The Yankees dropped Game 1 of their doubleheader with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon, 6-5.
Here are the takeaways…
– Despite some traffic on the base paths in the first inning for both Luis Severino and Lance Lynnneither side was able to break through – that is, not until the second inning.
– Chicago drew first blood with a two-run shot by Jake Burgerhis 13th home run of the season in just 136 at-bats, but New York responded in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a two-out rally started by the lower third of the lineup.
– Making his first start of the season with the team that he began his major-league career with in 2018 (albeit just two games), Billy McKinney rifled a triple on the second pitch he saw to get the Yankees started. Kyle Higashioka followed with an RBI double and came around to score on Willie Calhoun‘s RBI single that tied the game.
– Severino couldn’t make it stand, though, as Luis Robert Jr. led off the third inning with a home run to straight away center field. Two batters later, Yoan Moncada went yard as well to give the Sox a 4-2 lead. Moncada’s home run was the sixth allowed by Severino over his last 6.1 innings at that point.
The righty finished his outing by going five innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits, two walks and striking out six.
– In the fourth inning, Calhoun came through again, this time with a two-run homer off Lynn that tied the game at 4. The Yankees then took their first lead of the game in the fifth after Oswaldo Cabrera single home Jake Bauers who doubled earlier in the frame.
– Up by a run and Michael King entering the game in the seventh inning, New York’s 5-4 lead turned into a 6-5 deficit just three pitches into the inning. Robert Jr. led off with a double down the left-field line before Eloy Jimenez swung at the first pitch and rocketed a home run to the bullpen in right-center field. King retired six in a row after that, but the damage had already been done.
– After Cabrera’s single in the fifth, the Yanks didn’t have a single baserunner until the bottom of the ninth when pinch-hitter Josh Donaldson walked to lead off the inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefawho came in for defense in the seventh, followed with an infield hit that was bobbled at second base to put runners on first and second with nobody out.
Gleyber Torres popped out for the first out of the inning before Anthony Rizzo grounded into a double play that ended the game. The last play of the game was challenged by the Yankees after it appeared Tim Anderson‘s foot may have been off second base, but the call stood and New York lost Game 1 to Chicago, 6-5.
– The Yankees’ 2-3-4 hitters in Torres, Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton went 0-for-12 with two walks.
What’s next
The Yankees and White Sox will play Game 2 of Thursday’s doubleheader 30 minutes following the last out of Game 1.
RHP Randy Vasquez (0-1, 3.86 ERA) makes his second career start for the Yanks, opposed by Chicago’s RHP Mike Clevinger (3-3, 4.13 ERA).