Severino Super As Yankees Wipeout White Sox

The New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox 6-1 Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Dustin Ackley hit his third home run for the Yankees to support Luis Severino, who hurled six shut out innings.

Jacoby Ellsbury walked in the top of the first inning. A pair of errors by Chicago first baseman Jose Abreu allowed Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran to reach safely and load the bases. Brian McCann drilled a sacrifice fly to put the Yankees on top 1-0. But that was all they could muster, so the inning ended with one run on no hits. [related category]

From there, Severino and Chicago starter Erik Johnson took turns posting zeroes until the sixth. That was when Ackley homered to increase the Yankees lead to 2-1,  giving Severino a little breathing room. It was Ackley´s 12th hit in 39 at bats for the Yankees.

After a Slade Heathcott single, Brendan Ryan executed a perfect hit and run to give the Yankees runners on first and third. Gardner walked to load the bases. With the bases loaded, Chicago catcher Rob Brantly was charged with a passed ball, allowing Heathcott to score and make the score 3-0.

Justin Wilson replaced Severino in the top of the seventh. The White Sox hit Wilson hard, but scored only one run, on a Leury Garcia solo home run. In the bottom of the inning, the Yankees got the run back quickly. Greg Bird smacked a ground-rule double. Bird eventually scored on an Ellsbury single. So when the dust cleared in the seventh, the Yankees were on top 4-1.

Bird contributed again in the eighth. He singled to bring home pinch runner Rico Noel to make it 5-1, causing Andrew Miller to sit back down in the Yankees bullpen. Bird later scored on a Heathcott sacrifice fly to add yet another run.

Severino allowed five hits and no runs in his six innings of work to earn his fifth win. Although he struck out only two, he induced four double plays to shut Chicago down. The Yankees magic number  to clinch a playoff spot was at three at the game´s conclusion.