Bobby Witt Jr. desperation heave can't stop cathartic Yankees Jazz Chisholm walk-off

In winning time on Wednesday night -- which felt like it lasted for three full hours -- Royals megastar Bobby Witt Jr. came up empty twice, with the best of intentions. Despite Aaron Judge's eternal home run drought, which lives to see another day, it was the Yankees' superstar who factored into the win in the series finale, swiped by New York in extra innings.

Jazz Chisholm, hitting .291 with runners in scoring position this season entering the final plate appearance of Wednesday's showdown, followed Paul O'Neill's advice to a tee, smacking an outside pitch into the shortstop hole and narrowly into Witt Jr.'s webbing. The all-world defender spun and threw, but Uecker'ed it just a bit outside, as Jon Berti sprawled home and scored. Judge, doing his part, had swiped second unabated to remove the possibility of a soul-crushing double play.

Add on Witt Jr.'s empty at-bat in the top of the tack-on 10th, when he went diving at a Jake Cousins slider before all hell nearly broke loose with Salvador Perez at the plate, and this game certainly represented a string of missed opportunities in what was sold to us as a showdown of MVPs.

Neither Witt nor Judge were spectacular in this potential playoff preview. One of them tied the opening game with a late single, while the other scored from first on a pop-up (guess which team was responsible for the gaffe?). When the series sat on a knife's edge, though, about to be decided, one MVP candidate was holding the bucket full of wrapped-up gum, leaping joyfully while watching a one-game cushion in the division expand to two.

Yankees score cathartic walk-off victory over Royals on 9/11, thanks to Jazz Chisholm

Notably, this win represented the Yankees finally -- finally -- capitalizing on a heavily emotional game with a cathartic moment.

Anecdotally, it's long felt like this team never shows up looking its best when there's an added reason to put on a show, beyond the standings. John Sterling's retirement ceremony. Derek Jeter Day -- twice, with the Astros and Rays in town. This year's home opener. Whenever there's pomp and/or circumstance, this team seems to shrink into their worst version.

But not on this Sept. 11, with "FDNY," "NYPD," and the emergency medical services logos on their caps. The bullpen outlasted Kansas City's efforts (yes, despite Clay Holmes being used in high leverage inexplicably). Juan Soto smashed a foul ball off his foot, gripped his jersey with his teeth, then recognized a breaker and sent it into orbit. And Luke Weaver fired fastball after fastball until he felt the time was right for a change.

Chisholm, the newcomer, set off a celebration after a day spent in reflective mourning. He's felt like someone who gets it ever since he arrived. That whim was cemented on Wednesday, as the Yankees got a win they desperately needed. Odds are they didn't even really know how desperately until it was secured.