July 28, 2026

Ali Sánchez Hits First Career Home Run As Yankees Beat White Sox 9-5

Yankees

Ali Sánchez Hits First Career Home Run As Yankees Beat White Sox 9-5

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The Yankees did not make this one easy, but Ali Sánchez made sure nobody cared by the end of the night.

After falling behind by three runs in the first inning, the Yankees fought their way back, took control late and beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 in the opener of a four-game series at Rate Field.

The biggest swing came from one of the last players anybody expected.

Sánchez crushed a two-out, three-run home run in the eighth inning for the first homer of his Major League career, turning a two-run Yankees lead into a 9-4 game.

First career home run. Late in a close game. Three runs driven in. Sánchez picked a good time to finally get one.

Ali Sánchez Put The Game Away

The Yankees entered the eighth inning leading 5-4, but the game was still sitting there waiting for somebody to finish it.

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Jasson Domínguez opened the inning with an infield single. Anthony Volpe followed with a single of his own, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached on a bunt single that brought Domínguez home.

Jazz then stole second base, his second steal of the night, before Trent Grisham reached on a fielder’s choice.

With two outs and runners on the corners, Sánchez worked the count full against Sean Newcomb. He got a 3-2 fastball and drove it over the left-field wall.

That was not a cheap home run in a blowout. The Yankees needed breathing room, and Sánchez gave it to them.

For a team that has spent a lot of the season searching for offense from the catcher position, watching Sánchez deliver the biggest hit of the night was a welcome surprise.

He finished 1-for-4 with three RBIs, but that one hit changed the entire feeling of the game.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. Brought The Energy

Jazz was in the middle of almost everything the Yankees did offensively.

He finished 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs, a double and two stolen bases.

The Yankees trailed 3-0 entering the fourth inning after Max Fried struggled through the opening frame. Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt started the rally with walks, and Domínguez loaded the bases with a single.

Volpe brought home the first run with a groundout. Jazz then ripped a two-run double into right-center field to tie the game.

He did not stop there.

Jazz stole third base after catcher Edgar Quero threw the ball back toward the mound, then scored when Spencer Jones grounded out to second.

That is the version of Jazz the Yankees need. Not only hitting the baseball, but creating pressure, forcing mistakes and making the defense pay attention to him on every pitch.

The Yankees went from being down 3-0 to leading 4-3 because they finally started playing with some aggression.

Ben Rice Delivered Another Big Hit

The White Sox tied the game at four in the fifth inning when Colson Montgomery singled home Miguel Vargas.

From there, the game stayed tied until the seventh.

Amed Rosario came off the bench and immediately doubled to right field. He advanced to third when Quero made a throwing error on a pickoff attempt.

After Sánchez struck out and Max Schuemann flied out, Rice came to the plate with two outs.

Rice lined a single into right field, scoring Rosario and giving the Yankees a 5-4 lead.

It was another big spot handled by a hitter who continues to look comfortable in the middle of the Yankees lineup.

Rice reached base three times, finishing 2-for-4 with a walk, one run and the go-ahead RBI. His season OPS moved to .947, and he recorded his 73rd RBI.

When the Yankees needed somebody to come through with two outs, Rice did it again.

Max Fried Had A Rough Opening

Fried did not give the Yankees the type of start they were expecting.

Chicago opened the bottom of the first with four hits and three runs. Randal Grichuk doubled, Munetaka Murakami singled and Colson Montgomery drove in the first run with another single.

Chase Meidroth added a sacrifice fly before Braden Montgomery tripled home the third run.

Fried settled down after the first inning, but his night ended after only three innings. He allowed five hits, three earned runs and two walks while striking out four on 66 pitches.

That forced Aaron Boone to ask the bullpen for six innings.

Angel Chivilli gave the Yankees a scoreless fourth. Tim Hill allowed the tying run in the fifth before Fernando Cruz recorded four outs without allowing a hit.

Brent Headrick earned the victory with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Paul Blackburn worked a clean eighth before Camilo Doval ran into trouble in the ninth.

Two Yankees errors allowed Chicago to score an unearned run and bring the tying run to the plate. Boone went to David Bednar, who struck out Meidroth to end the game and record his 21st save.

It was not exactly a peaceful ninth inning, but Bednar walked in, threw five pitches and shut the door.

The Yankees Kept Fighting

This was not a clean Yankees victory.

They committed two errors. Fried lasted only three innings. The White Sox collected 10 hits and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth despite trailing by five runs entering the inning.

But the Yankees also showed something they have not always shown when games start going sideways.

They answered.

They fell behind 3-0 and scored four in the fourth. Chicago tied the game, and Rice put the Yankees back ahead. The game remained close, and Sánchez ended the conversation with the biggest swing of his career.

Domínguez added two hits and scored twice. Goldschmidt reached base twice. Rosario delivered a huge pinch-hit double. The Yankees finished with 10 hits, three walks and nine runs.

New York has now won six of its last eight games, improved to 60-46 and moved within 2 1/2 games of the idle Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.

The Yankees still have issues to clean up, especially defensively. Volpe and José Caballero both committed errors, and the ninth inning became much more dramatic than it needed to be.

But they won the game, gained ground in the division and watched an unlikely player create a career moment.

Gerrit Cole will take the mound Tuesday night as the Yankees try to make it two straight against Chicago. Left-hander Anthony Kay is scheduled to start for the White Sox.

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Felix Pantaleón

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Born in Manhattan, New York, Felix Pantaleon is a Dominican-American digital content creator and the founder of NYYNEWS, one of the first and longest-running independent New York Yankees content creator platforms, active since 2005.

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