Cleveland, OH
On an October night in Cleveland, the Guardians (and baseball gods) deliver an instant classic
CLEVELAND — The baseball gods work in the shadows, scripting moments and matchups and sequences that we couldn’t begin to fathom.
Take, for instance, the night of June 26, when Matthew Boyd just so happened to flip on a Cleveland Guardians game to gauge the pulse of the team desperate for his services.
That evening, a rookie sculpted like he should be muscling past offensive tackles walloped a home run to center field at Camden Yards in his first career at-bat.
Fast-forward four months. Boyd, with a rejuvenated left elbow, has become Cleveland’s most consistent postseason starter, and he delivered another sterling effort in Game 3 of the ALCS. And that hulking rookie that Boyd has followed from the beginning, Jhonkensy Noel, saved their season with a seismic blast halfway up the left-field bleachers.
Take, for instance, the vantage point of Noel’s father, Rafael. He had never visited the U.S. until October, but he’s along for the Guardians’ ride through October.
Noel and his dad like to talk hitting, but the conversation often sputters when Rafael asks why he did or didn’t offer at a particular pitch. Noel counters by suggesting his dad step in and attempt to whack a 90 mph slider that’s spinning toward his cleats.
Rafael won’t have any constructive criticism about Noel’s moonshot that, with two outs in the ninth, rescued Cleveland from an insurmountable series deficit. Noel said he sought any pitch on the inner part of the plate; an 88 mph changeup over the middle sufficed.
Rafael witnessed a moment Clevelanders won’t forget, as fans chanted the “Big Christmas” nickname manager Stephen Vogt bestowed upon his son. (Noel said he loves the moniker.) This is a city, after all, that will host Ryan Merritt for a ceremonial first pitch before Game 5 on Saturday night. Merritt totaled 31 2/3 innings as a big-leaguer, but he blanked the Blue Jays for four frames in this round in 2016 to land Cleveland an American League pennant. Sometimes, there’s no better vacation spot than Cleveland in October.
Take, for instance, the showdown of a soon-to-be two-time MVP winner versus the closer who registered one of the best relief seasons in the history of the sport. Emmanuel Clase has craved the encounter since he was forced to issue an intentional walk to Aaron Judge at Yankee Stadium in late August. Judge socked a 99 mph cutter to right field for a tying, crowd-silencing home run. The Guardians’ blueprint — Boyd for five innings, an early lead, Cade Smith, Tim Herrin and Hunter Gaddis blazing a trail for a well-rested Clase — burst into flames.
“As a baseball fan, it was really cool,” Vogt said. “As the opposing manager, it was not.”
Three minutes later, Giancarlo Stanton launched a slider over the center-field fence … and that Yankees power display became a footnote in a New York minute.
David Fry, acquired 2 1/2 years ago as a player to be named later, has bloomed into a postseason savant at the plate. He was an All-Star this season, thanks to a torrid first two months that had him jockeying with Judge and Shohei Ohtani atop the OPS leaderboard. But in late June, shortly before Noel arrived, he suffered an elbow injury that the Guardians have kept discreet. Fry stopped playing the field, which has hampered the club’s flexibility (though Fry, who has caught an occasional bullpen session to stay sharp, told The Athletic he could enter on defense in a pinch).
He didn’t hit a home run in June or July, which prompted his dad to regularly text him about how much his elbow must be bothering him.
“I’m like, ‘No, I’m just not hitting well, Dad,’” Fry said.
No one in Cleveland will remember his second-half slump. They’ll toast to his game-winning homer in Detroit that prevented an early exit in the ALDS and to his walk-off shot Thursday night.
“I blacked out,” Fry said. “I remember being like halfway down the first-base line, looking back at the dugout and saying, ‘All right, I just have to make sure I touch all four bases.’”
Once in a while, the baseball gods spoil us with a whole bunch of zaniness in one night, when the swing of emotions prompts your Apple Watch to ask if you’re OK, when fans are muttering “It’s over” one second and “We’re so back” the next, when those on their living-room sofas grab the remote so they can jam their thumb into the power button the instant the 27th out is recorded only to fling the device onto the couch when Noel flung his black-and-white Louisville Slugger into the grass.
This was the baseball gods working overtime to deliver us October goodness, a beautiful blend of tangled storylines and jaw-dropping momentum shifts.
“If there’s an emotion,” Vogt said, “we all felt it on both sides.”
