For the second straight year, the Yankees' relievers struggled in high-leverage situations. The Guardians scored three points in the seventh, a hit in the eighth and threatened with two runners in the ninth.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to Tommy Kahnle – rather than closer Luke Weaver – for the final three outs, and the right-hander shut out Cleveland with 18 throws, all changes.

Stanton's 404-foot drive in the sixth inning off rookie Cade Smith gave the Yankees a 6-2 lead. Stanton had seven hits against Cleveland in the postseason, all of them home runs.

After Cleveland got within 6-5 in the seventh, rookie Jhonkensy Noel sent shivers through the ballpark when he flew with a man on the warning track. Noel's narrow home run in the ninth inning tied Game 3.

The Guardians tied the score in the eighth when the Yankees botched an easy play in the infield, another of their fielding and baserunning errors.

Bo Naylor doubled and moved up on an infield grounder. Mark Leiter Jr. (1-0), who was added to the Yankees' ALCS roster earlier in the day to replace Ian Hamilton, made sure Steven Kwan showed up. Leiter appeared to get out of the inning when David Fry, one of Cleveland's home run stars in Game 3, hit a slow grounder to right.