NEW YORK – Contemplating weeks of the summer without several of their biggest bats, the Yankees wondered how they were going to produce offense. Perhaps, it was suggested, they could survive those absences with a “small ball” blend of contact and speed.
Then again, those concerns might have been overblown. The Yankees seem to be doing just fine subscribing to their usual formula of bludgeoning opponents.
Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. all homered as the Yankees – with two members of the NBA champion Knicks in the ballpark – coasted to their eighth win in nine games, posting a 10-5 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday evening at Yankee Stadium.
“I think we all understood that a lot of our guys are out, and we have to do what we can to continue to win games,” Bellinger said. “No excuses. We’re playing well right now.”
Winning for the ninth time in 13 games since losing Aaron Judge indefinitely to a stress fracture in his first right rib, the Yanks have built a 3 1/2-game lead in the American League East, their largest advantage since April 7.
Even without Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on the active roster, two of the Bombers’ four MVPs continue to deliver big performances.
Bellinger finished with three hits and a triple shy of the cycle while Goldschmidt launched his third homer in four games, powering an attack that has produced 22 runs and 29 hits over the first two games of this series.
“When everyone’s playing a role and you’re getting meaningful contributions from everyone, it leads to good times and good vibes,” manager Aaron Boone said. “You love it that way. You’re going to go through your challenging moments, so you try to embrace this and keep it going as best you can.”
Goldschmidt’s homer was his 11th, with “Young Goldy” – as outfielder Jasson Domínguez said he calls the 38-year-old – eclipsing his total from 146 games last season.
“He’s a Hall of Fame player,” said Carlos Rodón, who held Chicago to three runs over five innings. “It’s pretty obvious; he’s been really good at this game for a long time. He’s aging pretty well. I just hope he keeps swinging.”
With the crowd still buzzing following ceremonial first pitches from Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart of the Knicks, Bellinger boosted New York to a first-inning lead with a two-run homer off Anthony Kay.
“[Seeing them] was cool,” Bellinger said. “Obviously, we were all super tuned in to the series and to the postseason. What they were able to accomplish is pretty amazing.”
Goldschmidt cracked an opposite-field three-run shot that capped a five-run fifth inning. Chisholm tacked on with a solo blast in the seventh, becoming the fifth Yankee this season to reach double figures in homers.
“We’re playing some really good clubs and putting points on the board,” Boone said. “It’s a good thing.”
Rodón picked up his third win in four starts. Colson Montgomery hit a third-inning homer off Rodón, then added a solo blast off Paul Blackburn in the eighth. Rodón scattered seven hits, striking out seven with one walk.
“I’m just trying to go out there and attack the zone, try to get outs,” Rodón said. “Just try to keep us ahead and go as deep as I can.”
The action on the field wasn’t all that produced cheers. As the early innings of Wednesday’s game played out, chants of “M-V-P!” could be heard behind home plate, where Brunson and Hart were chatting on the television broadcast with Ryan Ruocco and Paul O’Neill.
As O’Neill told the hoops stars, everything they’ve experienced thus far will pale in comparison to the scene on Thursday, when millions are expected to flood the Canyon of Heroes to fete New York’s newest champions.
“They can never take it away from you,” O’Neill said. “Enjoy it, because New York is going to expect another one.”
Maybe the city already does. In an Esquire interview published Wednesday, Judge said he believes “a Knicks championship in June and a Yankees World Series in October would bring world peace.”
For now, let’s call it this – a reminder of what the Yankees aim to achieve, with more than half a season still to be filled by nights like this.
“The beautiful thing is, when you play here, that’s the goal. That’s the dream,” Bellinger said. “Watching them able to accomplish that, it takes everyone. So we are all aware of that, but it’s June. We’ve got to take it day by day.”