The Detroit Tigers got a seventh inning home run from Delmon Young to win Game 3 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees on October 3. The Yankees have had a lot of great postseason moments in the wild card era, but they have also had some painful losses. Young’s home run was the sixth late inning home run that put a team ahead for good against the Yankees in the wild card era. Here is a look at the previous five. The Yankees would lose all but one of the series that featured a game like that.
2004 ALCS – Game 4
Yankees fans will always remember this home run. They led the ALCS 3-0 and were looking to sweep the series when the Red Sox tied the game in the ninth. In the 12th inning, David Ortiz won the game with a two run home run. The 6-4 win started the epic comeback for the Red Sox as they would win the series in seven games.
2003 World Series – Game 4
The Florida Marlins didn’t hit any home runs in the World Series until Game 4. They hit two in this game. The biggest one came in the bottom of the 12th inning when Alex Gonzalez hit the game winning home run off of Jeff Weaver. The win evented the series as the Marlins went on to win.
2002 ALDS – Game 2
The Anaheim Angels trailed the Yankees in Game 2 by one run entering the eighth inning. Garrett Anderson led off the inning with a home run to tie the game. Troy Glaus followed with a home run to put the Angels ahead. They would add a couple of more runs to win the game 8-6. The Angels took the series in four games.
1996 ALCS – Game 2
The Baltimore Orioles won only one game in the 1996 ALCS but it was a thrilling one. In the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium, Rafael Palmeiro hit a two run shot off Jeff Nelson to break up a 2-2 tie. The Yankees got one run back in the bottom of the inning but Baltimore would win the game 5-3.
1995 ALDS – Game 4
Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners broke the hearts of Yankee fans in a huge way. In the bottom of the eighth inning of a tie game, Martinez hit a grand slam to give the Mariners a 10-6 lead. John Wetteland allowed three straight base runners to start the inning before Martinez hit his blast. The Mariners won the series in five games.