White Sox 4, Yankees 3
NEW YORK -- After repeatedly scorching line drives into the New York Yankees' gloves for eight innings, the Chicago White Sox's luck changed in the ninth inning Thursday.
Yankees reliever Clay Rapada threw a probable double-play tapper by A.J. Pierzynski into center field, and Dayan Viciedo followed with a three-homer to left field, lifting the White Sox to a 4-3 win in the series opener at Yankee Stadium.
Viciedo hit his blast off David Robertson (0-2), who inherited the first-and-third mess.
In the bottom of the ninth, Dewayne Wise singled off White Sox closer Addison Reed, then escaped being doubled off on Eric Chavez's soft liner to left when Viciedo's throw sailed. Pinch hitter Andruw Jones took a called third strike, and Derek Jeter lined into the glove of a leaping Alex Rios at the right field wall to end it.
Yankees starter Ivan Nova was not electric as much as he was electromagnetic, ducking trouble repeatedly via line drives that were caught. Not only did the AL East leaders bring the leather, but they also got back-to-back RBI doubles in the fifth inning from Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano to take a 2-1 lead.
Nova, who worked out of a first-and-third, no-out situation in the fifth, caught Kevin Youkilis looking with Alejandro De Aza at second in the eighth inning before retiring to the safety of the dugout. Boone Logan got a flyout from Adam Dunn, and Cody Eppley struck out Paul Konerko looking to end the threat.
But Repada, who relieved Eppley following Rios' leadoff single in the ninth, got the grounder he wanted. However, his poor throw proved crucial.
Nova worked out of a big jam in the fourth, stranding Paul Konerko, who had doubled, and Rios, who had flared a single into right. He got Pierzynski on a liner to short center, then induced Viciedo to line sharply to second baseman Cano, who doubled Rios off first.
The Yankees didn't get their first hit off Dylan Axelrod until the third, when Chris Stewart singled. Their second hit was Rodriguez's fourth-inning double, but he was stranded at third when Chavez grounded out weakly with the bases loaded.
Finally, De Aza hit one hard off Nova where the Yankees couldn't catch it, about eight rows back in the mezzanine level in right to give Chicago a 1-0 lead in the fifth. But the Yankees broke through with two runs after there were two outs in the bottom of the inning. Rodriguez's double, off the heal of De Aza's glove after a long run to left-center, scored Curtis Granderson, who had singled. Cano's double up the right-center-field gap scored Rodriguez.
NOTES: Jeter's seventh-inning single tied him with Cal Ripken Jr. for 14th on the all-time hits list at 3,184. ... Yankees catcher Russell Martin, who played Wednesday after missing three games due to back stiffness, was out of the starting lineup again Thursday night. ... The White Sox promoted left-handed reliever Leyson Septimo, 26, from Class AAA Charlotte, where he was 2-1 with one save and a 1.48 ERA in 21 games. Left-handed reliever Will Ohman, 0-2 with a 6.41 ERA in 32 appearances for Chicago this season, was designated for assignment. ... At one point after losing his rotation spot, Yankees right-hander Freddy Garcia wasn't used in relief for 20 days. However, the 2 1/3 perfect innings Garcia threw against the Indians on Wednesday night made the Yankees, who are without CC Sabathia (likely two weeks) and Andy Pettitte (probably two months) feel better about putting Garcia back in the rotation Monday night. "Something happened," Garcia said. "My fastball is better, my split is better, my changeup is better. I didn't have my speed (to begin the season). But right now I got my speed back." ... Let the record show Yankees manager Joe Girardi recited the standard mantra of the injury-compromised -- "Nobody's going to feel sorry for us" -- but actually, there might be a sympathy pang from his counterpart over the next four days. Currently six of the White Sox's 12 pitchers are rookies. Chicago manager Robin Ventura said, "This is who we have, we have to make it happen with guys who are going through it for the first time." ... White Sox right fielder Alex Rios came into Thursday night's game with nine homers and 25 RBI in his last 32 games. "Sometimes (players) get to the point of thinking about the consequences of not doing well," Ventura said. "He is just playing, feels like he is going to contribute every day."
