Randy Vasquez earned his first career win with a two-hitter in the sixth inning as the New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 3-0 on Thursday night. He distributed the honors in a double batch.
Billy McKinney hit his first home run in Game 2 with the Yankees.
In the first, Eloy Jimenez hit Michael King’s go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, and the White Sox won 6–5 and extended their season-best winning streak to five.
Major League Baseball postponed Wednesday’s game because of poor air quality following wildfires in Canada. By the first pitch of Thursday’s opener, conditions had improved in the Bronx.
According to the IQAir website, the air quality before the start of the match was 142 and dropped to 127 after about an hour. A quality that goes from 101 to 150 is considered unhealthy for delicate people.
In Game 2, Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning off starter Mike Clevinger (3-4). Torres was inches away from hitting the game-winning home run against Kendall Graveman in the first.
McKinney was called up from the minors on Wednesday after star Aaron Judge went on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained and strained right big toe.
The 28-year-old outfielder hit a triple in the first game and hit a home run in the fifth inning of the second to make it 3-0.
Making his second major league start, Vasquez (1–1) allowed a single to Jimenez that put runners on first and second in the first inning. The rookie retired his next 15 opponents until Gavin Sheets singled.
He was retired after hitting Cuban Luis Robert in the back with a ball in the sixth inning.
Ron Marinaccio struck out Jimenez to end the sixth inning. Clay Holmes struck out three for his seventh save.
In the afternoon game, Jake Burger hit a two-run homer off Yankees starter Luis Severino before Cubans Robert and Yoan Moncada also struck out the right-hander.
Robert, who entered the game in a slump in which he hit 8-for-40, had three hits. He doubled in the seventh before Jimenez got the next pitch from King (1–2) and put the ball into the New York bullpen for a two-run shot to right-center field that gave Chicago a 6–5 lead. .
In the first game, for the White Sox, Cubans Robert went 5–3 with two runs and an RBI, Moncada went 4–1 with a single and a run scored. Dominican Jimenez drove in a single and scored two runs to make it 4–1. Mexican Sebi Zavala 4-0.
Gleyber Torres of Venezuela made it 4–0, Osvaldo Cabrera scored a single for the Yankees, 4–1.
In the second game, Cubans Robert 2–0, Moncada 4–0, Yasmani Grandal 3–0, for the White Sox. Dominican Jimenez 4-1. 3-0 Venezuelan Elvis Andres.
For the Yankees, Venezuelan Torres went 4–1 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
