Yankees lose to Diamondbacks on Pavin Smith's walk-off homer in ninth

Before Saturday night’s game in Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrated the 25th anniversary of their thrilling seven-game victory over the Yankees in the 2001 World Series — a series won on Luis Gonzalez’s walk-off bloop single off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth inning.

As it turned out, it was deja vu all over again, on a much smaller scale. The Diamondbacks again beat the Yankees in walk-off fashion, and this time, the winning hit was no bloop. Pinch hitter Pavin Smith lined Michael Fulmer’s 0-and-1 pitch over the rightfield wall with one out in the ninth for a two-run homer that gave Arizona a 5-3 victory.

Combined with the Rays’ walk-off victory over the Red Sox earlier in the day, AL East-leading Tampa Bay’s magic number to eliminate the Yankees was reduced to four. The Rays lead the second-place Yankees by five games with eight games remaining, including four in the Bronx from Tuesday through Thursday.

It was the Yankees’ 11th walk-off loss of the season, one behind the Giants for the most in the majors.

Because the Red Sox lost, the Yankees (89-65) reduced their magic number to clinch home-field advantage in the wild-card round to two.

Ildemaro Vargas started the bottom of the ninth with a walk, winning an ABS challenge on a full-count pitch initially called a strike. After Jordan Lawlar struck out, Smith drove a cutter 391 feet into the rightfield seats.

Although Yankees starter Cam Schlittler allowed three runs in six innings, his ERA dropped from 1.95 to 1.94 because two of the runs were unearned. He allowed three hits and three walks, striking out six.

Schlittler has allowed one or no runs 21 times in his 32 starts. He didn’t add to that total on Saturday, but he did add to another category: In three other games, he gave up zero or one earned run.

Schlitter’s 24 starts with one or no earned runs is one shy of the record in the live-ball era (since 1920) set by Sandy Kou-fax in 1963, according to MLB.

Schlittler has allowed three or fewer runs in 28 of his 32 starts.

Singles by Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe and Jose Caballero loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fifth, and Ben Rice delivered a sacrifice fly for his 95th RBI and a 1-0 Yankees lead.

Schlittler allowed a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Nolan Arenado singled and Schlittler misplayed Tim Tawa’s sacrifice bunt for an error. Jesus Sanchez grounded out to first to advance the runners to second and third, and Lawlar lined a 1-and-2 pitch to left-center for a two-run triple that gave Arizona a 2-1 lead. Schlittler struck out Lars Nootbaar to end the inning.

The Yankees tied it in the sixth on Heliot Ramos’ one-out homer and went ahead on Wells’ two-out homer.

Schlittler walked Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno to begin the bottom of the sixth, and when Geraldo Perdomo reached on a bunt single, the Diamondbacks had the bases loaded with none out. Corbin Carroll lifted a long sacrifice fly to tie it, but with one out and runners on second and third, Schlittler struck out Arenado and Tawa.