Jazz Chisholm Jr. had struck out three times. Three trips to the plate, three quick walks back to the dugout -- whatever he was trying to do against Boston's pitching, it wasn't clicking. Then came the eighth inning, two outs, a 3-1 lead that still felt closer than it looked, and Joe La Sorsa leaving a cutter out over the plate. Chisholm hit it to the right-field bullpen for a three-run home run, and the New York Yankees beat the Red Sox 6-1 on Sunday at the Stadium, taking a split of the rain-shortened two-game series.
(Three strikeouts followed by three runs batted in -- that's one way to turn an afternoon around.)
The Eighth Inning Changed Everything
Before Chisholm, there was Bellinger. The game was tied 1-1 when Cody Bellinger got into a cutter from Justin Slaten and drove it into the right-center seats for his 9th homer of the year. Yankees 2, Red Sox 1 -- a lead, but a thin one.
It didn't stay thin. Amed Rosario singled. Trent Grisham -- who went 3-for-4 on the day and looked like the guy most interested in having an actual at-bat -- followed with an RBI single to make it 3-1. Anthony Volpe worked a walk. Slaten was done, La Sorsa came in, and Chisholm ended the afternoon.
All five runs came with two outs.
Jazz Had a Point to Make
Chisholm finished 1-for-4 with three K's and three RBI -- the kind of stat line that only makes sense once you know how the story ends. He turned on La Sorsa's cutter, parked it over the right-field fence with Grisham and Volpe on base, and went from the biggest out in the lineup to the biggest swing.
Bellinger's been carrying a lot of offensive weight for a while now. Since May 1, he's hitting .303 with 6 homers, 26 RBI, and a .962 OPS. On a day when the Yankees were scratching for contact against Ranger Suarez's 6.1 innings of one-run ball, it took Bellinger to crack the door open. Chisholm walked through it.
Schlittler and the Pen Held the Line
Cam Schlittler threw 5.2 innings, gave up one run, walked one, and struck out five. His ERA sits at 1.87, which leads the American League. The afternoon wasn't immaculate -- a sixth-inning run came in after Willson Contreras doubled to deep left and Ceddanne Rafaela scored, aided by an Anthony Volpe relay throw that didn't quite cooperate -- but one run was all Boston got off him, and the Yankees survived the 1-1 tie.
Tim Hill came on in the eighth and set Boston down in order. He got the win. (That's how the math works -- Hill holds the line in the top half, the Yankees score five in the bottom, Hill's record goes to 3-2.) David Bednar handled the ninth without issue.
Still Running Short-Handed
Aaron Judge hasn't been in the lineup since the fractured rib. Giancarlo Stanton's calf has him sidelined. Austin Wells is dealing with cervical headaches. In five games without Judge, the Yankees have batted .226. They're still 38-26. (The rotation and bullpen are working overtime to make that math work, and so far it's working.)
Tampa Bay is 37-25 and has led the AL East since May 10. Sunday's win brought the Yankees within percentage points of first place -- enough to matter, close enough to stay frustrating until the lineup is whole again.
The Yankees head to Cleveland on Monday. Will Warren is 7-1. Whatever's broken in this offense, it isn't the pitching staff's problem yet.
Jimmy writes the Bronx Pinstripes game recap after every Yankees game. Beat-reporter pacing, fan's heartbeat. He calls opposing players by last name and has no patience for dead-air innings.
