One of the highlights of the night from the New York Yankees Wild Card series-clinching 4-0 win over the Boston Red Sox was the play third baseman Ryan McMahon made in the top of the eighth inning.
On a pop-up from Jarren Duran, McMahon went into foul territory to track it down, and went tumbling into the Red Sox dugout head-first.
As cool as the play was, there was some initial concern for McMahon’s well-being given the nature of the play. Fortunately for him — and the Yankees — McMahon was perfectly fine.
“I thought he was dead,” catcher Austin Wells jokingly said to Max Goodman of nj.com. “I was so worried for him and then he bounced right up and was fine. I was like, holy s—t, that was crazy!”
The play from McMahon is exactly why the Yankees acquired him from the Colorado Rockies ahead of the trade deadline. McMahon has made a reputation for himself as one of the best fielding infielders in the Major Leagues, to go along with some upside with the bat. Although his numbers at the plate aren’t the most impressive, his fielding at the hot corner is too valuable to replace.
McMahon and the Yankees will now look to carry their momentum into the ALDS in a matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays. After struggling against Toronto during the regular season, the Yankees will need to buckle down and get serious now if they wish to embark on another deep postseason run.