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Yankees complete wild comeback with trio of late-inning homers

The Texas Rangers and New York Yankees have been two teams headed in opposite directions this month. One wild and crazy game probably won’t change that, but three swings during the Yankees dramatic 9-7 victory on Wednesday reminded us that no lead is safe and no outcome should ever be assumed, especially when the right-field fence is a leisurely fly ball away.

Trailing by five runs in the eighth inning, New York rallied for its most unlikely and exhilarating win of the season by scoring seven unanswered runs. That comeback was fueled by a trio of home runs, beginning with Brian McCann’s solo shot in the eighth inning. That trimmed the margin to four, and set the stage for an epic ninth inning filled with even more fireworks.

After New York trimmed the lead to three on a Brett Gardner single, pinch-hitter Alex Rodriguez came to the plate with a chance to tie the game against Rangers closer Sam Dyson. Rodriguez, who was officially benched by manager Joe Girardi, couldn’t come through, but that was OK. Up next was McCann again, and this time he launched a game-tying three-run homer.

That sent those who remained at Yankee Stadium into a frenzy. Or at least those who remained that actually root for the Yankees. But it would be nothing compared to two batters later, when Didi Gregorius smacked a two-run, walk-off homer over the short porch in the right field. The walk-off homer was the first of Gregorius’ career, and it infused the Yankees dugout with some much-needed energy.

Teammates celebrate Didi Gregorius following his ninth-inning, walk-off, home run against the Rangers. (AP)
Teammates celebrate Didi Gregorius following his ninth-inning, walk-off, home run against the Rangers. (AP)

Seriously, it seems like forever since we’ve seen the Yankees celebrate like that, and it has to feel especially good given how the series and this game started.

Texas took the first two games of this four-game series in resilient and then dominant fashion. They won the opener on Monday by scoring four runs in the ninth inning after waiting out a nearly four-hour rain delay. Then they won 7-1 on Tuesday behind Cole Hamels. Then they were set up for more of the same on Wednesday, at least until the home run barrage started.

Again, it’ll take more than those three swings to change the direction these teams are headed. The Rangers have 51 wins and hold a comfortable nine-game lead over the Houston Astros. The Yankees, on the other hand, are hovering around .500 at 38-39. They aren’t dead by any means, but a deep division and deeper league threaten to render them irrelevant before the trade deadline.

Then again, we have seen moments like these plant seeds for big turnaround. Maybe that’s what we’ll get here too. For now, let’s just let the Yankees enjoy a moment they desperately needed.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!