NEW YORK — Aaron Judge couldn’t save the Yankees this time.
The outfielder continued his MVP-caliber season Sunday, crushing a game-tying homer with one out in the eighth inning, but Aroldis Chapman allowed a leadoff homer to AJ Pollock in the ninth, helping send the Yankees to a 3-1 loss to the White Sox in the first game of a straight doubleheader at the Stadium.
Judge went 3-for-4, including his MLB-leading 15th homer that tied the score at 1-1 and improved him to 18 for his last 43 (.419).
But his was the only offense produced by the Yankees (29-11), who didn’t distinguish themselves on the bases when they did get on as two runners – Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Aaron Hicks – got picked off.
Hicks, mostly awful at the plate all season, had two hits in the game but he was picked off for the second out of the seventh inning to short-circuit a potential rally.
Jamesn Taillon, who came in 4-1 with a 3.28 ERA, allowed one run and five hits over seven innings in which he struck out seven and did not walk a batter. He lowered his ERA to 2.95.
But the righty departed the game trailing 1-0, a deficit Judge took care of in the eighth.
Stepping in against righty Kendal Graveman with one down, Judge fell behind 0-and-2 before crushing a 97-mph sinker into the second deck in left. The blast gave Judge five homers in his last nine games and 11 homers in his last 20.
But the good feels in the buzzing crowd didn’t last as Chapman, up-and-down all season, left a 1-and-0 fastball over the plate to Pollock, who slammed it to left, his second homer making it 2-1. Chapman would walk pinch hitter Andrew Vaughn with one out and, a wild pitch and passed ball later, the runner was at third. Adam Engel’s RBI double made it 3-1 and Chapman was booed off the mound as righty Ron Marinaccio took over.
White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, who verbally tore into Josh Donaldson before the game for the infielder’s comments from the day relating to shortstop Tim Anderson, pitched a perfect ninth for the save.
White Sox righty Johnny Cueto, called up from the minors earlier in the day and making just his second big-league start since signing a minor-league deal with the White Sox April 8, was terrific a second straight start for his new team. The 36-year-old allowed six hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in which he struck out five.
Taillon faced his first jam in the third when Gavin Sheets worked a leadoff walk and leadoff man Yoan Moncada beat the shift with a bunt double down the third base line. Taillon struck out Leury Garcia swinging at a cutter for the third out.
The White Sox got on the board an inning later when Jose Abreu, Pollock and Yasmani Grandal strung three straight singles together with one out, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead and putting runners at the corners. Taillon did keep it a one-run deficit, striking out Sheets with a fastball and Engel with a slider to end the 29-pitch inning that left him at 63 pitches through four.
Taillon settled, retiring 10 straight after Grandal’s RBI single, included in that stretch a 1-2-3, six-pitch top of the sixth.
Hicks opened the seventh with a single and Kiner-Falefa followed with a single. In came righty Joe Kelly, who has a history of imploding against the Yankees (May 12 in Chicago the most recent example). Kelly struck out Marwin Gonzalez on three pitches. With catcher Jose Trevino at the plate, Hicks was picked off. Kiner-Falefa took second on a passed ball but Trevino struck out looking at a 2-and-2, 99-mph fastball to end the nine-pitch at-bat.
There was plenty of activity before the game.
Pregame brought the news that reliever Chad Green, who left Sunday’s game in Baltimore with a right elbow strain, would be undergoing Tommy John surgery, wiping out the rest of his season. Green is due to become a free agent after the season. Additionally, just before the first-pitch of the first game the club announced Kyle Higashioka and Joey Gallo had been placed on the COVID-19 IL. Righty David McKay and Rob Brantly, signed to a Major League deal and added to the 26-man roster, were the corresponding roster moves.
