CLEVELAND — It was a non-response that said a gulp.

Was New York Yankees closer Luke Weaver, who had been excelling for more than a month, possibly showing signs of fatigue from the increasing workload when he suffered a nervous breakdown that led to the Yankees’ devastating playoff loss on Thursday night?

“I mean,” manager Aaron Boone said, “playoffs.”

Translation: It didn’t matter to Boone, which led to Weaver collapsing in the ninth inning and Clay Holmes hitting a devastating walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning of the Yankees’ 7-5 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 of American League Championship Series at Progressive Field.

What mattered was that it happened at all and that the Yankees needed to recover from it in time for Game 4 on Friday night. The Yankees are up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

“It sucks to lose like that,” Boone said. “But kind of a classic game and we’ll be ready to go (Friday).”

When the top-seeded Yankees defeated the fifth-seeded Kansas City Royals in the AL Division Series, they rode their bullpen stars Weaver and Holmes while subbing in Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill.

Weaver and Holmes started every game of the division series and the first three games of the championship series. They did not allow crossing the span. Weaver had four saves and three one-inning-plus appearances.

Her luck changed on Thursday. And it has to worry the Yankees that this could be a sign of things to come, especially as they play three games in three days after Wednesday’s off day.

To add insult to injury, righty Ian Hamilton exited in the sixth inning with tightness in his left calf, and Boone said he didn’t know Hamilton’s status for Friday.

Weaver and Holmes denied that they were tired.

“A good feeling,” said Holmes.

“I feel like it comes out good and the body is solid,” Weaver said.

Big Christmas’s game-winning home run via NTT #BallparkCam 👀@CleGuardians | #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/l0MotnxDmP

– MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 18, 2024

Weaver was in the middle of his first full season as a reliever after spending the first 11 seasons of his professional career – in both the minor leagues and major leagues – as a starting pitcher. Weaver was a first-round pick in 2014 but never broke through as a big league starter, bouncing around in six organizations despite having top-tier talent. He was a revelation that season, playing in 62 games with a 2.89 ERA and taking over as the Yankees’ closer in September when Holmes faltered. Weaver finished the regular season with 12 saves.

Meanwhile, Holmes made a team-high 67 appearances with a 3.14 ERA and 30 saves, but also 13 blown saves – one just shy of tying the MLB record. As of Thursday, his streak of 14 2/3 scoreless innings early in his postseason career was just behind Mariano Rivera (16 innings) in franchise history.

Aaron Judge said he wasn’t worried about Weaver and Holmes.

“It’s not something you like to see in this situation, but these guys have been so good for us all season long, but especially in the postseason – these guys gave it their all,” he said. “Things like this happen. I think everyone has confidence in our guys.”

The Yankees’ faith seemed to pay off again. Weaver entered the eighth inning with a one-run lead with two outs and runners on first and second base, replacing Kahnle. He escaped the jam with a strikeout.

But in the ninth round he ran into trouble. Protecting a two-run lead, Josè Ramírez ripped off a one-hopper played by first baseman Anthony Rizzo and saw it squirt away from him for an error that went out of the frame. But Weaver got Josh Naylor into a double play.

He then worked No. 5 batter Lane Thomas to make it 0-2 before making a crucial error, leaving a fastball low and inside but over the plate. Thomas smashed it off the wall in left-center field for a double. And Jhonkensy Noel made him pay for it when, with the score at 1-0, he made a big switch, blasting the ball from 404 feet away and leveling the score at 5-5.

In the 10th, Holmes gave up a single to Bo Naylor on his first pitch of the inning before Brayan Rocchio moved Naylor to second. When Steven Kwan hit a grounder back to Holmes, he looked at third base and decided to throw to first base instead for the second out. Then, with the score 2-1, David Fry blasted a plunger from Holmes to the top left and over center for the game-winning home run.

Holmes and Weaver each blamed the execution, although Weaver added that perhaps he should have thrown a different pitch to Noel.

Weaver was asked if he felt like he was “running on fumes” considering how much he pitched.

“As for the fumes, I won’t answer that,” he said. “I feel like you just show up every day (and) prepare to do the best you can. After the game, rest.”

Weaver also talked about possibly feeling a rush of adrenaline after reaching the final in the eighth round and then holding out until the end of the ninth before finishing.

“The workload and everything,” Weaver said, “is what it is.” Everyone played all season and did their thing. There is never an excuse.”

No excuse, but the Yankees might be worried that Weaver and Holmes — their two bullpen horses — are losing momentum.

(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)