C.C. Sabathia pitched his best road game of the season, and that was only half of the game tonight. The Yankees had to pull this victory out, especially after throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the White Sox, and they did. Miguel Andujar is coming for Gleyber Torres’ Rookie of the Year award, and Giancarlo Stanton is in second-half mode, which seems quite dangerous.

Shout-outs to Neil Walker playing great third base, Luke Voit getting his first hit that ever actually mattered in his career, and Sonny Gray for going 3 innings in relief.

Yankees 3 Stars of the Game

* C.C. Sabathia (12 K’s, 6.2 IP, 1 R)

** Miguel Andujar (Game tying 7th inning HR, 13th inning RBI Single)

*** Giancarlo Stanton (10th inning HR)

LIVE REACTIONS

1st inning

Hicks out, Stanton backwards K’d, Didi grounds to 2nd to make it a 9 pitch inning for Reynaldo Lopez. Soft start.

Bottom 1st

C.C.’s 2nd pitch bounced off of his glove, but Didi played the ricochet perfectly, and Tim Anderson was gunned down. Smiles all around, and hopefully that puts a pep in everyone’s step.

C.C. ends the inning with a couple of K’s to keep a clean sheet. Yankees with two big boys starting back-to-back days. Working out early.

2nd inning

Gleyber is the first man on with a 5 pitch walk, but Greg Bird pops right out on the next pitch. I had a feeling it would be the double-play, so I guess it’s an upgrade.

Andujar hit with a pitch that’s way too close to where Judge was injured. Walker was in the hole his entire at-bat, and was K’d on a high fastball. His first swing looked like he was thinking “HOMER”. Higashioka pop-flies out. Yankees leaving everyone hanging.

(I’m sick of BLAST MOTION commercials, KYLE!)

Bottom 2nd

Davidson was attacked by some kind of alien creature right before the second pitch of the inning. He reacted like it was no big deal, and was promptly K’d by Mr. Sabathia. Moncada, who stinks against lefties, walks as Chicago’s first baserunner.

Ken Singleton says that the ball boys have to clean the cleats after the games. I did not know that. Dont leave us, Kenny!

Hicks nearly made a play on a single that kept Moncada on 2nd. Big K from C.C. for the second out. Walker makes a play at the dugout in foul territory to end the inning, and I honestly don’t think Andujar would have made the same play if he were at 3B today. Walker has been a key part of the “depth” we’re always hearing about.

3rd inning

I thought the 9-pitch inning in the first was bad, but the Yankees were put out in 5 pitches in the 3rd. There’s no score, but C.C. is the kind of guy who could use a breather between innings, and the Yankees are sending him right back out with no lead to lean on.

Bottom 3rd

No rest, and C.C. gives up a walk on 4 pitches to start the inning. Bounced back with a huge strikeout of Tim Anderson. White Sox piece together a run on a double, sac-fly, and Robinson’s weak arm in left-field. Yankees haven’t reacted well to the other team scoring first lately (0-1). Luckily, that’s all they got.

4th inning



Didi didn’t swing at the first pitch, but ended up K’d. Gleyber rolled out to third. Still no energy from this offense. Greg Bird walks, but I can’t enjoy it because they keep showing his homer getting robbed last night. Of course, the guy named Bird gets to move on a “BAWK”(balk). Umpires have been generous on check-swings from both sides of the plate, but it didn’t matter once Andujar was K’d on the next pitch.

Bottom 4th

C.C. didn’t mess around, and struck Moncada out his second time around. LaMarre was the seventh strikeout for Sabathia, and Yolmer Sanchez made it eight, with C.C. striking out the side. Time for the Yankees to get a hit, or dare I say… a run?

5th inning

I “hoooo’d” at Lopez’s first pitch that nearly hit Neil Walker. I get more and more annoyed by these pitches near/at Yankee batters. Neil walking back to the dugout dejected after getting struck out didn’t help matters. Adam Engel robbed Higashioka, and Ryan Ruocco sounded way too stoked about it. Adam Engel needs to stop ruining all the fun.

Shane Robinson gets hit with a ball while running the bases like a Little Leaguer, auto-out.

Bottom 5th

The scumbag who robbed two homers in two days bunts himself on to lead-off the inning. C.C. is probably unhappy about this choice. Higashioka threw Engel out on a walk, so it didn’t count, of course. Aaron Boone looks like he’s aged a few years since this season has begun. C.C.’s ninth strikeout came swinging, since the ump hasn’t been helping. Ump definitely gave C.C. a call back on his 83rd pitch. Neil Walker steals a hit in the hot corner.

Yankees get 5 outs if you count the runner being thrown out, and the K that was called a walk, as C.C. finishes the 5th with 10 strikeouts (not counting the one I just counted).

