NEW YORK — After the strikeout-filled pitching duel, after the taught late-inning drama and a Yankees triple play – turned two nights after Corey Kluber’s no-hitter – Aaron Boone’s club completed an electric victory.
Gleyber Torres’ ninth-inning single scored Aaron Judge from second base, giving the Yankees a wild, 2-1 win against the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox.
And it was played before 14,011 fans at Yankee Stadium, who made the place sound filled to the brim.
Both Yankee runs were driven home by Torres.
Back in the Bronx after the Yanks’ 7-3 road trip, Torres lifted a patented Yankee Stadium homer to break a scoreless tie in the seventh against Michael Kopech.
Torres’ opposite-field drive traveled an estimated 345 feet, a wall-scraper to right off hard-throwing Kopech.
It was just Torres’ second homer of the year, and his third game back after a bout of COVID-19.
Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery had matched zeroes with Chicago lefty Carlos Rodon, who yielded to Kopech.
Montgomery dialed in one of his finest starts, yielding just four hits over seven innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts.
Rodon, who no-hit Cleveland on April 14, struck out a season-high 13 batters in his six shutout innings.
Chicago tied it 1-1 in the eighth on Nick Madrigal’s bloop, RBI single off Jonathan Loaisiga.
That ended the Yankee staff’s collective scoreless streak at 29 innings.
Next up, Yoan Moncada’s would-be base hit was turned into a force out at second, thanks to Judge’s brilliant deke in right field.
In the Chicago ninth, Aroldis Chapman faced runners at first and second when Andrew Vaughn rapped into a round-the-horn triple play started by third baseman Gio Urshela.
Against Sox’ reliever Evan Marshall, Judge and Urshela opened with singles before Torres rapped the game-winner to left and started a frenzied on-field celebration.
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Before the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced that Aaron Hicks had opted for surgery to repair the torn tendon sheath in his left wrist.
Faced with a months-long rehab, Hicks’ procedure could keep him sidelined for the rest of the 2021 season.
The Yankees were already in an outfield crunch, with Clint Frazier on the bench for a fourth straight game due to neck stiffness.
Frazier took on-field batting practice before Friday’s game and told Boone he was available if needed.
And then the Yankees had a hold-your-breath moment in the seventh.
That’s when Miguel Andujar, a novice left fielder, nearly collided with veteran center fielder Brett Gardner.
With two out and nobody on base, Andrew Vaughn wound up on second base after his catchable fly ball — called for by both Gardner and Andujar — dropped in.
Andujar avoided becoming tangled with Gardner, and Andujar was charged with an error for obstructing his teammate’s pursuit.
Montgomery picked up his teammates, striking out pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal and pumping his fist as the largest crowd at the Stadium this year stood and roared.
