Yankees fall to Guardians on David Fry's walk-off two-run homer in 10th inning of Game 3 after coming within an out of taking a 3-0 ALCS lead

CLEVELAND — The Yankees have had more success here than any other visiting team since Progressive Field (formerly Jacobs Field) opened in 1994.

But they’ve taken their share of crushing postseason losses in this ballpark, too.

Put Thursday night’s 7-5, 10-inning loss to the Guardians in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series right near the top of that list, if not the top.

After Aaron Judge hit one of the more dramatic playoff homers in recent franchise history — a tying two-out, two-run blast off Emmanuel Clase in the eighth — and Giancarlo Stanton followed that with a ao-ahead home run, Luke Weaver allowed a shocking two-out, two-run homer in the ninth by pinch hitter Jhonkensy Noel and Clay Holmes gave up a two-out, two-run homer in the 10th by David Fry that got the Guardians back in the series.

The Yankees, who took a 5-3 lead in the ninth, were one out away from taking a three-games-to-none lead in the series. Instead, it’s 2-1, with rookie Luis Gil on the mound Friday night trying to keep the suddenly confident Guardians from tying the series.

After the Yankees stranded a runner at second in the top of the 10th, Bo Naylor led off the bottom half with a sharp single to right. He went to second on Brayan Rocchio’s sacrifice bunt and to third on Steven Kwan’s comebacker to Holmes (who would have had a play at third had he chosen to throw there). Fry then hammered one into the bleachers in left to win it. It came on a 1-and-2 pitch, the same count on which Judge and Stanton had homered.

The Yankees had mostly sleepwalked offensively entering the eighth, trailing 3-1 and with just three hits to that point. Cleveland had deployed three of its four elite bullpen arms, with the third of those, righty Hunter Gaddis, quickly retiring pinch hitter Austin Wells and Gleyber Torres to start the inning.

But Juan Soto worked a four-pitch walk, and that set up Judge against Clase.

After the centerfielder’s line drive over the rightfield wall, which sucked most of the energy from what had been a roaring crowd and had Yankees players pouring out of their dugout on the first-base side, Stanton hit his third homer of the postseason, driving a 390-foot shot to right-center for a 4-3 lead.

Weaver, stellar as the closer since taking over for Holmes in early September, replaced Tommy Kahnle with two outs in the eighth and struck out Fry.

After Anthony Volpe worked a leadoff walk in the ninth and eventually scored on Torres’ sacrifice fly to make it 5-3, Jose Ramirez reached on a fielding error by Anthony Rizzo, a defensive replacement an inning earlier. Weaver got Josh Naylor to hit into a 1-6-3 double play, but after falling behind 0-and-2, Lane Thomas doubled off the top of the wall in left-center on a 3-and-2 pitch. Noel then obliterated a 1-and-0 changeup 404 feet to left, tying it at 5-5.

As he rounded the bases, Noel was congratulated by first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., who hit a famous tying homer off Mariano Rivera in 1997 with the Yankees on the brink of clinching that postseason series. Cleveland wound up advancing.

Tim Hill, Ian Hamilton, Tim Mayza and Kahnle preceded Weaver to the mound. Hamilton left the game with one out in the sixth with left calf tightness and could be replaced on the roster, in which case he would be ineligible to pitch in the World Series if the Yankees get there.

Clarke Schmidt allowed two runs, five hits and two walks in 4 2⁄3 innings.

With the Guardians starting lefthander Matthew Boyd, Boone sat the lefty-swinging Rizzo and Wells, replacing them with Jose Trevino and Jon Berti.

The moves didn’t pay dividends offensively and nearly were costly defensively as Cleveland stole three bases with ease off Trevino.

The Yankees gave Schmidt an early lead.

Volpe walked with one out in the second and Alex Verdugo bounced a double over the head of first baseman Josh Naylor. Trevino then lined a single to right to make it 1-0. With Torres up, Trevino inexplicably got picked off first base and Torres lined to left for the third out.

Cleveland’s Brayan Rocchio led off the third with a liner that Berti jumped for but couldn’t corral for a single. After Steven Kwan flied to center, Kyle Manzardo crushed a 3-and-1 sinker 395 feet to right to make it 2-1, giving Cleveland its first lead of the series.

The Guardians made it 3-1 in the sixth on Andres Gimenez’s RBI single off Mayza, who took over for the injured Hamilton.