Brian Anderson, the familiar voice for Milwaukee Brewers fans, found himself in the thick of some serious excitement on Thursday night. This wasn’t your average game—it was Game 3 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS), and the Cleveland Guardians were facing off against the New York Yankees in an absolute nail-biter. Anderson, who has been calling games on the championship stage for Turner/TNT Sports since 2017, was behind the mic for some of the most thrilling moments baseball fans could ask for. The Cleveland Guardians pulled off a stunning 7-5 win, thanks to some heart-stopping late-game heroics.
Let’s talk about that 9th inning. The Yankees were poised to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. They had just turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead after big homers by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton off Cleveland’s star closer Emmanuel Clase. Yankees fans could practically taste the victory. But baseball, as we all know, can flip in an instant—and that's exactly what happened.
With two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Cleveland’s Jhonkensy Noel stepped up to the plate. Talk about pressure! Noel delivered in the most dramatic way possible—a game-tying, two-run blast that sent Progressive Field into a frenzy. The Guardians had new life. As Anderson called it, “Ohhhh! Oh my goodness! Big Christmas has tied it! The ultimate present under the tree! Oh my goodness! Jhonkensy Noel, the biggest swing of his life!”
(Anderson wasn’t just throwing out random holiday references here—Noel’s name, of course, is part of the fun. Hence, the "Big Christmas" nickname. It’s a quirky, memorable moment that you just have to hear, or better yet, watch.)
The crowd erupted, Cleveland's hopes were alive again, and the momentum had completely shifted. But the drama didn’t stop there. Extra innings brought even more fireworks for the home team.
Fast forward to the 10th inning. The Yankees had managed to tack on an insurance run in the top of the 9th, thanks to a bit of sloppy defense by Cleveland, leaving the Guardians in a 5-4 hole. The Guardians’ defense, though, wasn’t done making plays, and they managed to hold the Yankees at bay in the 10th with an incredible play by second baseman Andrés Giménez.
And then, it happened. Former Brewers prospect David Fry, who had been a relatively unassuming player, stepped up in the bottom of the 10th with a runner on and two outs. The tension was sky-high. Fry absolutely crushed a walk-off, two-run homer off Yankees reliever Clay Holmes. Progressive Field erupted again. The Guardians had pulled off an incredible 7-5 win to avoid going down 3-0 in the series. Fry’s teammates mobbed him at home plate, and the crowd couldn’t have been louder.
For Brewers fans, Fry’s name might sound familiar. The Guardians acquired him from Milwaukee in a trade back in 2021, a move that didn’t seem to be a big deal at the time. Fry had been part of the Brewers' minor league system for four seasons before being dealt to Cleveland as part of a trade that brought relief pitcher J.C. Mejía to Milwaukee. At the time, Fry didn’t seem to figure into Milwaukee’s long-term plans, and Mejía was thought to add some much-needed depth to the Brewers’ bullpen.
But sometimes, trades don’t go as planned. Mejía, while young and promising, struggled mightily with the Brewers. Over two seasons in 2022 and 2023, he posted a brutal 8.56 ERA in 13⅔ innings, allowing 13 earned runs. Things hadn’t been much better for him with Cleveland, either. In 2021, Mejía had an 8.25 ERA over 52⅓ innings, making the trade a bit of a gamble for Milwaukee.
Then came the real setback for Mejía: He was suspended multiple times for using banned substances. His first suspension came in May 2022, when he tested positive for Stanozolol, a synthetic steroid. That earned him an 80-game suspension. Things got worse in September 2023, when he was hit with a 162-game suspension for a second positive test. That essentially ended his time with the Brewers, who released him in November of that year.
In hindsight, the trade looks rough for Milwaukee. Fry, meanwhile, has developed into a key player for Cleveland. A first-time All-Star in 2024, Fry’s rise has been one of those feel-good stories that makes baseball so unpredictable and exciting. His walk-off homer against the Yankees was just the latest chapter in his impressive career.
The Guardians’ victory in Game 3 kept them alive in the series and gave Cleveland fans hope that their team could still pull off an upset. For the Yankees, the loss was a gut punch, as they had the game within their grasp multiple times. The home runs from Judge and Stanton had seemingly put the Yankees in control, but Cleveland’s resilience, backed by some timely hitting from Noel and Fry, turned the tide.
Want to hear the excitement from another angle? Cleveland’s radio announcer, Tom Hamilton—himself a native of Jefferson County and a graduate of Waterloo High School—had a similarly thrilling call when Noel and Fry hit their homers. Hamilton is known for his passionate calls, and you can bet that he captured every bit of the electric atmosphere at Progressive Field that night.
While Fry’s heroics were the story of the game, Noel’s game-tying homer might have been the most memorable moment. Anderson’s “Big Christmas” call will likely be one that Cleveland fans remember for a long time. It’s not often you see a rookie like Noel come up big in such a critical moment, and for a player who had just gotten his feet wet in the majors, it’s a career-defining swing.
In the world of baseball, moments like these are what keep fans coming back for more. The twists and turns of the postseason, the underdogs rising to the occasion, and the unheralded players becoming heroes are all part of the magic. Cleveland’s win in Game 3 was a perfect example of that, and it set the stage for what could be an epic conclusion to the series.
So, whether you're a fan of the Brewers, the Guardians, or just a lover of baseball drama, this game had it all. It was a reminder that in the postseason, anything can happen—and sometimes, the best moments come from the most unexpected places.
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