World Series: Five Yankees relievers combine for five shutout innings against mighty Dodgers lineup

No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win the World Series. In an MLB universe where four-game winning streaks are difficult but hardly impossible, there’s something suffocating about these late-fall games that can make the feat feel too big to conquer.

But the Yankees Tuesday evening had to try, even against a Dodgers team that looks more superhuman by the day. And it made sense that to take the first step, they relied on the players who have built careers around being told the odds and then promptly ignoring them.

“There’s a lot of guys down there that probably have that mentality of not being the biggest names,” Clay Holmes said on the heels of the Yankees' 11-4 win over the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium – a victory that avoided a World Series sweep. “It’s not all been just glory and success for all of us down there and I think at the same time, there’s been a lot of people that have overcome a lot of things … There’s been some low points for all of us. But we know that’s not the end of the story.”

Not Tuesday, at least, not when Tim Hill, Holmes, Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver and Tim Mayza combined to pitch five scoreless innings against an indefatigable Dodgers lineup that can beat you through nicks and blasts – a relentless, inevitable barrage specifically crafted to break down pitchers’ stamina and their souls.

But these relievers? They have calluses, literally and metaphorically.

The first arm up was Hill who, this June, was designated for assignment by the worst team in baseball before being picked up by the Yankees. His assignment? Protecting a two-run lead with a man on and no outs in the fifth … against Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Hill did allow the inherited runner to score, but only when the Dodgers challenged what appeared to be an inning-ending double play (Freeman beat it out by an eyelash).

The rest of the game followed that pattern: There was Holmes, who was picked up from a Pirates scrap heap, transformed into one of the best relievers in baseball, and then stuttered his way out of the role this season. He got the final out in the fifth and pitched a perfect sixth behind two strikeouts.

Next, it was time for Leiter, who wasn’t even on the ALCS roster until Ian Hamilton got hurt. Like he did in Game 4 against the Guardians, Leiter didn't shrink in the big moment, striking out Ohtani in the seventh. By the way, he had begun warming up in the second inning.

“That’s a tough one – it really is,” Leiter said of the long (long) warm up. “But I think everyone is ready to go for whatever situation.”

Weaver was called upon to finish off that seventh inning, and he made quick work of Betts, striking him out, and then came right back in the eighth to retire the side in order, the final two on strikeouts. After returning to the dugout, Weaver told Aaron Boone he could finish the game: That would have made 2 1/3 innings for a guy who’s pitched three of the last five days. Weaver, too, came into this season a reclamation project – the starter going nowhere becoming the closer players fear to face.

“I wanted to leave it all out on the line,” Weaver said. “I want to be able to live with myself and put my head on the pillow that I gave it everything.”

But, with an 11-4 lead, Boone instead turned to Mayza, cut by the Blue Jays in June after 12 years in the organization. He retired the side in order.

After, they weren’t trotted out into the press conference room with the stars of the game. Holmes dressed quickly. Leiter had his arm wrapped so fully, he looked like one half of the Incredible Hulk. Weaver answered some questions behind the backdrop they have in the clubhouse – he’s always there for a fun quote – and Mayza didn’t seem to be around.

They had done their jobs, as thankless as it often can be. And they had provided a point of reference. Oh, sure. The Yankees won a game Tuesday because of big hits from Anthony Volpe and Gleyber Torres. But in order to do the improbable, they’ll have to take some inspiration from the lesser-known names who have fashioned improbable careers despite long odds.

“It’s just a matter of going out there and doing your job and continuing to enjoy the fact that you’re getting a chance to compete in the World Series and not taking it lightly that we have a job to do,” Leiter said. “I think everybody’s journey in this game has led them to this point and some are different than others.”

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.