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On October 17, 2024, the Cleveland Guardians were one out away from finding themselves in a nearly insurmountable hole.
Luke Weaver, a failed starter turned high-leverage Yankee reliever, had the chance to give New York a three games to none advantage in the American League Championship Series. All he had to do was put away a 22-year-old pinch-hitter with 74 big-league games under his belt: Jhonkensy Noel.
“Big Christmas,” as he’s called, didn’t go down so easily.
On a 1-0 count, Noel punished a Weaver changeup that caught too much of the plate and drove it into deep left field for a two-run, game-tying homer. It pushed the game to extras, where the Guardians emerged victorious. Cleveland lost the series, but between Noel’s heroic moment and his .958 OPS in the series, it seemed as if they had found a new middle-of-the-order bat for years to come.
The catchy nickname didn’t hurt, either.
