Yankees break up Padres’ Cease with dramatic turnaround, win in tense 10th

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The Yankees made a dramatic comeback against the Padres after ending Cease’s no-hitter in the seventh with a clutch pinch-hit home run.

NEW YORK — On a night when Dylan Cease had Yankees hitters in a chokehold for six innings, the Bronx Bombers flipped the script with grit, guts, and just enough flair to steal a 4-3 walk-off win over the San Diego Padres.

What began as a near no-hitter ended in dramatic fashion — with a clutch pinch-hit home run, a redemption arc in the bullpen, and a victory dance punctuated by rookie energy.

This was more than just another win. It was the New York Yankees at their most resilient — a showcase of the kind of persistence and clubhouse chemistry that turns good teams into postseason threats.

Cease dominates early, then breaks

For six innings, Padres ace Dylan Cease was nearly untouchable. He struck out nine Yankees and allowed no hits, mowing down Aaron Judge on three pitches in each of his three at-bats. The right-hander looked fully in command — until he wasn’t.

Cody Bellinger finally broke the silence with a no-doubt solo shot into the right-field second deck in the seventh. The Yankees’ first hit of the night not only tied the game 1-1, but signaled the beginning of Cease’s unraveling. Two batters later, Cease was removed with what the Padres later confirmed as a forearm cramp.

Still, Cease’s outing was brilliant: six-plus innings, one hit, two walks, and nine strikeouts.

Fried matches, then hands it off

Not to be outdone, Max Fried gave Yankees fans another ace-worthy performance. The left-hander worked seven innings of one-run baseball, surrendering just five hits and striking out eight. He didn’t issue a single walk and held the Padres in check despite a rare defensive error behind him from Judge in the fifth.

Fried’s lone blemish was a solo homer from Jackson Merrill in the fourth — the first earned run he’d allowed since April 15, ending a 27 1/3 inning scoreless streak. His ERA now sits at an eye-popping 1.05 through eight starts.

“This might’ve been his best command game of the year,” manager Aaron Boone said. “And that’s saying a lot with how well he’s pitched.”

Bullpen chaos and redemption

The game pivoted in the eighth. Ian Hamilton issued two walks and was relieved by Luke Weaver, who allowed an RBI single to Merrill and a sacrifice fly to Xander Bogaerts. Suddenly, the Yankees trailed 3-1.

But the Yankees didn’t fold. In the bottom of the eighth, Oswaldo Cabrera drew a leadoff walk against Padres reliever Jason Adam. Enter Trent Grisham, pinch-hitting against his former team. On a 1-0 changeup, he crushed a two-run homer into the right-field seats — his 10th of the season — tying the game 3-3 and igniting Yankee Stadium.

“Just a lot of fight, a lot of grit,” Grisham said. “This series was kind of the epitome of this group. We were down in every game and kept coming back.”

The 10th-inning theater

Devin Williams, after blowing a save two nights earlier, took the mound in the top of the 10th. He immediately walked a batter and hit another, loading the bases with two outs. But when the moment demanded ice in his veins, Williams responded. He struck out Bogaerts on a full-count changeup, roaring off the mound with emotion.

“I felt like our guys were going to come through after that,” Williams said. “And they did.”

In the bottom half, Jasson Domínguez started on second as the automatic runner. Cabrera, who had flubbed a bunt attempt in Tuesday’s 10-run inning, laid down a perfect sacrifice. Then came J.C. Escarra — once an Uber driver, now a Bronx folk hero.

Pinch-hitting for Oswald Peraza, Escarra lifted a 2-2 pitch into deep left field. Domínguez tagged and scored easily, sealing the Yankees’ first walk-off win of the season.

“My heart was pounding through my chest,” Escarra said. “But this is why we play. What happened today makes everything worth it.”

Bronx roars and Yankees dugout rhythms

The sellout crowd of 42,302 erupted — and not just for baseball. At one point, a cheer unrelated to the game swept through the stadium as Knicks fans celebrated a simultaneous playoff win. Still, by the 10th inning, it was the Yankees who gave the Bronx its loudest reason to cheer.

Players spilled out of the dugout, dancing and embracing Escarra as if the postseason had arrived early.

“It was gritty, dramatic, and a little chaotic,” Boone said. “But that’s the kind of energy we need to carry forward.”

Yankees series win with momentum

With the win, the Yankees (21–16) claimed a series victory over the Padres (23–13), marking back-to-back comeback wins against one of the NL’s top clubs. For a team battling through inconsistency and rotation injuries, the performances from Fried, Bellinger, Grisham, and Escarra underscored the club’s growing depth and unity.

The Yankees didn’t just win with skill — they won with swagger. And in the dugout, from the booming walk-off celebration to the subtle shoulder shimmies after each hit, there was a sense of togetherness that’s beginning to define this team.

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