Clarke Schmidt batted third in the Yankees World Series disaster

Clarke Schmidt had a chance to help the Yankees get back to the World Series.

Instead, the right-hander only compounded his woes by failing to get out of the third inning of Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.

Schmidt was taken out by a two-run blast from Freddie Freeman and four walks in just 2 ⅔ innings before being pulled with the bases loaded.

Mark Leiter Jr. came in and got Will Smith on a comebacker to keep the score at 3-0, but Schmidt's performance was exactly what the Yankees didn't need from the 28-year-old, who was good enough in the ALDS and ALCS had pitched, but delivered his shortest start in 2024.

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Schmidt got off to a bad start, walking Shohei Ohtani on four pitches to lead the game, although Ohtani was apparently hampered by the shoulder injury he sustained while sliding to second base in Game 2 on Saturday.

After getting Mookie Betts to fly out to left, Schmidt fired a two-run shot to right to Freeman, who scored in all three games of that series – and in each of his last five World Series games, leading up to his Going back time at Atlanta – hit a home run.

Schmidt recovered and retired the next five batters before walking No. 9 hitter Tommy Edman in the third.

Ohtani grounded out, sending Edman to second, and Betts hit a single to right to score Edman to make it 3-0.

A walk to Freeman followed and Schmidt appeared poised to survive the inning when he got Teoscar Hernandez to come to short, but a walk to Max Muncy ended his night after 68 pitches.

That left the Yankees with 6 ⅓ innings to fill and desperately needing a win.