Sanchez’s error key in defeat
Sox manage just 1 hit a day after Jimenez’s 1st 2 homers
NEW YORK — Rookie Eloy Jimenez had more home runs Friday night than the White Sox had hits Saturday in a 4-0 loss to the Yankees.
Jimenez hit his first two major-league homers Friday at Yankee Stadium in a 9-6, rain-shortened victory. A day later, Jose Rondon had the Sox’s only hit, a clean single in the third inning off CC Sabathia, who pitched five stellar innings in his season debut to help the Yankees snap a four-game skid.
Sabathia allowed no other baserunners in his first start since having a stent inserted after blockage was found in an artery from his heart in December.
“I was out there the first inning, I was shaking,” said Sabathia, who plans to retire after the season, his 19th. “Thinking from where I came from in December and actually being back on the mound, it’s cool. I was able to kind of harness those nerves.”
Sox starter Ivan Nova (0-2) dueled with Sabathia, pitching four-hit ball into the seventh. He was pulled after allowing Gleyber Torres’ leadoff single, and the former Yankees right-hander was cheered by some Bronx fans as he walked off.
“I was blacked out,” Nova said of the reaction. “It was pretty cool.”
Pinch-hitter Luke Voit came through with a bases-loaded, broken-bat RBI single in the Yankees’ three-run seventh. Second baseman Yolmer Sanchez booted a likely double-play grounder to set up Voit’s RBI. Kyle Higashioka followed with a sacrifice fly to right, and Tyler Wade brought in another run with a safety squeeze.
Aaron Judge homered in the eighth, his fourth of the season.
Domingo German (3-0) followed Sabathia by striking out four in two innings. Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman closed things out with a perfect inning each, handing the Sox their sixth loss in seven games.
But the story of the day was Sabathia, who became the first pitcher with five innings, one hit and no walks over back-to-back starts, per the Elias Sports Bureau. Sabathia had an almost identical line in September against the Rays before he was ejected for plunking Jesus Sucre. This was his first regular-season start since.
The 38-year-old lefty, who also had right knee surgery in the offseason, struck out three, raising his career total to 2,989, and only threw 62 pitches.
“He’s a craftsman out there,” Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “And he did a nice job of keeping us at bay.”
On Friday, Jimenez stole the show, hitting the first two of what he and the Sox hope are many major-league home runs.
In the fifth inning, Jimenez drilled a 2-1 fastball from reliever Jonathan Holder an estimated 425 feet to center field. The homer scored Yoan Moncada from first base to break a 5-5 tie.
“I feel good to get the first one out of the way,” Jimenez said. “And many to come.”
In his next at-bat, Jimenez went even deeper, this time with a 446-foot solo blast to left. The homer came on a 1-1 fastball against Chad Green during a driving rainstorm in the seventh and gave the Sox an 8-6 lead. The Sox led 9-6 when the game was delayed by rain with one out in the top of the seventh. It later was called.
“We’ve been waiting for that,” Sox starter Lucas Giolito said of Jimenez’s power surge. “He’s got ridiculous power.”
Jimenez’s first homer came in his 12th game and 46th at-bat in the majors. The 22-year-old left fielder was a respectable 13-for-45 (.289) to start his career, but before Friday he had only one extra-base hit, a double in Wednesday’s loss to the Rays.
He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Saturday and is hitting .300.
The Sox signed Jimenez to a six-year, $43 million contract on March 22, a record for a player with no service time before his major-league debut. The deal has the potential to reach eight years and $75 million if the Sox exercise two option years at the end of the contract.