CHICAGO — Gavin Sheets matched a career high with four hits and drove in four runs, Korey Lee and Brooks Baldwin homered, and the Chicago White Sox gave interim manager Grady Sizemore his first win, pounding the New York Yankees 12-2 Monday night after losing 24 of 25.
The White Sox set season highs for runs and with 18 hits after dropping their first two games under Sizemore, who took over when the White Sox fired Pedro Grifol on Thursday. They had lost three straight since beating Oakland to stop a 21-game skid that matched an American League record.
The White Sox entered the day with the worst record in MLB and the Yankees entered the day with a share of the best record. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first time since Sept. 27, 1934 that team with the worst record in MLB defeated the team with the best record by 10-plus runs in July or later. The winning team that day, was the White Sox, who blanked the Detroit Tigers 11-0. These are the only two times it’s happened in the last 100 years.
“It was amazing, so much fun,” Sizemore said in his postgame media availability. “These last few games, I’m just so proud of these guys, the way they played. The energy, just everything, I know I just keep saying the same thing. But I just couldn’t be happier for the guys.”
Lee connected leading off a two-run fourth against Yankees starter Luis Gil. Baldwin capped a six-run seventh with a three-run drive against Enyel De Los Santos that made it 11-2.
Sheets hit RBI doubles in a two-run first, in the fifth against Tim Hill and in the seventh off De Los Santos. He also scored in the inning on a single by Dominic Fletcher, and singled in a run in the eighth.
Andrew Vaughn had four hits and scored twice, helping the White Sox take out a team that came in tied with the Baltimore Orioles for baseball’s best record.
“I’m glad they’ve just been showing up,” Sizemore said. “They’re coming to play, they’re playing hard and they’re battling. It was just a great team effort.”
New York’s Aaron Judge doubled in a run in the first against rookie Ky Bush. He came a few feet short of his 300th home run and a grand slam when he hit a fly to the warning track in the second.
Bush allowed two runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings in his second major league start. The 24-year-old left-hander walked seven and threw 97 pitches, after losing at Oakland last week in his debut.
Touki Toussaint (1-2) got the win in relief, recording four outs.
Gil (12-6) threw 98 pitches in four innings, allowing four runs and seven hits. The 26-year-old right-hander walked two.
“Every time you lose, it’s a missed opportunity,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “We’re playing for a lot every day, so it’s sucks to lose. It’s really good, exhilarating when you win, but either way, you turn the page.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.