NEW YORK – It was more than two decades ago when Derek Jeter, running at full speed in pursuit of a pop fly against the Red Sox, made a fateful decision – he would not slow, permitting the field-level seats at Yankee Stadium to serve as his landing pad.
Jeter emerged a bloodied hero that night in the summer of 2003, a play distilled to two words – ‘The Dive’ – that scarcely escaped mention in his career write-ups over the years to come. Of course Ryan McMahon has seen the highlight. Everyone has.
“No, we’re not going to do that,” McMahon said after the Yankees’ 4-0 win in Thursday’s Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series, with a laugh. “That’s a completely different scale. But thank you.”
The Yankees should be the ones thanking McMahon, whose fearless sprint to secure Jarren Duran’s eighth-inning pop-up was arguably the defensive play of the series.
“That’s why we got him,” captain Aaron Judge said. “You go out there and get the best [defensive] third baseman for a reason. He’s come up with some big clutch hits for us throughout the year; he had a walk-off already. It’s plays like that in crunch time. That’s why you go out there and get a guy like that.”
Playing behind Cam Schlittler in his final inning of a magnificent 12-strikeout performance, McMahon hit the railing at full speed, flipping into a sea of Boston red occupying the visiting dugout.
He popped up instantly, wearing a smile, though he wondered what it might feel like when the team lands in Toronto.
“The adrenaline kicked in and I didn’t really feel anything,” McMahon said. “I’m sure I hit everything in that dugout, though. I was just excited to get out of there after I caught it.”
Acquired from the Rockies in July, McMahon said being back in the postseason has been an “awesome” experience.
“To be here playing games with these guys, in front of this crowd -- the place was electric all night,” McMahon said. “It’s really fun.”