NEW YORK — Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable never got a chance to play in Yankee Stadium — the new version or the classic one — during his nine-year career.
But Venable knows what playing in this ballpark means to a young team like his, a group that’s brimming in confidence and walking the walk.
“It’s amazing,” Venable said before Tuesday night’s game against the Yankees. “I mean, it’s the Yankees. It’s as historic an organization as there is, and all the people who have worn that jersey, the history and what it means, is awesome. It’s a great place to come and play baseball.”
The Yankees played the “House of the Dragon” theme song in their pregame video introducing the players, just in case anyone forgot where they were. In keeping with the promotion, the Sox players’ photos on the video board cast them as villains wearing black and eye patches.
It was a weird disconnect considering the Yankees are the so-called Evil Empire and the Sox are this year’s Cinderella story, but that’s New York.
The Sox actually couldn’t have chosen a better time to be in New York. The Knicks just won their first NBA title in 53 years and will celebrate with a parade in Manhattan on Thursday. France and Senegal played a World Cup match on Tuesday at Giants Stadium, which technically is in New Jersey. And Aaron Judge remained out of the Yankees lineup with a stress fracture of his right rib, removing one of the game’s biggest stars from the series.
Column: Déjà vu all over again as a young Chicago White Sox team on a roll heads to Yankee Stadium
But even with Judge out, the Sox refused to hold the Yankees, or the ballpark, in awe.
After taking batting practice Tuesday afternoon, Sox rookie first baseman Jacob Gonzalez said it was nothing that made him think he was in baseball Valhalla.
“I was a Dodgers fan growing up,” Gonzalez said. “So Dodger Stadium will probably be the one where I’m like, ‘That’s pretty sick.’ But I’d never been here, so, yeah, it’s cool.”
It still has the aura, of course, thanks to the old Yankees stars. Rookie right fielder Braden Mongomery, whose first week in the majors was a whirlwind in Chicago, was excited to get a chance to see what it was all about.
“Certainly looking forward to it,” Montgomery said. “I grew up watching Derek Jeter, so it’s my first time inside Yankee Stadium.”
There’s no lack of self-assurance in the Sox clubhouse, which was obvious on Sunday when they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers after nearly being no-hit by Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday.
The Sox came into the Bronx with a 32-19 record since April 17, the second-best record in the American League behind the Yankees, who were 33-18. They say they knew it all along, and who can doubt that?
Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox, who is on the injured list, throws on the field before a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 16, 2026, in New York City. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Venable said “seeing this team identity grow” over the last couple of months is what’s most important. Winning is a byproduct of that growth.
“Obviously going out there and proving it is a completely different thing,” starter Erick Fedde said. “But I guess the guys in here aren’t shocked at the way we’ve been playing. Like I said, with this stretch of quality teams and opponents, we’re putting the league a little bit more on notice.”
Not everything is hunky-dory. The Sox received some bad news Tuesday from Triple-A Charlotte, where top pitching prospect Hagen Smith was shut down for two weeks with left shoulder impingement. He’ll spend another two weeks ramping back up, meaning he’ll be out at least a month.
Only last week the Sox were considering calling up Smith to join the rotation. Now he’s out for a long stretch and will have to get back in a groove before a potential call-up.
How much concern is there?
“However much you want to characterize the concern,” Venable replied. “There’s enough to shut him down for two weeks.”
On my concern-o-meter, I’d rate it more than mild, and less than grave.
Meanwhile, starter Noah Schulltz, who is out with right knee patellar tendinitis, began a rehab stint Tuesday at Charlotte, along with catcher Kyle Teel, whose importance can’t be understated. But Schultz was the fifth starter until his injury, and his replacement, David Sandlin, was demoted to Charlotte after three starts.
General manager Chris Getz is going to have to find another option for Saturday’s start in Detroit.
But the Sox aren’t looking too far ahead, especially with the Yankees in focus. The Sox’s pregame clubhouse Tuesday was crowded with New York media members trying to find out how they’ve managed to shock the league.
Maybe the answer is they’re not shocking at all.
“I think you should stop thinking of us as a surprise just because we are consistently winning, consistently in every game,” shortstop Colson Montgomery said Sunday. “It doesn’t matter what team it is, we are not going to overlook them.”
Apologies to Montgomery, but the definition of a surprise is something that happens without warning. Other than the players themselves, no one expected the Sox would be good enough to be in a first-place showdown with the Yankees in mid-June.
The trick now is to keep it going. Falling back under .500 at the break would suggest they weren’t such a surprise after all. But the Sox don’t seem to accept that possibility. That’s the beauty of being young and brash and not caring what others think.
Maybe Maya Angelou said it best in her poem, “Still I Rise.”
“Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.”
As the Sox keep on laughing and digging. What will they find?