Bullpen implodes as White Sox avoid sweep with 5-1 win over Yankees
- Davis Cornell
- Jun 18
- 4 min read
The White Sox took down the Yankees 5-1 to salvage the final game of the series. Ryan Weathers took the mound for the Yankees and faced off against the White Sox opener Bryan Hudson.
Weathers struck out the White Sox in order in the top half of the first inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger went three up, three down.
Colson Montgomery led off the second inning with a solo shot deep to right-center field into the Yankees' bullpen to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead.
Ryan McMahon and the Yankees responded in the bottom of the third with a solo shot 430 feet away to left center field to tie the game at 1-1.
“Not something I'm trying to do, but obviously I was happy I got it out,” McMahon said of his opposite-field home run. “Put a good swing on and the ball goes where it wants to go.”
In the top of the fourth, Weathers worked a nice and easy 1-2-3 shutdown inning on just eight pitches.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. fouled a ball off a place where no man wants to be hit and was forced to leave the game. Anthony Volpe replaced Jazz and worked a two-out walk, then was thrown out trying to steal second to end the fourth inning.
“I'm hoping he is okay,” Aaron Boone said of Jazz. “I haven't heard anything yet.”
Weathers faced the minimum in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a strike 'em out throw 'em out double play to end the frame.
José Caballero lined a one-out single into the left-center gap and advanced to second on an E8. However, Caballero was picked off.
Weathers retired the White Sox in order in the top of the sixth inning and recorded a pair of strikeouts to put his total up to eight for the ballgame.
Weathers picked up the first out of the top of the seventh inning, then walked Montgomery to end his night. Fernando Cruz took over and picked up a flyout as well as a strikeout to strand Montgomery at first.
Final line for Weathers: 6.1 innings pitched, three hits allowed, one earned run, walked one, and struck out eight on 88 pitches. He threw his changeup 30% of the time, the sweeper 26%, the sinker 18%, the fastball 16%, and the slider 10%. Weathers averaged 96.7 mph on the heater, topping out at 98.5, and had 13 swings and misses.
“That's what we really worked on this week,” Weathers said of using the off-speed more tonight. “Just getting back last couple of times, I hadn't been landing the breaking ball as much. And that's kind of a big pitch for me in my arsenal. And we landed more tonight.”
Volpe smoked a double off the wall in left field in the bottom of the seventh inning, but was thrown out by a mile trying to stretch it into a triple.
“I don't account the Volpe one as a miscue,” Boone said. “I mean, that's a one out aggressively going to third, make force them to make a play there. I think it's the right decision to go there.”
Cruz came back out for the top of the eighth inning and allowed a leadoff double. Tim Hill replaced him and plunked back-to-back hitters to load the bases with nobody out. Hill picked up a strikeout, then Camilo Doval came in and served up a grand slam on the first pitch he threw to Andrew Benintendi, giving the White Sox a 5-1 lead.
“Benintendi went up there hunting, obviously, very aggressively first pitch,” Boone said. “And I think just kind of pulled the ball down and then. So he's missed some spots in some situations that have hurt him.”
Doval remained in the ballgame for the top half of the ninth inning and retired the White Sox in order.
Goldy dunked a one-out bloop single into center field in the bottom of the ninth inning, but that would be all for the Yankees as the White Sox took the final game of the series.
The Yankees will welcome the Reds to town tomorrow for a three-game series. Cam Schlittler will get the start for the Yankees and face off against Rhett Lowder. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. ET on the YES Network.
My thoughts on the game: Great start for Weathers, which he desperately needed after really struggling over the last three starts. Cruz did his job in the seventh inning, but was tagged for the loss after allowing a leadoff double in the eighth. Hill, who was so good to start the year, has really struggled as of late, hitting back-to-back hitters, one of which was with two strikes. Then, Doval, who has looked better as of late, allowed the go-ahead grand slam. Just a tough night from the bullpen. And the offense didn't fare much better as they could muster together just five hits and one run, thanks to the McMahon homer. Just an unfortunate night all around for the Yankees, but at least they won the series. On to tomorrow, as the Yankees will look to bounce back against the Reds, who have had their number the last two years, with the Yankees 1-5 against them in that stretch.
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