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Where Yankees' Comeback ALDS Game 3 Win Ranks in Team's Postseason History

The Yanks rallied from a five-run deficit to force a Game 4 on Tuesday night.

Brigid Kennedy

Aaron Judge kept the team's hopes alive with a well-timed homer to tie the game.
Aaron Judge kept the team's hopes alive with a well-timed homer to tie the game. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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For the first portion of Tuesday night's Blue Jays-Yankees showdown, it felt like Toronto was gonna run away with it and handily eliminate New York from the postseason in just three Division Series games, a prediction strongly supported by the Blue Jays' 6–1 lead after the top of the third.

But the pinstripes eventually battled back and not a moment too soon, fueled entirely by a well-timed and momentum-shifting three-run homer from Aaron Judge that tied the game. Shortly after, New York took the lead and didn't lose it again, ultimately forcing a Game 4 and keeping their postseason hopes alive for at least another day.

Adding some more grandeur to the victory, the night's five-run recovery is tied for the second-largest comeback in Yankees' postseason history, on par with the 2010 ALCS Game 1 and the 1997 ALDS Game 1 (both of which are series that New York would go on to lose), per MLB researcher Sarah Langs.

The team's largest postseason rally, however, came in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series, which the Yanks won 8–6 vs. the Braves. They would then go on to win the championship that year in six games.

Outside of the Bronx, the largest comeback win to avoid postseason elimination specifically happened in Game 5 of the 2008 ALCS, when the Red Sox came back from a seven-run deficit to defeat the Rays and force a Game 6 (Tampa Bay would later eliminate Boston in Game 7).

After that, you have a six-run Cardinals rebound in Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS, then various five-point rallies from the 2002 Angels (WS Game 6), the 1995 Mariners (ALDS Game 4), and—you guessed it—the 2025 Yankees in ALDS Game 3.

We'll see what the Yanks can pull off next come Game 4, slated for Wednesday, Oct. 8, with first pitch at 7:08 p.m. ET.

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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