Yankees choking on 20th anniversary of ALCS Game 4 was pure joy for Red Sox fans

Walk-off home runs in extra innings are the stuff MLB playoff dreams are made of. But on Thursday for the New York Yankees, it was the stuff of nightmares. Trailing 3-1 in the eighth inning, the Yanks received back-to-back homers from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton against star Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase to take a 4-3 lead. The flipped the game on its head and only needed six outs.

With the Yankees holding onto a 2-0 series advantage and a 5-3 lead over the Guardians in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jhonkensy Noel clubbed a pinch-hit, two-run homer with two outs to tie the game and send it to extra innings. This came right after Yankees closer Luke Weaver lost control of an at-bat against Lane Thomas and surrendered a double.

One inning later, David Fry hit a two-run homer of his own to lift Cleveland to its first win of the series in dramatic, walk-off fashion, after the Yankees stranded runners in the top half of the 10th.

Boston Red Sox fans everywhere can agree that any time the Yankees lose, it's a good thing. But this one was special; not only because of the heartbreaking ending or the fact that it was a postseason game, but because this all occurred on the 20th anniversary of a Red Sox victory that will forever live rent-free in the heads of Yankees fans.

Yankees choking on 20th anniversary of ALCS Game 4 was pure joy for Red Sox fans

On Oct. 17, 2004, the Yankees were on the precipice of sweeping the Red Sox in the ALCS. Then, Dave Roberts stole a base for Boston in the ninth inning of Game 4, and everything changed. Replacing Kevin Millar on the base paths, Roberts narrowly beat a tag from Derek Jeter as he dove in to steal second base. Just a few pitches later, Bill Mueller singled up the middle, scoring Roberts and tying the game at 4-4.

The rest, as they say, is history. The Red Sox rallied to win Game 4, and they didn't stop there. They went on to complete the greatest comeback in MLB history, winning four straight to end The Curse and capture their first World Series title since 1918.

So, while the Red Sox fell short of their playoff aspirations this year, their fans can at least revel in the satisfaction of watching yet another Yankees choke job – even if it might never top the one from 20 years ago.

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