Mid-May had not been kind at this juncture for the 2000 Yankees. After a walk-off win against Tampa Bay on the 9th of the month, the Yankees had suddenly lost four consecutive games, suffering a sweep in Detroit, and were now looking up in the East standings for the first time since April 12. They were now returning home after the miserable set in the Motor City, but things would not play out much better in their return against the surprising first-place White Sox.
May 16: Yankees 0, White Sox 4 (box score)
Record: 22-14 (1.0 GB in AL East)
Orlando Hernández was on the bump for the Yankees in this one, and ultimately took the loss despite his more-than-adequate effort. Things started on the right note as well, as El Duque twirled a couple of effortless 1-2-3 innings in the first and second, though the Yankee bats couldn’t make any noise either — something that would become the theme of the evening.
The White Sox were able to get their first pair of runners on base in the third inning, though the righty was able to avoid any trouble, and bounced back with another spotless frame in the fourth, which included his first K of the night. Unfortunately, Chicago’s Cal Eldred matched Hernández every step of the way. Although the Yankees were able to get a runner on in each of the first three frames, Eldred kept them out of the run column.
Still a scoreless ballgame, the White Sox made their first move in the fifth inning. With one out, a 23-year-old Carlos Lee belted a 1-1 pitch from Hernández for towering home run into the left field seats. The solo shot, El Caballo’s eighth of the season, put his squad up for a lead that was not relinquished.
In the bottom half of that inning, the Yankees had their chance when a single, hit-by-pitch, and a walk had the bases loaded with two outs for Paul O’Neill. Sadly, the veteran could only muster a lazy fly ball into left field, putting an end to their best chance of the evening.
Eldred finished his night for the White Sox going six scoreless innings, while his counterparts with the bats added some insurance thanks to an RBI double from former Yankee farmhand Chris Singleton in the top of the seventh. That would be the end of the blemishes for Hernández, who turned in eight strong innings of two-run ball, although fortune would never turn his way as the Yankees’ lineup failed to back him up. This would wind up being a second consecutive disappointing outcome for the Yankee righty, with his last being a complete-game loss, in which he only allowed one run against the Rays.
The Yankees couldn’t make anything of a Bernie Williams walk in the eighth, and Mariano Rivera allowed a rare pair of runs during his outing in the top half of the ninth (even mixing in an elusive leadoff walk). Down 4-0 in their last licks, The Yankees finished this game in a whimper, with Jorge Posada, Shane Spencer, and Scott Brosius going down 1-2-3 against future Red Sox closer Keith Foulke.
This was the fifth straight loss for the 2000 Yankees, and after playing some more-than-solid ball through the early stages of the season, they were suddenly out of first place and had a losing streak to halt. These tests are important ones for good teams, and this is one that the 2000 Yanks would find a way to pass.
Read the full 2000 Yankees Diary series here.