Yankees Get Screwed In the Smog In Doubleheader Opener

The dangerous air quality from the smog caused by the Quebec wildfire postponed last night's home games for the Yankees, the New York Liberty (even though they play home games indoors, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn), Gotham FC (the National Women's Soccer League team, formerly Sky Blue FC, who play at Red Bull Arena); and, one metro area over, the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The Yankees announced a single-admission doubleheader with the Chicago White Sox for today, and the improved air quality has made it possible. Things are supposed to be considerably better tomorrow and Saturday. 

Still, Governor Kathy Hochul, with the final word over the New York Racing Association, and thus over Belmont Park, is considering tbe possibility of postponing the Belmont Stakes, set for Saturday.

Luis Severino started today's opener for the Yankees. In the top of the 2nd inning, he gave up a home run to Jake Burger (not to be confused with Yankee outfielder Jake Bauers), and the South Siders had a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees tied it in the bottom of the 2nd with a triple by Scranton callup Billy McKinney, a double by Kyle Higashioka, and a single by Willie Calhoun. But Severino gave up a pair of solo homers in the 3rd, to Luis Robert Jr. and Yoan Moncada, to make it 4-2 Chicago.

Higashioka reached on an error in the 4th, and Calhoun hit a home run to tie the game. The Yankees took the lead in the 5th, when Bauers doubled and Oswaldo Cabrera singled him home. But Michael King, who'd been really good lately, gave up a 2-run homer to Eloy Jiménez in the 7th, and it was 6-5 Pale Hose.

In the bottom of the 9th, Josh Donaldson drew a leadoff walk, and was removed for pinch-runner Anthony Volpe. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a grounder that was mishandled by 2nd baseman Romy González, putting the tying run on 2nd and the winning run on 1st with nobody out. Gleyber Torres hit a drive down the right field line, but it was just 8 feet foul. He then popped up.

Anthony Rizzo grounded into a double play to end the game. But Aaron Boone challenged the call, and White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson's foot was definitely off 2nd base when he got the throw from González. So it should have been tying run on 3rd, winning run on 2nd with 2 outs. The umpires lied, and called IKF out, anyway.

Now, there's no guarantee that the next batter would have gotten a hit. But it was Giancarlo Stanton, and how nice would it have been for Yankee Fans, dealing with this smog for 3 days, to get a walkoff home run? Or at least a hit.

But the umpires lied. And so, White Sox 6, Yankees 5. WP: Gregory Santos (2-0). SV: Kendall Graveman (6). LP: King (1-2).

The nightcap starts half an hour later. Randy Vásquez will start for the Yankees, Mike Clevinger for the ChiSox.

Air Quality & Yankee Quality Both Bad

The Yankees started a homestand last night, against the Chicago White Sox, with the haze from a wildfire in Quebec drifting over the Northeast, causing New York City's worst air quality since the 1960s. People not used to seeing the sky that color, the skyscrapers that shrouded in smog, or the air that dirty and hard to breathe, compared it to apocalyptic movies.

For those of us who do remember the 1970s and '80s, when the joke was that the crosswalk signs switched from saying "WALK" and "DON'T WALK" to "BREATHE" and "DON'T BREATHE," it was an unfortunate reminder of what life was like before the Environmental Protection Agency and its safeguards kicked in.

To make matters worse, before the game, the Yankees put Aaron Judge on the 10-Day Injured List, because of the toe he injured making that catch against the Dodger Stadium gate. And Nestor Cortés was put on the 15-Day Injured List. So the Yankees not only went into this series without them, but will also be going into the weekend series against the hated Boston Red Sox without Judge, Harrison Bader, reliever Jonathan Loáisiga, and 3 guys who were supposed to be in the starting rotation: Cortés, Carlos Rodón and Frankie Montas.

Clarke Schmidt started last night, and allowed only 1 run over the 1st 4 innings. But he allowed 2 in the 5th, before finishing the 6th. But it didn't matter much, since the Yankees didn't hit. Lucas Giolito pitched 6 no-hit innings. ChiSox manager Pedro Grifol handled it the way Brian Cashman would have had Aaron Boone handle it: He saw that Giolito had thrown 100 pitches, and threw his chance at baseball immortality out the window, and brought in a relief pitcher, Joe Kelly.

Kelly struck out the 1st 2 batters he faced. But he walked Willie Calhoun, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa doubled Calhoun home. Jose Trevino singled, but Calhoun could only get to 3rd base, and Jake Bauers grounded out.

The Yankees went down 1-2-3 in the 8th. Josh Donaldson led off the 9th with a home run, but 3 straight groundouts sealed the Yankees' defeat. White Sox 3, Yankees 2. WP: Giolito (5-4). SV: Liam Hendriks (1). LP: Schmidt (2-6).

The series continues tonight. As of 1:00 this afternoon, the Yankees had not chosen a starting pitcher, but it will likely be Jhony Brito. Lance Lynn will start for the Pale Hose.