For the eighth time in the last nine years, the New York Yankees are going to the postseason, clinching their 2025 berth on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium behind Jose Caballero’s walk-off single in a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.
The Yankees (89-68) moved within one game of the American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, who fell to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.
Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the ninth, momentum from Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells’ lead-off singles was stymied when Trent Grisham bounced into a double play. But Aaron Judge was intentionally walked for the second time on the night, Cody Bellinger walked, and Volpe scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.
Caballero then worked a nine-pitch at-bat against Chicago reliever Brandon Eisert before blooping the game-winning single to center, which scored Judge from second.
Yankees starter Luis Gil put forth a strong outing in his audition for a postseason rotation spot, allowing two runs on four hits in six innings of work. But his 1-0 lead created by Wells’ RBI double in the second inning was canceled out when he yielded a two-run home run in the sixth to Colson Montgomery.
White Sox rookie starter Shane Smith allowed just one run on five hits in five innings with four walks and eight strikeouts.
This was just the second time in 61 games that the Yankees won a game in which they were trailing after eight innings. The reward for that is their 60th postseason appearance in team history.
