12 strikeouts, and not a single walk. Oh, and did we mention? He lit up the radar gun with eleven pitches over 100 mph, topping out at 100.8. That’s not just power — that’s poetry in motion.
In fact, Schlittler just broke the Yankees’ record for strikeouts in a postseason debut. Not bad for a guy whose big league career started three months ago.
Yankees Make History, Red Sox Sent Packing
And it gets better — closer David Bednar shut the door in the ninth, stranding the Red Sox at second base and sealing the 4-0 win. Just like that, New York moves on to the ALDS to face the Blue Jays, making history as the first team ever to lose the opener and still advance under the expanded playoff format.
So yeah — Game 3 had it all: playoff pressure, jaw-dropping defense, rookie domination, and a historic win.
