NEW YORK — In Game 1, four home runs and a 6-5 victory.
And a fifth consecutive win.
In Game 2, two hits and 3-0 loss and Eloy Jimenez coming out of the game alongside assistant trainer Josh Fallon and manager Pedro Grifol.
It was an abrupt, quiet end to the streak, but when the smoke cleared from Yankee Stadium, the White Sox had a doubleheader split Thursday and two wins in three games against a Yankees team playing without Aaron Judge. And, thanks to being in the woeful AL Central, the Sox will wake up Friday in the cleaner air of Chicago only 3½ games out of first place despite a 28-36 record.
“We’re not oblivious to what’s going on,” said Mike Clevinger, who gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings in Game 2, saying he feels in sync for the first time in a season and a half. “We’re really close, and we know we have the team to do it.
“We’re playing good ball. Things are looking up on both sides of the ball.”
Grifol said Jimenez, whose two-run homer against Michael King in Game 1 erased a 5-4 deficit, is day-to-day with soreness in lower left leg. He’ll be further evaluated before the Sox open a three-game series against the Marlins at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday.
It was a series to remember, starting with a 3-2 win under smoky skies Tuesday and then Wednesday’s unforgettable postponement due to hazardous conditions from Canadian wildfires that colored New York a funky mix of orange and gray.
Color the Sox (28-36) lucky to be in a division that has no winning teams. They could see the first-place Twins (31-32) through the New York haze feeling OK about themselves having won six of their last eight and 21 of 36.
Jake Burger, Luis Robert Jr., Yoan Moncada and Jimenez all homered in Game 1, overcoming a poor start by Lance Lynn, who allowed five runs in five innings. Lynn gave up leads after Burger’s homer in the third against Luis Severino made it 2-0 and after Robert and Moncada homered in the third to make it 4-2. Jimenez followed Robert’s double in the seventh with his blast to center.
Burger’s homer was his 13th but only his second on the road. Moncada, who began the day in a 6-for-44 slump, homered for the first time since April 2. Robert collected his team-high 14th homer and had three hits in the first game. It marked the first time Moncada, Robert and Jimenez homered in the same game.
Lynn, carrying a 6.72 ERA in 13 starts, gave up eight hits and three walks while striking out three. He gave up five extra-base hits including Willie Calhoun’s fourth homer of the season in the fourth.
“You’re going to have days like that where, for me as a starter I didn’t do my job but the offense and bullpen did their job and you can still win games,” Lynn said.
Gregory Santos, Joe Kelly and Reynaldo Lopez pitched perfect innings of relief, and Kendall Graveman escaped a ninth-inning jam by getting Anthony Rizzo to hit into an inning-ending double play. It took a nerve-wracking review while Sox players stood still in the handshake line to prove shortstop Tim Anderson touched second base. It was Graveman’s 15th consecutive scoreless appearance, and his sixth save.
In Game 2, Clevinger opened with three perfect innings before giving up homers to Gleybar Torres and Billy McKinney. Yankees starter Randy Vasquez gave up two hits over 5 2/3 innings.
