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, weâ€re not going to do that,†McMahon said after the Yankees†4-0 win in Thursdayâ€s Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series, with a laugh. “Thatâ€s a completely different scale. But thank you.â€
The Yankees should be the ones thanking McMahon, whose fearless sprint to secure Jarren Duranâ€s eighth-inning pop-up was arguably the defensive play of the series.
“Thatâ€s why we got him,†captain Aaron Judge said. “You go out there and get the best [defensive] third baseman for a reason. Heâ€s come up with some big clutch hits for us throughout the year; he had a walk-off already. Itâ€s plays like that in crunch time. Thatâ€s why you go out there and get a guy like that.â€
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.
“The adrenaline kicked in and I didnâ€t really feel anything,†McMahon said. “Iâ€m sure I hit everything in that dugout, though. I was just excited to get out of there after I caught it.â€
“To be here playing games with these guys, in front of this crowd — the place was electric all night,†McMahon said. “Itâ€s really fun.â€
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