CHICAGO — The New York Yankees watched their perfect road trip crumble Sunday when Mike Tauchman, their former outfielder, stretched over the right-field barrier to steal what should have been a two-run homer from Giancarlo Stanton. That spectacular defensive play preserved a tie in the third inning and proved pivotal in Chicago’s 3-2 victory over New York at Rate Field.
“They robbed a two-run homer,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Taking the homer back, that would have been a little lead extender.”
The setback snapped New York’s season-best seven-game winning streak and prevented a four-game sweep. Chicago, despite carrying one of baseball’s poorest records entering Sunday, managed to salvage the series finale thanks to Lenyn Sosa’s clutch eighth-inning homer and Mike Vasil’s flawless ninth-inning relief work.
Judge ties Berra on Yankees’ all-time list
Aaron Judge opened the scoring for New York with his 43rd home run of the campaign in the opening frame. The towering 426-foot shot moved him into a tie with Yogi Berra at 358 career homers, placing him fifth on the Yankees’ all-time leaderboard.
Judge collected three hits, scored twice, and drove in his 97th run of the season. “Just couldn’t finish them off,” Judge said.
Cody Bellinger contributed an RBI double in the third that momentarily gave the Yankees a 2-1 advantage. The White Sox responded each time they fell behind. Colson Montgomery evened the score with a solo blast in the sixth before Sosa delivered the game-winner off Tim Hill two innings later.
Tauchman’s theft swings momentum
The contest’s defining moment arrived immediately after Bellinger’s run-producing hit. Stanton launched a drive toward right field that appeared headed for the bleachers. Tauchman, who wore pinstripes from 2019 through 2021, perfectly timed his leap and hauled it back into play.
“The way (Tauchman) was going at it, I thought it was going to be short of the wall, the way he was tracking it,” Boone said. “He must have been just timing his steps up really well and ends up making a really good play there.”
Judge, who shared the outfield with Tauchman during his Yankees tenure, expressed little shock at the highlight-reel grab.
“If Tauchman’s in center, if he’s in right, left, it doesn’t matter, that’s the one guy you don’t want to hit it to,” Judge said. “I’ve seen him make a lot of impressive plays over the years, especially in pinstripes with us and then when he went to the Giants and here. I hated seeing it, to be honest, but that guy’s a ballplayer.”
Hill tagged in the eighth
With the score deadlocked at 2-2, Boone called upon Hill to handle the eighth inning. The southpaw disposed of the first two hitters before Sosa, batting right-handed, launched a 1-2 sinker 418 feet beyond the center-field fence.
“The only consideration was do we go Hill or [Luke Weaver] that inning,” Boone said. “Kind of liked them both with the lefty lane. … The one thing is, usually Timmy even with the righties, you trust him to keep the ball in the yard. Guy put a really good swing on it and was able to ride it out the front door.”
Hill, who had maintained a scoreless streak since Aug. 10, has now yielded seven long balls this season. All seven have come against right-handed hitters.
Yankees’ late rally falls short
Trent Grisham sparked hope for New York in the ninth with a leadoff walk off lefty Cam Booser. Following Paul Goldschmidt’s flyout, closer Mike Vasil took the mound and induced a soft fly ball from Judge. Grisham reached second base but remained there when Bellinger struck out looking at a questionable inside pitch.
“Looked like it really tailed back and caught the corner,” Boone said of the final strike. “Real good execution by Vasil there.”
New York managed just one hit in five at-bats with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 baserunners.
Gil shows progress in sixth start back
Luis Gil turned in a solid performance, surrendering two runs across 5 1/3 innings. He allowed four hits while walking two and fanning seven batters. The right-hander has not reached the six-inning mark in any of his six appearances since returning from a lat strain, but demonstrated better control Sunday.
“It’s something we’ve been working on, attacking the strike zone,” Gil said through his interpreter.
Gil retired 10 consecutive batters during one stretch before Montgomery’s homer was confirmed fair following a video review. However, his command issues remains a headache for the Yankees.
Yankees lose ground in standings
The defeat dropped New York to 76-61 overall. The Yankees now trail the Toronto Blue Jays by three games in the American League East division race and maintain just a half-game edge over the Boston Red Sox for the AL’s top wild-card berth.
New York had dominated Chicago 25-9 in the series’ first three contests. Sunday’s finale saw the Yankees generate only Judge’s homer and consecutive doubles from Judge and Bellinger offensively.
Chicago improved to 49-88 with the victory before 27,810 fans at Rate Field.
Next test looms after soft stretch
The Yankees compiled a strong 7-1 record during their road swing against Washington and Chicago. The difficulty level increases significantly Tuesday when they begin a three-game set in Houston against the Astros. That series precedes matchups with the Blue Jays, Tigers, and Red Sox.
“That’s what we want. It’s coming down to the wire; we want to play the best teams,” Judge said. “That’s what it’s all about. See what we’re made of. But I like our chances, especially the way the boys have been swinging it and the way our pitching staff, our starters, have been rolling.”
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