Judge rallies Yankees past Blue Jays 9-6 to save season and avert ALDS sweep

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a tying homer and drove in four runs during a clutch performance for the ages, and the New York Yankees staved off elimination by rallying from five runs down to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-6 on Tuesday night in Game 3 of their AL Division Series.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched a go-ahead homer in the fifth inning and the Yankees took advantage of two Toronto errors to avoid a three-game sweep. They scored eight unanswered runs and pulled to 2-1 in the best-of-five series, with Game 4 on Wednesday night in the Bronx.

“We need another one tomorrow,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ll enjoy this for about 10 minutes and get ready for tomorrow.”

Judge went 3 for 4 with an intentional walk and scored three times, also making critical plays with his glove and legs as fans chanted “MVP! MVP!” After struggling at the plate in previous postseasons, he is 7 for 11 in this series (.636) with five RBIs and three walks.

“Tonight was special, but there’s still more work to be done,” the Yankees' captain said. “Hopefully we have some more cool moments like this the rest of the postseason.”

With the season on the line, New York starter Carlos Rodón gave up six runs and six hits in 2 1/3 innings — but five Yankees relievers bailed him out as they combined for 6 2/3 scoreless innings. Tim Hill got four outs for the win, and David Bednar worked 1 2/3 perfect innings for his second playoff save as New York improved to 3-0 in elimination games this postseason.

It was the Yankees' largest comeback ever in an elimination game, and tied for its second-biggest in any postseason game.

Toronto hadn't lost all season when leading by at least four runs.

“Kind of just didn’t play our game, really,” manager John Schneider said. “Their bullpen did a really good job, and we just gave them extra outs.”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an early two-run homer and Ernie Clement had four hits for the AL East champion Blue Jays, who squandered a golden opportunity to put away the Yankees as Toronto tries to reach its first American League Championship Series since 2016.

Consecutive doubles by Trent Grisham and Judge to start the third began New York’s comeback from a 6-1 deficit. Later in the inning, Judge stayed in a rundown between third base and home plate long enough to allow Cody Bellinger to reach third. That became important when Bellinger scored on Giancarlo Stanton’s sacrifice fly against Toronto starter Shane Bieber, who lasted 2 2/3 innings.

Stanton also had an RBI single in the first after Blue Jays second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa committed a fielding error against his former team.

With the Yankees trailing 6-3 in the fourth, third baseman Addison Barger dropped Austin Wells’ wind-blown popup for another costly error with one out. Grisham walked, and right-hander Louis Varland was brought in to face Judge, who turned on an 0-2 fastball clocked at 100 mph off the inside corner and somehow kept it fair, launching a three-run drive that clanged high off the left-field foul pole.

“He made a really good pitch look really bad,” Varland said.

Judge tossed his bat aside and gestured to teammates on the bench as the sellout crowd of 47,399 burst into a frenzy.

“It's an amazing swing,” Boone said. “That’s shades of Edgar Martínez right there, taking that high-and-tight one and keeping it fair down the line. Manny Ramirez used to do that really well, too. But just a great swing on a pretty nasty pitch, obviously.”

The right fielder then made a diving catch with a runner at second in the fifth, drawing more “MVP" chants.

Chisholm gave the Yankees their first lead of the series with a solo homer off Varland in the bottom half. Amed Rosario doubled and scored on Wells’ two-out single to make it 8-6, and Ben Rice added a sacrifice fly in the sixth that scored Judge after he was intentionally walked with one out and nobody on base.

Call it the ultimate sign of respect. Or perhaps, fear.

Guerrero went full-out Superman while diving across home plate to score on Clement’s single in the third, and Anthony Santander’s two-run single capped a four-run inning that made it 6-1.

Rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler starts Wednesday night for New York, coming off a dominant performance in a winner-take-all Wild Card Series game against rival Boston last Thursday at Yankee Stadium.

Toronto will go with a bullpen game, using Varland as an opener and potentially left-hander Eric Lauer as the bulk reliever.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Toronto Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. dives into home plate to score against the New York Yankees during the third inning of Game 3 of baseball's American League Division Series, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge connects for a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning of Game 3 of baseball's American League Division Series, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Louis Varland reacts after giving up a three-run home run to New York Yankees' Aaron Judge during the fourth inning of Game 3 of baseball's American League Division Series, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning of Game 3 of baseball's American League Division Series, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge celebrates with third base coach Luis Rojas after hitting a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning of Game 3 of baseball's American League Division Series, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning of Game 3 of baseball's American League Division Series, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings haven't wavered in their support of J.J. McCarthy, continuing to exude optimism about his potential when publicly discussing their developing quarterback.

What they haven't done is commit to him as their starter for next season. They're certain to add a veteran to the mix, either in free agency or a trade.

“I want the Vikings to achieve our goals, and I think one of those goals is to make playoff runs,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “I think he has the character and ability to be the person and do that for our organization.”

Adofo-Mensah, speaking at his season-ending news conference at team headquarters on Tuesday, reiterated the NFL axiom that effective roster-building relies on flexibility and not predetermination.

“The way we’ve set this team up, we built this corridor like we’ve always talked about to give ourselves multiple shots at it,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Because you never know when there’s going to be a year where the field feels a little bit wide open and you can make that run.”

That could have been the case this season, had the Vikings decided to leave McCarthy in developmental mode and give Sam Darnold a big new contract, or at least use the franchise tag to keep him instead of watching him move to Seattle and lead the team that landed the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Vikings also made a strong push to re-sign Daniel Jones, who saw a more realistic scenario with Indianapolis for him to start, which turned out to be the right choice.

There's no benefit to indulging in regret or dwelling in the past, so the Vikings weren't about to do that after their 9-8 record despite McCarthy's rocky debut left them a half-game out of the playoffs.

But they're also fully aware of how much the injuries — on top of an offense at Michigan that didn't pass nearly as often as the programs that produced the other quarterback prospects in the rich 2024 draft — have set him back on the learning curve.

“It’s about having the most talented and deep quarterback room you can," coach Kevin O'Connell said. “J.J., I was really encouraged by the type of football he started to play toward the second half of the season and finishing the way he did. ... But we’re still looking at a quarterback who’s started 10 games — 10 out of a possible 34 in two years. Not the ideal path for a young quarterback to develop on the field."

That's, of course, why the Vikings need more options. Though Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell each had their contract extended a year ago, the duo that arrived in 2022 has yet to produce a win in the playoffs. So the urgency to win — and develop McCarthy — has only been heightened.

“I definitely want a competitive situation in that room, because I ultimately think that’s what will make not only the starter, but the next guy and the next guy,” O'Connell said. “We've learned we’ve got to get a lot of guys ready to play, and we’ve got to do it with a responsibility of being the best version of our offense, and the quarterback has a huge role in helping us do that.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell runs onto the field before an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)