The New York Yankees secured their ninth consecutive road win, a feat the team last achieved in 1998, with a 5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Saturday. The win extends their current streak to seven games and improves their season record to 76-60.
Cody Bellinger delivered a tie-breaking single during a three-run rally in the 11th inning. “The feeling is good. We’re obviously enjoying it,” Bellinger said. “This is definitely better than the other way. But we all understand that there’s more games to play.”
Late-game contributions from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe helped secure the win as both players hit doubles that brought in runs. The Yankees now trail the Toronto Blue Jays by two games for first place in the American League East and hold a 1½-game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card race.
In one week, New York has reduced its deficit behind Toronto from 6½ games and has built momentum by defeating lower-ranked teams like the Nationals and White Sox. Manager Aaron Boone emphasized focus on each game: “We’re playing well. We’ve got to keep it going,” Boone said. “To find a way to get this one done is big. We’ll enjoy it here for five minutes, and it’s another big one tomorrow. We’re day by day. Let’s go.”
Looking ahead, tougher matchups await against teams such as Houston, Toronto, Detroit, and Boston starting Tuesday in Houston.
“We can’t focus on other people,” Bellinger said. “We just focus on the guys in this locker room. We have another baseball game tomorrow. I know that’s all we’re focused on.”
Aaron Judge opened scoring with his 42nd home run of the season—a 429-foot shot to center field—which brings him within one of tying Yogi Berra for fifth place on the franchise’s all-time list at 357 homers. Through August, Judge is batting .218 with eight extra-base hits across 23 games.
“Good to see that,” Boone said regarding Judge’s homerun performance. “He’ll get going. You can’t hold him down too long. A hot streak is around the corner. The fact that we’re swinging the bats well around him right now and getting some W’s is a good thing.”
Austin Wells added his fourth home run in eight games during the seventh inning after expressing frustration with earlier at-bats: “I was holding it in for a couple of innings,” Wells said.
Starting pitcher Cam Schlittler pitched six innings with eight strikeouts despite being hit by a line drive on his forearm during play but remained confident about his condition: “It got me in the forearm and a little bit of the glove,” Schlittler said. “I wasn’t really concerned. I didn’t really feel it out there. It gave me that extra adrenaline I was looking for.”
Chicago tied up the game in the seventh when Chase Meidroth drove in an RBI single off Devin Williams—the first run Williams allowed since August 8—but relievers David Bednar and others held Chicago scoreless through extra innings.
“I was blowing to try and help it get foul,” Wells said about surviving Lenyn Sosa’s near game-ending foul ball in extra innings.“That was a lot of fun to be a part of.Guy sthat came inthe battle ofthe bullpens were lights out.It just put us ina positionto be ableto winthat game.”
