The New York Yankees delivered one of baseball’s most remarkable comebacks Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. Down 5-0 and held without a hit through seven innings, they stormed back to defeat Seattle 6-5 in extra innings.
The victory places the Yankees in exclusive company. Only one other team since 1961 has won after trailing by five runs while being no-hit through seven frames. That distinction belongs to the 1977 Pittsburgh Pirates.
History made, Bronx ignited
Anthony Volpe‘s spectacular slide home in the 10th inning sealed the victory. Aaron Judge lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, setting up the game-winning moment. Julio Rodríguez’s perfect throw home appeared to have Volpe out, but the Yankees shortstop executed a brilliant swim move around catcher Cal Raleigh‘s tag.
The 41,241 fans erupted as home plate umpire confirmed the safe call after Seattle’s challenge. Yankees players poured from the dugout in celebration of their third walk-off win this season.
“Happy to steal that one there,” Judge said. “What a great slide — there’s nobody else I’d want out there in a situation like that besides Volpe.”
Chisholm breaks the spell
Seattle starter Bryan Woo dominated through seven innings, retiring 20 consecutive batters after an early walk. Jazz Chisholm Jr. finally broke through with a sharp single to right field in the eighth inning.
The hit opened the floodgates. Ben Rice followed with another single, then Austin Wells drove in the Yankees’ first run with a sacrifice fly.
Giancarlo Stanton provided the spark with his first career pinch-hit home run. The designated hitter crushed a 98-mph sinker from Matt Brash deep into the Yankees bullpen for a two-run blast that cut the deficit to 5-3.
“That was good,” Stanton said. “I haven’t pinch hit too much and haven’t been the greatest at it, either.”
Wells delivers when it matters
Trailing 5-3 in the ninth inning, the Yankees loaded the bases against All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz. After Chisholm flied out and Rice walked, Wells came through in the clutch.
Working a full count, Wells ripped a 98-mph fastball into right field for a two-run single that tied the game at 5-5.
“Probably one of the better wins we’ve had,” Wells said. “It just shows the versatility that we have. We’ve shown that we can go big early in the games, and we can come back late.”
Volpe makes the improbable base running
The 10th inning drama began with Anthony Volpe starting on second base as the automatic runner. Oswald Peraza failed on a bunt attempt, but Paul Goldschmidt drew a walk. Trent Grisham loaded the bases with another free pass.
Judge worked the count to 1-1 against Gabe Speier before lifting a slider to center field. Rodríguez charged hard and unleashed a strike to home plate. Volpe sprinted at full speed and dove headfirst, sliding around Raleigh’s tag.
“That was sick,” Wells said. “He totally went around him; got his hand in there. That was a great slide.”
Manager Aaron Boone watched the play unfold from the dugout steps.
“I had the best seat in the house,” Boone said. “I saw the throw was on target, and I’m like, ‘Oh, no!’ But I saw his hand in there.”
Woo’s dominant performance aborted midway
The 24-year-old right-hander entered with an 8-4 record and 2.77 ERA. He completely stifled a Yankees offense that had averaged 7.1 runs over their previous 10 games.
Woo pitched 7.1 innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out five. He departed with a 5-2 lead after Jorge Polanco’s three-run homer off Clayton Beeter in the seventh inning extended Seattle’s advantage.
Marcus Stroman made his third start since returning from the injured list. The veteran right-hander allowed two early runs but kept the game manageable through five innings.
Stroman surrendered six hits and two walks while keeping the deficit from expanding. His steady effort proved crucial to the comeback.
“Super-resilient team, super-confident guys,” Stroman said. “We feel like we’re never out of a game. As long as the game’s within striking distance, I think everybody in this clubhouse thinks we can come back.”
Rare historical achievement
The Elias Sports Bureau confirmed the Yankees joined exclusive company with their comeback. The only other team to accomplish this feat was Pittsburgh on June 24, 1977, when they rallied to beat Montreal 6-5.
Baseball’s unpredictable nature was on full display. Boone reflected on the unlikely victory.
“It felt like we were kind of getting dominated, frankly,” Boone said. “Even 2-0 down, it felt like a little bit more than that. But baseball’s funny like that. The guys didn’t give up. No quit.”
Strategic decisions pay off for Yankees
Boone’s choice to use Stanton as a pinch-hitter proved pivotal. Despite historical struggles in that role, Stanton’s power bat delivered when needed most.
Boone noted earlier this week that Stanton has been finding new ways to prepare, and when he connects with a pitch, it still sounds different from other hitters.
Statcast measured Stanton’s home run at 415 feet with an exit velocity of 110.5 mph.
Sign-stealing controversy returns
Late in the game, Grisham appeared to pick up on Muñoz’s pitch-tipping from second base. Seattle catcher Raleigh acknowledged the lapse after the game.
“It’s our job to know that going into a series,” Raleigh said. “That made it really hard at the end.”
The Yankees improved to 52-41 with their fourth consecutive victory. The win provides momentum heading into the second half with Gerrit Cole sidelined for the season and bullpen depth concerns.
Victories like this one – built on resilience and clutch performance – could define their playoff push.
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