NEW YORK — No team has accomplished what the Cincinnati Reds did in the ninth inning to the New York Yankees this season.
Trailing by three runs, the Reds started a stunning comeback to silence a Yankee Stadium crowd of 40,235. They knocked All-Star closer Clay Holmes out of the game before he recorded an out.
When the Reds were down to their final strike, Jonathan India hit a flare into shallow center field for a two-run single to put the Reds ahead for a 4-3 victory on Tuesday. The Yankees entered the game with a 49-0 record when leading after eight innings.
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Former Reds reliever Wandy Peralta replaced Holmes and nearly walked the tightrope with the bases loaded and no outs in a one-run game. Peralta induced a pair of fielder’s choice groundouts, both turning into outs at the plate.
India, who tossed out a runner in the seventh inning at third base with a perfect throw from shallow center field, fouled three straight changeups before his go-ahead hit. As teammates pointed at India, he clapped his hands to celebrate and thumped his chest.
Holmes entered with a 0.46 ERA and 16 saves this year, but he had no command of his pitches. He faced five batters: Walk, single, hit by pitch, single, hit by pitch.
Reds reliever Alexis Díaz earned the save in the bottom of the ninth inning, striking out superstar Aaron Judge to begin the frame.
It was a remarkable comeback for a Reds lineup that was shut down all evening by Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. The Reds finally were back to full strength with their lineup, an extremely rare occurrence this year, but two leadoff doubles against Cole turned into nothing.
Cole struck out 11 in seven innings, one shy of his season-high, and he permitted four hits. He struck out the final three batters he faced, firing a 100.5-mph fastball past Mike Moustakas with his 113th pitch of the evening. It was the hardest pitch of the game.
It wasn’t one of those starts that will have many clips to add to the highlight reel, but Graham Ashcraft returned to the dugout after the fifth inning to high-fives from his teammates.
Ashcraft didn’t have his best stuff against the Yankees, the best offense in the Majors. He didn’t have any easy innings either, but this was a sign of maturity from one of the Reds’ rookie starting pitchers.
Ashcraft found himself in a two-run deficit after 10 pitches. The first three batters all reached base. He was in the danger zone against an unforgiving lineup in front of 40,235 fans. He’s had a couple of starts this season that have snowballed on him.
It wasn’t pretty nor necessarily sharp, but Ashcraft survived. He pitched out of the first-inning jam with a strikeout, a lineout and a flyout. The Yankees had at least one batter reach base against Ashcraft in all five innings he pitched Tuesday, but Ashcraft gave the Reds a chance to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games.
After a rough first inning for the 24-year-old Ashcraft, which included Anthony Rizzo’s two-run single, he escaped trouble with runners on base. He walked the first two batters of the third inning and Nick Senzel dropped a fly ball when he slipped in center field, but Ashcraft limited the damage to one run by striking out the next two hitters.
Ashcraft allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three. It wasn’t his best outing, but his teammates appreciated how he kept them in the game.
By the ninth inning, Ashcraft’s teammates showed their appreciation with their comeback win.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: New York Yankees blow ninth-inning lead vs. Cincinnati Reds