Tyler Wade Was 'Difference-Maker' Off Bench in Corey Kluber's No-Hitter

New York Yankees utility man Tyler Wade was the difference maker in helping starting pitcher Corey Kluber finish his no-hitter against the Texas Rangers

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

In every no-hitter, there's always one play that stands out above the rest, keeping the bid at history alive.

We're talking DeWayne Wise preserving Mark Buehrle's perfecto with a robbed home run for the White Sox. Or Steven Souza Jr. laying out for the final out of Jordan Zimmermann's no-hitter in Washington.

While there weren't any web gems of that caliber in the field behind Corey Kluber on Wednesday night, as the right-hander twirled a no-hitter in Arlington, one play was particularly outstanding.

With two outs separating Kluber from his no-no, the 12th in Yankees franchise history, left-handed hitter David Dahl stepped in to pinch-hit for the Rangers. On a two-strike changeup, buried deep beneath the strike zone, Dahl poked a sinking line drive down the right-field line. 

At first, the ball seemed destined for the bright green turf at Globe Life Field. Then, all of a sudden, utility man Tyler Wade flashed into frame, gliding over just in time to make the grab.

"That was one of the few that when they hit it, I was kind of not worried, wondering if it was gonna fall in for a hit," Kluber said after the game.

TYLER WADE pic.twitter.com/Kdm3jSknPK

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 20, 2021

Corey Kluber's Journey Back From Injuries Came Full Circle With No-Hitter in Texas

Although Wade made the play look easy, manager Aaron Boone prefaced that Wade's catch in the ninth was far tougher than it looked. 

"When Dahl first hit the ball to right, I got a little nervous. Like, 'oh, that's gonna be down the line.'" Boone said. "As soon as I looked up, Wader got such a good jump on the ball and it turned into a fairly routine play because of the jump he got on the ball."

Behind the plate, Kyle Higashioka recalled feeling temporarily devastated—thinking the no-hitter was coming to an end—until he saw Wade tracking it down. 

"Initially, I thought it was pretty well-placed and I kind of got a little sad for a second," he said. "But then he just zoomed over there didn't even have to dive for it. So that was great."

To make matters even more impressive, Wade came off the bench on Wednesday night, replacing outfielder Ryan LaMarre, who left the game in the third inning with a right hamstring injury.

No problem for Wade, though. He's perfected the art of staying ready.

"You just have to stay ready because you just don't know whatever is going to happen at any point in the game," Wade said. "I've been saying this for a couple years now. I think I found a really good routine in how to stay ready and when my number is called, I'm ready to go."

An infielder by trade, Wade has some experience in the outfield over his five years with the Yankees. In fact, he had made two appearances in right field already this season entering play Wednesday. 

With Kluber's no-hitter on the line, Wade was ready to do whatever it took to keep the Rangers out of the hit column if the ball happened to come his way.  

"Catch the baseball. That was about it," said Wade, asked what was going through his mind in the moment. "It's funny, right before that pitch or might have been the pitch before I was like, 'I'm literally going to run through a wall if anything's near me.'"

Kluber hugged every one of his teammates next to the mound after securing the final out of his historic performance a few moments later. Embracing Wade, you could tell that the right-hander was appreciative of the defense the utility man provided behind him.

"The fact that he's not an outfielder makes those plays more impressive," Kluber said. "I had a good view of it to see his closing speed, which was pretty impressive."

If that's not enough, Wade also delivered a go-ahead RBI triple in the top of the sixth, sizzling a line drive into the right-center field gap to bring Higashioka home from first base.

Tyler Wade RBI triple gives the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning! pic.twitter.com/qZwufzrh9o

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 20, 2021

Wade then scored a few pitches later on a DJ LeMahieu sacrifice fly, putting New York up 2-0.

"Huge at-bat there. 3-2 count, stings the ball in the gap and obviously, his speed gets him to third base, so he's able to score on the sac fly," Boone explained. "He was certainly a difference maker in our game."

MORE:

• This Yankees Left-Hander Is One of the Hottest Pitching Prospects in Baseball
• Why DJ LeMahieu Is Close to Breaking Out
• Could the Yankees Trade For Byron Buxton?

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), on Facebook (also @MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.