(Top photo of David Fry and the Guardians celebrating his Game 3 walk-off home run: Lauren Leigh Bacho / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Cleveland, OH
Former NBA Players React To Kendrick Perkins News
Kendrick Perkins has become one of the most famous television personalities after his 14-year playing career in the NBA.
On Thursday, Perkins officially got a contract extension with ESPN.
Via espnpressroom.com: “Kendrick Perkins has continued to expand his role and presence across ESPN platforms since joining in 2019. The former NBA Champion has become a fixture on ESPN NBA Countdown and he will now also appear on ABC editions of NBA Countdown throughout the season. Perkins is also an analyst on NBA Today and a frequent guest on Get Up, First Take, SportsCenter and Hoop Streams.”
He made a post to Instagram that had over 4,000 likes in six hours.
Perkins captioned his post: “God is Good!!!! Im extremely grateful 🙏🏾”
Former NBA players reacted to his post.
George Hill: “Congrats big bro 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥”
Stephen Jackson: “Congrats lil bro”
Mark Jackson: “Congrats bro!!!”
Udonis Haslem: “Congrats my brotha!!!”
Isaiah Thomas: “🔥🔥🔥”
Perkins was the 27th pick in the 2003 NBA Draft out of high school.
He spent the first seven and a half seasons of his career with the Boston Celtics.
During the 2010 season, Perkins averaged 10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.7 blocks per contest while shooting 60.2% from the field in 78 games.
Perkins also spent time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans and Cleveland Cavaliers over 14 seasons in the NBA.
The 2008 NBA Champion had career averages of 5.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest while shooting 53.0% from the field in 782 games.
He appeared in 143 NBA playoff games.
Cleveland, OH
What channel is NY Yankees vs Cleveland Guardians on today? How to watch ALCS Game 3
Yankees’ Luis Gil pitches a sim game during Yankees’ pre-ALCS workout
Yankees’ anticipated Game 4 starter Luis Gil pitches a sim game during Yankees’ pre-ALCS workout,
The Yankees can feel it now.
Following a 6-3 victory over the Guardians in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, the Bronx Bombers are only two wins away from their first World Series appearance since their MLB-leading 27th championship in 2009.
Aaron Judge finally had his signature moment of the 2024 postseason — launching a two-run homer to extend the Yankees’ lead to 6-2 in the seventh inning on Tuesday night.
This comes after the Yankees defeated Cleveland 5-1 behind six strong innings from Carlos Rodon (nine strikeouts, three hits and one run allowed) and solo home runs from Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium.
The best-of-seven series now shifts to the Midwest with Games 3, 4 and 5 taking place in Cleveland.
Here’s how to watch Game 3 of the ALCS between the Yankees and Guardians on Thursday evening:
What channel is Yankees vs Guardians Game 3 on today? Time, TV schedule
TV: TBS, truTV and Max
Watch Yankees vs. Guardians live on Fubo
Yankees vs Guardians Game 3 time today
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 17.
- Time: 5:08 p.m.
- Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
Yankees vs Guardians Game 3 starting pitchers
Yankees: RHP Clarke Schmidt (1-0, 3.86 ERA in 4 2/3 innings pitched this postseason)
Guardians: LHP Matthew Boyd (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 6 2/3 innings pitched this postseason)
Yankees ALCS Game 3 odds
Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+154), Guardians +1.5 (-175)
Over/Under: 7 runs
Moneyline: Yankees -115 (Bet $115 to win $100), Guardians -105 (Bet $105 to win $100)
Odds according to BetMGM as of Oct. 16.
BetMGM is the premier destination for sportsbook odds throughout the year.
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Cleveland, OH
AEW Announces Swerve Strickland vs. Shelton Benjamin For 'Fright Night Dynamite' In Cleveland, OH.
October 30 is going to be a Fright Night.
And what better night than a Fright Night for a fist-fight?
During the October 16 episode of AEW Dynamite on TBS, Shelton Benjamin won his AEW in-ring debut, defeating Lio Rush in an excellent match at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA.
After the match, MVP got on the microphone and issued a challenge to Swerve, who later accepted the challenge in a backstage segment.
Later in the show, an official graphic was released for a special “AEW Fright Night Dynamite” show on October 30 in Cleveland, OH., featuring Swerve Strickland vs. Shelton Benjamin.
Make sure to join us here on 10/30 for live AEW Fright Night Dynamite results coverage from Cleveland, OH.
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