Field Level Media
Aug 28, 2018
Pinch hitter Neil Walker homered in the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off win, one inning after Aaron Hicks tied the game with a two-run homer, as the New York Yankees overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on Tuesday night at sweltering Yankee Stadium.
Walker gave New York its seventh walk-off win when he ripped a first-pitch fastball from right-hander Dylan Covey (4-12) into the right-center-field seats.
He flipped his helmet as he approached the plate and was greeted with a wild celebration and then hugged by teammates. It was his second career walk-off homer, the first coming in March 2014 against the Cubs, when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was also Walker's fifth career walk-off hit and his second with the Yankees.
Giancarlo Stanton snapped an 0-for-14 skid when opened the eighth with a single off right-hander Juan Minaya. Hicks then hit a full-count fastball on the inner half of the plate into the right field seats for his 22nd homer of the season.
With the Yankees down 4-0, Miguel Andujar began the comeback in the sixth with a two-run homer into the left field bleachers off James Shields.
The White Sox broke out to the lead on right-handers Lance Lynn and Jonathan Holder.
Nicky Delmonico, who hit the tiebreaking sacrifice fly Monday in the sixth off Masahiro Tanaka, broke a scoreless tie Tuesday. He scored from first base in the fifth on a double to left by Avisail Garcia.
Garcia's hit made it down the line in left after third baseman Andujar was unable to make a diving stop. The ball caromed off the bottom of the fence, and Delmonico scored when Brett Gardner briefly bobbled the ball.
In the sixth, Yolmer Sanchez's single made it 2-0, and Delmonico dropped a single against Holder in front of Gardner for a 4-0 lead, triggering some boos from the crowd.
The White Sox lost shortstop Tim Anderson to a bruised left ankle after he collided with Delmonico while catching the final out of the eighth.
Chicago saw its four-game winning streak stopped and lost for only the fourth time in its past 14 games.
Three weeks after retiring 19 straight hitters at one point in Chicago, Lynn allowed three runs on seven hits while laboring through 5 2/3 innings. He fanned five and walked one.
Shields also went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out three.
Dellin Betances (4-3) pitched a perfect ninth for the win, the Yankees' ninth in 11 games.
--Field Level Media