NEW YORK — In a thrilling game, the New York Yankees emerged victorious on Wednesday night, much to the relief of catcher Austin Wells, whose earlier mistake on the basepaths almost cost his team. Reflecting on his blunder, Wells candidly admitted, “I acted like an idiot.”
During the ninth inning, Anthony Volpe blasted a game-tying home run against Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks. Wells kept the momentum going with a single and took advantage of a bunt attempt by Trent Grisham to advance to second base. However, when Grisham was thrown out at first, Wells mistakenly thought the inning was over, stepping off the bag and becoming an easy third out as he was caught in a rundown, much to the dismay of the 45,355 fans at Yankee Stadium.
“He thought there were three outs,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “It’s something we repeatedly communicate with the base coaches and remind them about the number of outs. It’s simply inexcusable.”
This miscalculation meant that instead of seeing MVP-caliber Paul Goldschmidt at the plate with the chance to win the game, the Yankees had to continue battling through extra innings against their division rivals. “Just thought there was three outs,” Wells explained, expressing his remorse. “It’s tough to let your teammates down in such a key moment by giving away an out.”
Fortunately for Wells, his Yankees teammates rallied to make up for the error. They briefly trailed 4-3 in the 10th inning, but Cody Bellinger came through with a triple that tied the game. The decisive moment came in the 11th inning when Ryan McMahon delivered a single to deep center field following a costly balk by Rays reliever Kevin Kelly, sealing a dramatic 5-4 victory for New York.
Despite the late-game drama, the Yankees remain four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays, who lead the AL East standings. Wells, in his gratitude, praised the collective effort. “Tonight was a testament to everyone’s hard work,” he noted. “From rookie pitcher Will Warren setting the stage early to the clutch hits and stellar relief pitching—it was a game we needed to win for momentum.”