Yankees sweep White Sox to stay tied with Blue Jays as AL East race heads to final series
Stanton’s bases-clearing double and a sharp defense fuel a 5-3 victory in The Bronx, keeping New York in position atop the division with weeks to play.
The New York Yankees swept the Chicago White Sox 5-3 Thursday night in The Bronx to stay even with the Toronto Blue Jays atop the AL East, three games from the finish of the regular season. The win, before a crowd of 38,545, keeps New York in position to control its fate in the final series against Baltimore and leaves open the possibility of the division title or a top wild-card spot.
The game swung in the bottom of the fifth when the Yankees turned a 3-1 deficit into a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger opened the frame with back-to-back singles off Chicago starter Davis Martin, prompting his exit. Tyler Gilbert came on, endured a second walk to load the bases for Giancarlo Stanton, and watched a two-hopper rocket off a defender’s glove for what was ruled a bases-clearing double. Stanton’s ball caromed past third baseman Curtis Mead, a hard-hit grounder that Mead tried to backhand but couldn’t corral at 109 mph, and the Yankees jumped in front.
The defense also did its part, keeping Chicago from a response. In the eighth, Cody Bellinger sprinted toward the line, tracked a trailing drive in left field, and made a frame-ending catch on the run to preserve the lead as Devin Williams faced trouble on the bases. The Yankees padded the cushion with an RBI double from Austin Wells in the seventh, providing insurance as the bullpen closed it out.
New York’s bullpen trio of Luke Weaver, Aaron Williams, and David Bednar worked three scoreless innings, with Bednar earning his ninth save in pinstripes. The offense struggled at times, going 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 on base, but Stanton’s timely hit and timely defense carried the night. The Yankees also got a strong performance from Carlos Rodón, who earned his 18th win in what was his 33rd and final start of the season. He worked six innings, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts, including his 200th strikeout of the season.
Austin Wells added an RBI double in the seventh, helping secure the lead after an earlier stretch where New York pushed runs across in each of the middle innings. The win improves the Yankees to 91-68.
The result matters beyond one game. The Blue Jays won eight of 13 head-to-head meetings with New York this season and hold the tiebreaker, meaning a tie at season’s end would be decided in Toronto’s favor. With three games left against Baltimore, the Yankees would need to win the series to claim the division and earn a potential first-round bye. If New York cannot win the division, it is guaranteed at least a wild-card berth, ensuring a playoff game at Yankee Stadium this year. The Blue Jays, who host the Rays next, remain a game ahead in the head-to-head tiebreaker and keep the pressure on as both teams race toward the finish. The Red Sox could not sweep the Jays in their own bid to gain ground, leaving Toronto with the advantage in the division race.
The Yankees will now turn toward their next stretch of games against the Orioles, seeking to clinch a postseason path while maintaining momentum from a winning stretch that has the club sitting at the doorstep of a division crown or an elite wild-card position. The AL East remains unsettled as the season moves into its final series, with every inning and every at-bat carrying postseason weight.