Ranking the top seven plays from the Yankees’ Wild Card Game win

Yankee Stadium was rocking last night, as the Bombers defeated the Athletics 7-2 in the American League Wild Card Game. Let’s take a look at some of the top plays from the thrilling Yankees’ win.

1. Judge’s two-run bomb

Oakland borrowed Tampa Bay’s opener strategy, and it didn’t work out too well for them. Liam Hendriks walked Andrew McCutchen leading off the home half of the first inning, and Aaron Judge blasted a two-run bomb into the left-field seats to give the Yankees an immediate 2-0 lead. It was a lead that they would never relinquish.

2. Severino roars

Yankees starter Luis Severino had a no-hitter in progress in the fourth inning, but found himself in the soup anyway. The A’s loaded the bases on an error and a pair of walks. Severino killed the rally emphatically by striking out Marcus Semien to end the threat. The Yankees ace roared as he marched triumphantly off the mound.

3. Betances puts out the fire

Severino gave up back-to-back singles to begin the fifth, spoiling his no-hit bid. With the Yankees still clinging to a 2-0 lead, manager Aaron Boone went to his top reliever to put out the fire. Dellin Betances induced a pair of fly outs, and then retired MLB home run champion Khris Davis on a big strikeout.

4. Voit triples

The legend of Luke Voit continues into the postseason. He ended the regular season by being named Player of the Week, and then brought the Yankee Stadium faithful to their feet with a tremendous blast in the team’s first playoff game. With two on in the sixth, Voit crushed a ball that hit off the top of the right-field wall. He missed a home run by inches, but settled for a two-run triple and subsequently scored on Didi’s sacrifice fly.

5. Adeiny’s leaping catch

With a slim 2-0 to protect, Boone was taking no chances with his defense. He sent Adeiny Hechavarria in to replace Miguel Andujar at third base to begin the sixth. An inning later, we saw why. Hechavarria made a leaping, perfectly-timed catch of a scorching line-drive to rob Marcus Semien of a probable double. It was one of the best defensive plays you’ll ever see.

6. Stanton’s moonshot

Playing in his first-career postseason game, Giancarlo Stanton didn’t pass on the opportunity to make an immediate impact. With the Yankees leading 6-2 in the bottom of the eighth, the former NL MVP lifted a towering fly over the left-field foul pole and into the second deck. At 117.4 mph, it was the hardest postseason hit of the the Statcast era.

7. Chapman seals the win

Aroldis Chapman came on in the ninth, with the Yankees leading 7-2. He allowed a leadoff single, but rebounded to strike out two of the next three batters to seal the win and send the Yankees to the Division Series.

What was your favorite play from last night’s game? Let us know in the comments section below.