Pavin Smith Walk-Off Keeps D-backs Alive

Pavin Smith pinch-hit a two-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning Saturday night, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the New York Yankees 5-3 at Chase Field to keep their slim playoff pulse alive. Ildemaro Vargas opened the ninth with a walk after winning an ABS challenge on a full-count pitch. Jordan Lawlar struck out. Smith then ripped a cutter from Michael Fulmer over the right-field wall, scoring Vargas and ending it 5-3.

Arizona snapped a three-game skid and pulled within four games of Philadelphia for the final NL wild card with seven games remaining. The night doubled as the franchise's 25th anniversary celebration of the 2001 World Series win over those same Yankees, and a season-high 47,918 fans packed Chase for a playoff-like vibe. Luis Gonzalez lore was hanging in the building. Smith gave the new crowd its own walk-off memory.

From DFA to walk-off

Smith's path to this swing was messy. Elbow bone spurs and surgery knocked him out early. He returned June 1, bottomed out near a .141 average by July 9, was designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and rebuilt his timing at Triple-A Reno. Manager Torey Lovullo kept saying he believed Smith could hit. Saturday was the receipt on the anniversary night that already felt louder than a September weekday.

Juan Morillo earned the win with 1 1/3 hitless innings. Brandon Pfaadt gave Arizona 4 1/3 solid frames before the bullpen bridge. Cam Schlittler threw six innings for New York and allowed three runs (one earned) while lowering his ERA to 1.94, but Austin Wells and Heliot Ramos solo shots in the sixth briefly put the Yankees ahead 3-2 before Corbin Carroll's sacrifice fly tied it.

New York's 11th walk-off loss of the year is one behind San Francisco for the most in the majors. Fantasy desks that buried Smith after the DFA can put the walk-off on the board and move on. Do not invent a September breakout lock from one swing. Treat it as the clip that bought Arizona another week of hope in a wild-card race that still has seven games left.

Schlittler's near-historic run of low-earned-run starts kept New York in it for six innings, but the Yankees bullpen could not finish the anniversary night. Smith's cutter ride into the right-field seats flipped the standings math and the mood in one pitch. Arizona still needs help. That swing bought them the right to ask for it.

Seven games left

Four back of Philly with seven to play is still a climb. Smith's pinch-hit bomb is why Chase stayed loud past midnight. Yankees on the wrong end again.

Pinch swing. Two runs. Walk-off under the roof. That is Pavin's Saturday in Phoenix.