August 24, 2014, Bronx, N.Y. — A Yankee season in disrepair took another baby step toward redemption Sunday afternoon, as the “Bombers” took out the visiting White Sox, 7-4 in 10 innings, for a three-game sweep, and a barely acceptable 4-2 record on a homestand vs. two very challenged ballclubs. The win hardly leaves them looking pretty, but they’re in better shape than they were four days ago.

It was yet again a beautiful day in the Bronx, sunny, with a blue sky and most of yesterday’s partial cloud cover gone. Although the home team had barely pulled out the first two in this series, the afternoon’s matchup looked bad, with star lefty Chris Sale going for the Palehose against journeyman southpaw Chris Capuano for New York. It started badly, with Chicago shortstop Alexi Ramirez homering on the game’s second pitch. And although Capuano once again acquitted himself very well, Conor Gillaspie’s two-run sixth-inning jack for a 3-0 lead appeared to be the nail in this game’s coffin.

But then, suddenly, one hour and 41 minutes in (and about five minutes after that homer), the game turned. First, Dayan Viciedo, who is either a very poor outfielder or who had a rough day, made the second of three bad plays in the game, dropping Martin Prado’s long drive to left center with one down in the home sixth. A double, two walks, and a hit by pitch around Sale’s seventh — and last — strike out scored two, and veteran outfielder Ichiro Suzuki singled for two more and a 4-3 Yankee lead. It was the first rbi hit by a lefty batter Sale has allowed all year.

With the superb setup man Dellin Betances being rested, Esmil Rogers, Rich Hill, and Adam Warren retired the next six, getting the ball to Yankee closer David Robertson to start the ninth. But although this was a very entertaining game, something the smattering of White Sox fans in the crowd could attest to, it wasn’t the best played. None of the four Yankee tallies were earned, and the team scratched out all of four hits against Sale through six. And now Robertson promptly blew the save, surrendering a game-tying jolt to right field by Avisail Garcia on his first pitch. (That makes three homers to none, if you’re counting.) Compounding matters, the Sox escaped a two-on, one-out setup in the bottom of the ninth by coaxing an 0-2 double-play grounder from Yankee Captain Derek Jeter.

New York was down to their last arm in the person of David Huff, who allowed two singles in the top of the 10th, but the lefty escaped by whiffing star first baseman Jose Abreu on three called strikes. Chicago righthander Jake Patricka, who had escaped the ninth, promptly struck out two in the bottom of the 10th. But two so far disappointing 2014 pinstriped signings came to the rescue, as Carlos Beltran doubled and, following an intentional walk, pinch hitting catcher McCann worked the count full, and then homered inside the right field foul pole for the 7-4 victory.

Although it doesn’t match up to the Sale line, Capuano once again turned in a surprisingly effective start, striking out five while walking none. He allowed just six hits and three runs, tossing 60 of 97 offerings for strikes. Chris threw 12 first-pitch strikes, and 12 balls with first pitches. And aside from the obvious heroics in the 10th, Ichiro earns big-time plaudits for six solid innings in center while both Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner were rested, and for delivering two singles against the death-on-lefties Sale.

Also worthy of mention was a short celebration acknowledging the last Yankee Stadium game of Chicago DH Paul Konerko, who is retiring this year after a fabulous two-decade career playing in LA and on Chicago’s South Side. The win was the Yanks’ fourth straight, though no one is predicting continued success. Their record stands at just 67-61; they are still 3.5 games behind the second Wild Card; and they face five weeks of play against clubs that are either division rivals, have a record well over .500, or both.

Fans were concerned about how the Yanks would do once they moved to new digs in 2009, but they promptly won a World Championship that year in a season dominated by 16 walkoff wins. Times haven’t been as magical since, and when Prado hit a ninth-inning game winner Saturday, it was only the team’s fourth 2014 walkoff. Paraphrasing the poetry of Robert Herrick, who was baptized this day in 1591 (his birth date is uncertain), they now have five.

Gather Ye Walkoffs While Ye Can

BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!