Cam Schlittler has more than just the pressure of keeping the Yankees’ season alive. The right-hander, who went from throwing 93 mph in spring training to consistently hitting triple digits, is a symbol of the Yankees’ desperate fight to come back from a 2-1 ALDS deficit against Toronto.

The Yankees are down 2-1 in the American League Division Series after Aaron Judge’s heroic four-RBI performance saved Game 3 on Tuesday. Judge’s diving catch and clutch three-run homer helped New York come back from a 6-1 deficit and keep their season alive. The Blue Jays, who hit .392 and scored 23 runs in the first two games in Toronto, only got two hits in the last five innings as their offense sputtered. Now they are playing a bullpen game, with Louis Varland starting after giving up Judge’s tying home run in Game 4.

Schlittler remembers September 5 as he begins this important new chapter. The Blue Jays beat him badly at Yankee Stadium, sending him home after just 1 2/3 innings and giving up four runs on five hits. Toronto batters completely threw him off his game, fouling twenty-four of his 66 pitches off. “They had a good game plan that day, and they were able to foul a lot of balls off and work my count,” Schlittler acknowledged Tuesday. The 24-year-old right-hander recognizes he must adapt: “Going into tomorrow, just making sure that I can make those adjustments and get the weak contact that I’m looking for.”

Six days after his 12-strikeout masterpiece against Boston, Schlittler plans his revenge. He was the first pitcher in postseason history to throw eight scoreless innings with at least 12 strikeouts and no walks. His change from that disaster in September comes from having faith in himself and growing. “I think I’m a different pitcher now than I was when I faced them a month ago,” Schlittler said. Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone believes in his young ace’s maturity: “He’s super matter-of-fact and expects to do well, [and] also is kind of accountable and over himself too.”

This season, Schlittler’s fastball averaged 98 mph, and in his wild-card gem, he threw 64 pitches that were 98 mph or faster. Wednesday gives him a chance to make things right. But Schlittler only gets this chance because someone else didn’t want the Yankees to go away quietly. The player who has carried this team all season and turned desperation into opportunity with one swing of the bat owned Game 3 on Tuesday night.

Aaron Judge’s heroics keep the Yankees breathing

Aaron Judge dealt when the pressure was at its highest. The two-time MVP hit a three-run home run off Louis Varland in the fourth inning, tying the game and setting Yankee Stadium on fire. The 373-foot shot hit the left-field foul pole and took away Toronto’s comfortable lead in one swing. Judge went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, bringing his postseason average to .500 after six games.

Toronto was in charge early on, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hitting his third home run in a row to give the Blue Jays a 6-1 lead by the third inning. When they scored five or more runs during the regular season, the Blue Jays had a record of 71-4 going into the game. But Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Addison Barger made mistakes on defense that let the Yankees through. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth, which sent the 47,399 fans into a frenzy.

The bullpen finished the comeback with 6.2 scoreless innings after Carlos Rodón left early. They shut down the Toronto lineup, which only got two hits in the last five frames. The Blue Jays, who scored 23 runs against Yankees pitching in the first two games in Toronto, suddenly seemed weak. When it mattered most, their offense went cold, and George Springer and Alejandro Kirk went 0-for-9 with 11 strikeouts. That collapse gave Schlittler the chance to tie the series and forget about the disaster in September.