Photo: The Canadian Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Aaron Judge reached 300 home runs faster than any other player, going deep in the New York Yankees' 10-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.
Judge hit the mark in his 955th game and 3,431st at-bat with a three-run drive in the eighth inning.. The six-time All-Star and 2022 American League MVP drove a 3-0 up-and-in sinker Chad Kuhl into the White Sox bullpen in left for his major league-leading 43rd homer.
Ralph Kiner reached 300 homers in his 1,087th game, and Babe Ruth did in his 3,831st at-bat.
“What Aaron’s doing, it’s a select few in the history of the game that you start talking about these kinds of seasons he’s having,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Just a great player, great leader and I think everyone’s obviously really pumped in there that he got that done.”
Chicago had intentionally walked Juan Soto to bring up Judge, who had not homered on a 3-0 pitch since 2021.
Soto had homered in the first inning off Davis Martin, his fourth in two games and 34th this season.
Austin Wells followed Judge’s drive with one of his own, the eighth time this season New York hit back-to-back homers. He also capped a three-run seventh by driving in two with a single that put the Yankees on top 4-2.
Gavin Sheets hit his first big league opposite-field homer leading off the second against rookie Will Warren and singled in a run in the fourth for a 2-1 lead. But with a chance to take two of three from the AL East leaders, the White Sox lost for the 26th time in 28 games.
Chicago lost its 12th straight series and dropped to 29-93. The White Sox are on pace to finish 39-123, which would be the most losses since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134.
Oswaldo Cabrera got the Yankees going when he singled leading off the seventh against Justin Anderson and became the first Yankee to score from second on a sacrifice fly since Jorge Posada against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 19, 2000, Cabrera did it when right fielder Dominic Fletcher ran down Alex Verdugo’s drive against Dominic Leone (0-2) in the gap, hanging onto the ball and rolling on the warning track after he tried to avoid a sliding Luis Robert Jr. Posada did it standing up when left fielder Ron Gant lost track of the outs.
Cabrera was “a little bit” surprised to see third-base coach Luis Rojas send him. “But at the same time, I was ready for it,” he said.
Soto walked and Judge doubled, putting runners on second and third, before Wells singled for a 4-2 lead.
Warren went five innings, allowing two runs and seven hits after being recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The right-hander struck out five and walked none in his third career start.
Tim Hill (4-0) got the win and Michael Tonkin pitched three innings for his second save.
Martin gave up one run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked three.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: New York placed 3B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (sprained left elbow) on the 10-day injured list and was waiting for more doctors to weigh in to determine whether he needs surgery, manager Aaron Boone said. Chisholm was hurt on a headfirst dive scoring in the fifth inning of Monday’s 12-2 loss to the White Sox. The 2022 All-Star downplayed the injury afterward, saying he wasn’t “super concerned about it.” ... RHP Lou Trivino (right elbow surgery) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset
White Sox: Leone exited with a sore right elbow.
UP NEXT
Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (3-2, 4.70) gets the ball as the Yankees open a three-game series at Detroit on Friday. He has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his past five starts. Detroit had not announced a starter.
White Sox: LHP Garrett Crochet (6-9, 3.65 ERA) looks to bounce back from one of the worst starts of his career when the White Sox open a weekend series at Houston on Friday. The All-Star gave up a career-high four homers and matched one by surrendering seven runs in a 7-6 loss to the crosstown Cubs last week. RHP Spencer Arrighetti (5-10, 5.14) starts for Houston.
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