PHOENIX, UNITED STATES — Pavin Smith hit a two-run, pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees 5-3 on September 19, ending a three-game losing streak and keeping their National League wild-card hopes alive.
The result improved Arizona's record to 81-74, while New York fell to 89-65. Both teams entered the final stretch of the regular season with postseason implications still attached to their remaining games.
Smith's ninth-inning homer settles a 3-3 game
The Diamondbacks entered the bottom of the ninth with the score tied at 3-3.
Ildemaro Vargas opened the inning with a walk after successfully challenging a called third strike. Jordan Lawlar struck out, leaving Vargas at first base with one out.
Smith then entered as a pinch hitter against Yankees reliever Michael Fulmer.
On an 0-1 count, Fulmer delivered an 89.5 mph cutter. Smith sent it into the right-centre-field seats, scoring Vargas and ending the game.
MLB's Statcast data measured the home run at 391 feet, with an exit velocity of 99.7 mph and a launch angle of 28 degrees.
It was Smith's third home run of the season.
Juan Morillo earned the victory for Arizona, improving to 5-4, while Fulmer took the loss after allowing two earned runs in one-third of an inning.
Lawlar's triple and Carroll's sacrifice fly keep Arizona level
The Yankees broke a scoreless game in the fifth inning when Ben Rice delivered a sacrifice fly, putting New York ahead 1-0.
Arizona responded in the bottom half.
Lawlar hit a two-run triple against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, giving the Diamondbacks their first lead of the evening.
That advantage lasted until the sixth inning, when Heliot Ramos and Austin Wells hit consecutive solo home runs against Kevin Ginkel. Their hits restored New York's lead at 3-2.
The Diamondbacks answered again in the bottom of the sixth.
Corbin Carroll's sacrifice fly brought home Arizona's third run, tying the game before the decisive ninth-inning rally.
Schlittler finished with six innings pitched, allowing three runs, only one of them earned. Arizona recorded seven hits, compared with six for New York.
The Yankees also committed the game's only error.
Diamondbacks remain four games from the final NL wild-card spot
Arizona's victory carried significance beyond ending its three-game losing streak.
At 81-74, the Diamondbacks remained four games behind Philadelphia for the final National League wild-card position, according to Reuters' September 20 report.
With seven games remaining, Arizona still needed to close that gap while depending on results elsewhere.
The victory did not move the Diamondbacks into a playoff position or secure a postseason berth. It preserved their opportunity to continue competing for one.
The Yankees faced a different situation.
New York had already clinched a postseason berth, but its defeat, combined with Tampa Bay's 2-1 victory over Boston, left the Yankees five games behind the Rays in the American League East.
Tampa Bay stood at 94-60, compared with New York's 89-65.
The Yankees therefore remained assured of postseason baseball, although their division position was unresolved.
Yankees and Diamondbacks approach their remaining September games
The teams were scheduled to conclude their series in Phoenix on Sunday, September 20.
New York's subsequent schedule included a four-game series against Tampa Bay beginning Tuesday with a split doubleheader.
Those head-to-head games offered the Yankees an opportunity to change the division standings directly.
Arizona, meanwhile, needed both victories of its own and favourable results involving competing National League clubs.
Smith's home run secured one victory. Whether it would contribute to a postseason berth remained dependent on the final games of the regular season.