NEW YORK _ Still sitting on 299 career home runs, Giancarlo Stanton seemed to find something on Wednesday night.
He'd whacked two homer-distance foul balls and lined out sharply in two at-bats before coming up in the fifth, with the bases loaded and two out.
With the Yankees trailing by two runs, the anticipation for Stanton's milestone home run _ or at least a game-tying single _ started to buzz through the crowd at Yankee Stadium.
But it didn't last long.
White Sox catcher Kevan Smith and starter Reynaldo Lopez turned a would-be wild pitch into a key third out, nailing Gleyber Torres at the plate.
Stanton and the Yankees never had a better chance, as the White Sox finished out a 4-1 victory before 40,887 fans.
White Sox's No. 8 hitter Ryan LaMarre knocked in all four of Chicago's runs, capped by a solo homer off reliever Chad Green in the seventh.
Ryan LaMarre twice hurt Yankees starter CC Sabathia with two out doubles.
In the second, LaMarre sent an 0-and-2 delivery over the head of Stanton in right field for a two-run double.
And in the fourth, LaMarre pulled an RBI ground double to left.
After the energy of Tuesday night's walk-off win, the Yankees (84-49) wound up losing their first home season series to the White Sox (53-80) since Chicago's last world championship season of 2005.
In that span of 12 seasons, the Yankees were 10-0-2 in season series against Chicago, which has now won 11 of its last 15 games.
Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks made two standout plays, each time robbing an extra-base hit.
Hicks went airborne in the fifth, making a tremendous diving catch on Avisail Garcia's bid for an RBI double to left-center with a man on second.
In the sixth, with none on base, Hicks backed up to the wall for a leaping, one-hand grab of Yoan Moncada's distant drive. A beaming Hicks waited until a Yankees bullpen attendant applauded his effort before throwing the ball back in.
But Chicago also denied the Yankees, starting with right fielder Garcia's leaping catch _ his glove extended over the wall _ to rob Neil Walker of a potential second-inning solo homer.
Yet, the play that changed everything came in the sixth, with Stanton up and the bases loaded.
After swinging at Lopez's high fastball, Stanton watched the ball sail to the backstop, where Smith quickly gathered it.
Smith's throw wasn't pretty _ a one-bouncer toward the third base line.
But Lopez made a deft backhand play and put the tag on a sliding Torres to end the threat.
Torres was later spiked on his left wrist, while tagging out Yolmer Sanchez on a stolen base attempt. Torres suffered a cut near the base of his thumb but stayed in the game and later singled.
Leading off the third inning, Greg Bird lashed a double to right _ snapping an 0-for-21 drought.
Bird only advanced to third base, part of a frustrating offensive night, capped by a big fifth-inning chance yielded just one run (a Ronald Torreyes RBI single).
And Bird (1-for-4) was part of that problem, harmlessly flying out after Walker and Gleyber Torres opened the fifth with singles.
At least the double seemed to validate Bird's two line drive outs in Tuesday's 5-4 Yankees win.
And that was enough for Yankees manager Aaron Boone to start Bird against the right-handed Lopez.
"Just wanted to see if I could at least get him a couple of (starts in a row) and kind of try and get (him) going a little bit," Boone said before the game. "If we can get him going in the right direction, I'm positive he can not only help us down the stretch, but, hopefully, if we get into the playoffs."
Right-handed hitting Luke Voit is likely to start Thursday night's series opener against Detroit lefty Francisco Liriano, according to Boone.
Still, Boone stopped short of saying this was a genuine left-right platoon at first base.
"Performance matters. The match-ups matter," Boone said. "(I'm) trying to keep both guys relevant and put both guys in positions to succeed as best we can. But I would say it's a fluid situation."
With the tying run on deck in the ninth, Voit pinch-hit for Bird and struck out looking to end the game.
