Paul Konerko bailed out the White Sox’s bullpen in the ninth inning, and Jermaine Dye provided temporary relief in the 11th.
Konerko hit a game-tying homer, and Dye hit a single with one out to score Tadahito Iguchi and give the Sox a 6-5 victory Tuesday night over the New York Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field. The victory gave the Sox (66-45) a half-game lead in the American League wild-card race.
Konerko tied the game on his 27th homer, handing Mariano Rivera his first blown save of the season when entering the ninth. Rivera was 22-for-22 in such save chances.
The significance of the homer wasn’t lost on Konerko, who pumped his right arm while rounding first. The blown save was only the third for Rivera in 31 opportunities this season and his second homer allowed in 58 2/3 innings.
Konerko’s game-tying homer was the first hit by the Sox since Joe Crede hit a solo homer in the fourth. His homer bailed out left-hander Neal Cotts, who hit Jason Giambi with the bases loaded in the eighth to put the Yankees ahead 5-4. The setback started when Matt Thornton allowed a one-out single to Derek Jeter and a walk to Bobby Abreu.
Mike MacDougal, acquired from Kansas City two weeks ago, surrendered a single to Alex Rodriguez to load the bases.
The Sox managed to end Chien-Ming Wang’s streak of five consecutive starts with a victory by knocking him out after 95 pitches. Wang, signed out of Taiwan by former Cubs executive John Cox, lasted five innings–his shortest outing since he lasted four innings at Detroit on June 1.
The damage off Wang might have been greater if Scott Podsednik had not been nailed trying to stretch a double into a triple to lead off the bottom of the first on accurate relay throws by Abreu in right and second baseman Robinson Cano.
Abreu has two assists in seven games with the Yankees after being credited with four in 97 games with Philadelphia.
Podsednik already drew the ire of Sox fans who raised their arms in disbelief after he paused and then elected not to throw home on Bobby Abreu’s single to shallow left in the first that scored Johnny Damon with the first run.
Damon reached safely on an error by center-fielder Rob Mackowiak to start the game.
But the Sox overcame their early mistakes to score three times in the second and end Wang’s scoreless streak at 19 innings, as Alex Cintron capped the rally with a two-out, two-run single to give the Sox a 3-2 lead.
The lead, however, was wiped out when Alex Rodriguez crushed a two-run homer in the top of the third. The homer snapped Rodriguez’s 1-for-17 slump, and the homer was his fifth in 31 at-bats against Garcia.
Fortunately for the Sox, Garcia settled down and performed some of his best pitching since winning his last game at Pittsburgh on June 28. Garcia retired 10 of the next 11 batters, allowing only an infield single to Rodriguez.
The Yankees’ offense has been fortified since they swept the Sox on July 14-16 at Yankee Stadium. The addition of Abreu has dropped Giambi to the fifth spot and put two formidable left-handed hitters surrounding Rodriguez.
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Wednesday vs. Yankees, 7:05 p.m., CSN
