Yankees Pulled Off a Comeback Sweep Nobody Has Seen in Over a Century

The New York Yankees just did something that hasn’t happened in 114 years. And they did it against the Nationals, on the road, right before the All-Star break. That’s not nothing.

After a brutal stretch to close out June, the Yankees stumbled through a split with Tampa Bay. Then they rolled into D.C. and completely flipped the script. They swept the Nationals in a three-game series where they trailed in the eighth inning or later in every single win. The last time a Yankees team pulled that off? May of 1910, against Cleveland. According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, the only other team in all of baseball to do it since then was the 2014 Rockies, who did it against San Francisco in June of that year.

Three Games, Three Comebacks

Friday night started ugly. The Yankees were down 3-2 heading into the ninth. Then Jazz Chisholm Jr. blasted a two-run homer to take the lead, and Austin Wells added a solo shot for insurance. Final score: 5-3. The bullpen held. That one was tight, but the next two were even crazier.

Saturday: down 2-0 in the eighth. Ryan McMahon, Trent Grisham, and Paul Goldschmidt all went yard in the same inning. Just like that, the Yankees had the lead. They won that one without needing any late-inning heroics from the bullpen because the offense did all the work.

Sunday’s game might have been the weirdest. The Yankees were trailing 3-2 in the eighth after a Chisholm error at second base. Ben Rice, filling in, crushed a two-run triple to flip the score. Then Paul Blackburn came in and closed it out with a two-inning save, giving the bullpen a much-needed breather.

Where They Stand Now

The Yankees head into the All-Star break three games behind the Rays in the AL East. They’re still in playoff position, but the division is tight. The injury luck hasn’t been there, and the schedule hasn’t been kind. But a sweep like this changes the mood fast.

A few All-Star notes: Cam Schlittler was named to the team but won’t pitch Tuesday. Ben Rice is in the Home Run Derby and is a reserve first baseman. Aaron Judge was voted a starter but is out with an injury. Cody Bellinger is on the AL bench as a reserve.

The second half starts soon. If the Yankees can keep hitting like this, they might be a real problem for the rest of the division.