6th inning

Hicks leads off the inning with a ground-rule double, the Yankees first hit. It sort of reminds me of the time Hicks hit a GRD against the Braves, and how it screwed the Yankees chance to sweep, even though it was to opposite sides of different fields. The hit shook Lopez, as he gave a free base to Hicks on a cross-up with his own catcher. Hicks then blew the Sox third-baseman’s mind dancing around on a ground-ball, and Stanton, the world’s most underrated speedster, makes it safely.

Didi pops up in the most disappointing fashion. Gleyber bloops out to Adam f’n Engel in the Bermuda triangle. Nothing ever comes easy for these Yanks. The umpires ran out of generous check-swing calls, as Bird gets finished, and the Yankees get nothing.

Bottom 6th

I like the idea of C.C. starting the 6th, but I doubt he finishes it. Davidson turned into strikeout number 11, Moncada 12th, but LaMarre knocks C.C. out with a ground-rule double. C.C. didn’t finish the inning, but he did a lot of damage, and Chad Green should be able to mop up the rest. Green makes them pop-out to Walker in foul territory.

7th inning

ANDUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUJAR (1-1)! This man isn’t trying to lose the ROOKIE OF THE YEAR race.

Gleyber Torres (18) and Miguel Andujar (15) are 1st set of rookie teammates in Yankees history with 15+ HR each. — Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) August 8, 2018

Neil Walker took a strong hack, but couldn’t get the back-to-back! Higgy with a double, proving he can do more than hit jacks and singles. Gardner’s loud out to Engel wasn’t much to see, though Ruocco made it sound interesting. Hicks grounded out, but it’s hard to be mad now that their back in the game.

Bottom 7th

David Robertson making them look uncomfortable. 1-2-3 inning from #HighSocksForOuts.

8th inning

Stanton leading off is my thing, but it wasn’t worth a damn here. Didi made it close, but no cigar. Gleyber didn’t even fully swing into his ground-out. Weak sauce.

Bottom 8th

Three straight strikeouts for DEALIN’ Betances. With Chapman’s recent struggles, D.B. has been the steadiest arm in late situations as of late.

9th inning

Bird and Andujar get out, and the White Sox bring in a new pitcher. Yankees leaving another scrub team a chance to beat them late. Jace Fry, whoever the hell that is, K’d Walker right up.

Bottom 9th

Holder with a K, then a walk, and nearly induces a double-play, but only gets one. Holder holds it down. FREE BASEBALL, although that hasn’t been kind to the Yankees this season.

10th inning

Higgy went down swinging. Gardner walks, despite not having his best at-bat. Will Chicago’s team meeting on the mound help them? I’m going to guess that it doesn’t. Hicks strikes out, and Chicago brings in another reliever mid-inning.

OHHHHHHHHHH MY! STANTMAN goes the other way for a 2-RUN 10TH INNING HOMER (3-1)!

Didi walks, but I have a feeling Gleyber won’t add to the damage here. Another bloop out. Time for Britton to prove he can still make Saves.

Bottom 10th

Britton hits the first batter, and just barely. It would have been nice if he made it sting a little, at least. Britton gave a base away on a wild pitch, but then gold gloves the next pitch, holds the runner, and gets the man at 1B. Britton seems to fit right into this roller coaster squad. Right after I typed this, Britton got a ground-out, but then gave the lead back on a 2-run homer (Abreu) after another wild pitch (3-3).

11th inning

Luke Voit enters, I’m unimpressed. He gets struck out on a pitch that should have been a walk. Andujar infield single pumps some hope into these veins. Greg Bird GIDP ended all that fun real fast.

Bottom 11th

Sonny Gray’s first relief appearance since his rookie year. This is going to be ugly. 1-2-3 inning, so touche’, Sonny.

12th inning

Higashioka with another lead-off out. Gardzilla gets K’d on a full-count. 1 pitch, 1 out, for Hicks.

Bottom 12th

Rocky still working in the 12th, as Sonny tries to extend the game some more. Gray gives up a hit, then Stanton drops a liner, but recovers in-time to throw out the runner at 2nd. Had me sweating for a second. 4-pitch walk, but I think Sonny Gray gets out of this. Jose “Mr. First White Sox Position Player All-Star Starter Since Frank Thomas” Abreu popped out. Sonny Gray all day, or at least until next inning.

13th inning

Stantman blanks. Whoever the Sox are bringing in is going to get ROCKED. Didi walks in four pitches. Torres continues his bad game with a K. Luke Voit sitting at 2-1, but I think he’s about to blow chunks. Voit singles, and ANDUJAR is coming to the plate. AN-DOOOOOOOO-jar! He did it! Andujar brings Didi home on a single!

Bottom 13th

Sonny Gray gets the first out, as some heckler, who I’ve heard most of the game, kept screaming “OAKLAND A’S”. Must be quite the treat to sit next to. Sonny Gray with THE K x2!

Yankees win 4-3