CHICAGO — Even when the days seemed darkest, the Yankees’ confidence never wavered. There was too much talent in the room, and they trusted a favorable stretch of schedule was waiting down the line. Manager Aaron Boone often reminded them that their best baseball was “in front of us,” and now it may have arrived.
They’re not done yet, but the postseason chase is beginning to line up in their favor. Cody Bellinger blooped a tie-breaking single in a three-run 11th inning, helping the Yankees extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games with a 5-3 victory over the White Sox on Saturday evening at Rate Field.
“The feeling is good. We’re obviously enjoying it,” Bellinger said. “This is definitely better than the other way. But we all understand that there’s more games to play.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe also doubled in late runs as the Yankees (76-60) moved within two games of the Blue Jays (78-58) for first place in the American League East. They also hold a 1 1/2-game advantage over the Red Sox (75-62) in the AL Wild Card chase.
In just a week, the Yanks have trimmed their deficit on Toronto from 6 1/2 games. They’ve also won nine consecutive road games in a single season for the first time since 1998.
“We’re playing well. We’ve got to keep it going,” Boone said. “To find a way to get this one done is big. We’ll enjoy it here for five minutes, and it’s another big one tomorrow. We’re day by day. Let’s go.”
The surge has come against last-place clubs in the Nationals and White Sox, but given the Yanks’ situation — rebounding from squandering what was, as of early June, a commanding division lead — they’ll gladly take wins against whoever they can.
It sets up a true test: can they push the Astros, Blue Jays, Tigers and Red Sox around like this? That opportunity presents itself starting on Tuesday in Houston.
“We can’t focus on other people,” Bellinger said. “We just focus on the guys in this locker room. We have another baseball game tomorrow. I know that’s all we’re focused on.”
For now, they’ll ride the good vibes. Aaron Judge belted his 42nd homer to open scoring in the fourth inning — a promising sign for the captain, who has had a quiet month since returning from a right flexor strain.
Judge’s 429-foot drive to center off right-hander Shane Smith was the 357th of his career, one shy of Yogi Berra (358) for fifth place on the all-time franchise list. Through Saturday, Judge is batting .218 (17-for-78) with eight extra-base hits in 23 August games.
“Good to see that,” Boone said. “He’ll get going. You can’t hold him down too long. A hot streak is around the corner. The fact that we’re swinging the bats well around him right now and getting some W’s is a good thing.”
Austin Wells added a seventh-inning homer, his fourth homer in eight games. His animated dugout celebration, full of fist bumps and palm slaps, stemmed from frustration with earlier at-bats.
“I was holding it in for a couple of innings,” Wells said.
That helped support right-hander Cam Schlittler, who logged at least six innings with eight strikeouts for the third straight start. The hard-throwing rookie said his heater felt “a little bit off,” so he leaned on his cutter and curve to hold Chicago to a run on four hits.
He stayed in after a 102.1 mph Brooks Baldwin liner struck his right forearm in the fifth, later saying he expects only a bruise.
“It got me in the forearm and a little bit of the glove,” Schlittler said. “I wasn’t really concerned. I didn’t really feel it out there. It gave me that extra adrenaline I was looking for.”
Chicago tied it in the seventh when Devin Williams surrendered Chase Meidroth’s RBI single, his first run allowed since Aug. 8.
But the bullpen locked it down from there, highlighted by David Bednar, who twirled two scoreless innings and survived a scare on Lenyn Sosa’s 10th-inning foul ball that nearly ended the game.
“I was blowing to try and help it get foul,” Wells said. “That was a lot of fun to be a part of. Guys that came in the battle of the bullpens were lights out. It just put us in a position to be able to win that game.”
