Yankees Taking Care of American League Central

Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports

BRONX, NY — It’s a probable scenario of one or two American League Central division teams opposing the Yankees in October, all of course pending with plenty of baseball still to be played.

However, the Yankees during their current span of ballgames have beaten the Blue Jays two out of three and swept the Guardians in a three game series, both on the road. Tuesday evening in the Bronx, the surprising and young division leading Chicago White Sox visited Yankee Stadium for a three-game set. 

Coincidence, the White Sox and Guardians are tied for first place in the division, time to perhaps discuss a possible October matchup for the Yankees with either team in a AL Wild Card or ALDS situation. Perhaps, again too early to determine as the Guardians have hit a minor June swoon, missing All-Star and reigning AL LatinoMVP José Ramírez who is on the injured list with a fractured left hamate bone that required surgery. 

Ramírez is expected to miss six weeks, a part of the Guardians’ punch will be missed and the Yankees won the season series with that sweep last week.

So here come the White Sox, a team that went into the history books—having lost 100 or more games in three consecutive seasons and hit rock bottom with a modern Major League Baseball record of 121 losses in 2024. Quickly, though the White Sox matured. Sooner than expected too.

Tuesday night in the Bronx, the Yankees would have no part of the Chicago resurgence as they pitched and hit four home runs out of the yard, resulting in a 12-2 win. The Yankees were not bragging, too early in mid June to contemplate any outcomes for October. However, the Yankees dominated with starter Gerrit Cole allowing three hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings. It was his fifth start since returning from Tommy John surgery and Cole possibly could have continued after throwing 90 pitches.

The home runs were all majestic. Spencer Jones with his first-career blast at Yankee Stadium to follow with Paul Goldschmidt (10th in 2026) and Ben Rice (20th) off Chicago’s starter Davis Martin. And José Caballero hit his seventh home run in the eighth inning, though not majestic, to left off Sox position player Luisangel Acuña.

Those you talk with around baseball circles say the White Sox are real with a strong organizational structure, starting pitching. One example, Martin entered his start on Tuesday with a Major League lead in wins with nine. The White Sox had been 11-2 in his previous starts going back to last season.

“Just everyone put good bats against him,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone about the pressure his team placed on Martin. “Good at bats from Spencer (Jones). Control of the strike zone,” referring to Cole.

Boone wasn’t discussing the White Sox resurgence as one of those surprise teams in baseball in the first half. Instead it was the Yankees ability to attack the zone and Cole getting to where he wants to be. The 35-year-old right-hander can only get better and is needed if the Yankees are indeed going to have that deep postseason run in October.

Said Cole about how the Yankees at-bats supported a huge lead with four runs in the third and sixth: “They’re putting a lot of pressure on the opponent with quality at-bats up and down the lineup. It’s dynamic, it can be deadly in a handful of different ways.”

Cole improved his record to 2-1 on the year and the ERA to 2.57, allowing two earned runs or fewer in four of his five starts. The Yankees have won seven of their last eight and improved to a season-high 17 games over .500 (44-27)—now three games in front of Tampa Bay in the AL East.

And in many different ways, the Yankees can put pressure on an opposing pitcher. Whether it be against the White Sox as it was with the Guardians. The Yankees are opposing the AL Central and matchups against division leading teams are a good test. And of course, significant in the standings.

Even without power hitters Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for an extended period of time, the Yankees have depth. 

And to Jones, the rookie improving day-by-day, it has more to do with his progress and contributing to a lineup and team that leads baseball in home runs. Jones also is getting another chance to prove he belongs here with his second opportunity when Judge went down and the recent injury to outfielder Trent Grisham.

“You can visualize what the Major Leagues are going to be like but until you’re in there and see it, expectations really don’t match up,” Jones said. His home run in the second inning was majestic to the second deck in right field, tying up the game at one.

Boone said the outfielder is more comfortable at the plate against a left handed pitcher, all about the progress and what the Yankees have in the depth department with their rookie prospect.

So for the Yankees, this was another game on the schedule. For the White Sox, there appears to be no setbacks. They are serious about staying on top of the division and in contention as their progress continues.

“We have to flush it,” said manager Will Venable. “There were a lot of things in there we must clean up.”

Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and columnist at LatinoSports.com with coverage of MLB, boxing, and MLS – X: @Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso

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