NBA Champs Brunson & Hart Sparkle Blistering Yank Attack. NY 10 ChiSox 5

June 19, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
Cody Bellinger 2-run HR gives Yanks 2-0 lead in 1st inning.

Newly crowned NBA Champs Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart simultaneously threw out the first ball, and that Knick magic kept wearing off on the Yankee offense — as NY blistered the ChiSox 10-5 on a beautiful Wednesday night in the Bronx.

The Yankee offense continues to bash opponents, even with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on the sidelines.

Cody Bellinger went 3-4 with a 2-run HR, Anthony Volpe tripled in a run, Jose Caballero drove in 2 runs, Paul Goldschmidt went 2-5 with a 3-run HR, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a solo HR.

This time NY gave Carlos Rodon all the runs he needed to go 3-2 3.50 — despite Rodon coughing up a 3-run HR to Colson Montgomery in the 3rd to turn a 4-0 Yankee lead into a 4-3 game. The Yanks plated 5 runs in the 5th — capped by the Goldschmidt HR — to make it a 9-3 blowout.

Montgomery — the young superstar shortstop for the ChiSox — hit a 2nd HR in the 8th off Paul Blackburn to make it a 10-4 game.

“When everyone’s playing a role and you’re getting meaningful contributions from everyone and you’re winning baseball games, that leads to good times,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards — talking about the Yankees although it sounded like he could be talking about the Knicks.

“Thought his stuff was really good,” said Boone about Rodon. “Fastball life; good profile to it; secondary was good. Got into a little trouble; they made him work. Colson Montgomery had some great at bats against him. The first AB was probably a dozen pitches there to get out of the 1st so right out of the shoot he’s at 26 pitches in that 1st inning. Then Montgomery hits the 2-strike hanging slider out of the park. But made enough pitches; had some swing and miss going — what did he strike out 7 or 8 — I thought stuff-wise he was pretty good.”

NY improves to 45-27, and move to 3.5 games ahead of Tampa in 1st place in the AL East. Chicago falls to 38-34, still in a 1st place tie with Cleveland in the AL Central.

1. NBA Champs Brunson & Hart Toss Out 1st Ball

Jalen Brunson — NBA Finals MVP — and Josh Hart of the newly crowned NBA Championship NY Knicks simultaneously threw out the 1st ball — Brunson throwing it left-handed and Hart throwing it right-handed. Josh Hart is of course Elston Howard‘s nephew and a huge Yankee fan. Brunson was born in New Brunswick, NJ.

2. Bellinger HR Puts NY Up 2-0 Over Yankee/Knick Fan Kay

ChiSox starter Anthony Kay is a 31-year-old, 6’0 lefty starter who was born in Stony Brook, NY and was a huge Yankee fan and Knick fan as a kid.

He was originally drafted by the Mets in the 1st round of the 2016 draft, then traded to Toronto as the main prospect for Yankee/Mets/Knick fan Marcus Stroman. Kay spent 4 years in Toronto’s pen before being waived and spent a season with the Cubs and Mets in 2023, then 2 years out of MLB in Yokohama, Japan where he ‘found’ himself (8-9 3.28 and 9-6 1.74 in 2024 and 2025, respectively).

Kay signed with the White Sox this winter and had a very tough April, but turned it around and came into this game with a 6-1 4.34 record. He relies on pristine control to get lots of ground ball outs.

But the Knick magic appeared funneled to the hometown Yankees as Amed Rosario hit a 1-out double in the bottom of the 1st off Kay, and Cody Bellinger — who grew up a huge Yankee fan in LA, and is currently a big Knick fan — followed with a 2-run HR to right. NY 2 ChiSox 0.

3. Knick-Fan Volpe RBI Triple Highlights 2-Run 2nd

The Yanks kept the full court attack on Kay going in the 2nd inning — with Jose Caballero reaching on a hit-by-pitch, and Anthony Volpe — who grew up in Watchung, New Jersey as a huge Yankee and Knick fan — tripped to left center for a 3-0 Yankee lead.

Ali Sanchez — the Yankee right-handed-hitting catcher these days — followed with an RBI single to right for a 4-0 Yankee lead.

4. Rodon Good — Sans the 3-Run HR to Montgomery

Carlos Rodon looked good, again. And Carlos Rodon got rocked for a HR ball, again.

Some of it not his fault as the lively ball these days begets lots of HR’s — everyone and their mother hits 20 HR’s these days, and all the strikeouts begets low batting averages.

Rodon was looking sharp with a 4-0 lead in the 3rd when he allowed consecutive singles to 2nd baseman (and leadoff batter) Chase Meidroth and former Yankee Randall Grichuk (batting 2nd and hitting .306). Rodon struck out a batter for the 2nd out, but was touched by a 3-run bomb to right center by young superstar Colson Montgomery. NY 4 ChiSox 3.

Rodon then struck out the next batter to end the 3rd, and struck out 3 batters in the 4th after a leadoff single.

Rodon — nursing a 4-3 lead — allowed a leadoff double to Meidroth in the 5th — but then got out of it with a groundout to 3rd to hold the runner, fly out to center, and groundout (of Colson Montgomery) to shortstop on his 99th pitch of the game.

5. Goldy Blast Breaks It Open in 5-Run Yankee 5th

The White Sox brought in 33-year-old, 6’5 lefty Sean Newcomb for the bottom of the 5th. Newcomb was born in Brockton, Massachusetts and was not a Yankee fan and not a Knick fan growing up. He was a huge Red Sox fan and was immediately pelted by the Yanks.

Yankee/Knick fan Cody Bellinger led off with a single, and Jasson Dominguez doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out.

Jose Caballero — who is kind of like the Yankees’ Jose Alvarado — followed with a 1-out, 2-RBI single to right for a 6-3 Yankee lead.

Volpe grounded out back to Newcomb and Chicago brought in 27-year-old, 6’2 righty Tyler Davis from Webster, Texas — which is midway between Houston and Galveston.

Tyler Davis‘s father is John Davis — a former MLB’er who played for KC, the White Sox, and San Diego before retiring before Tyler was born. Tyler’s grandfather is Millard Davis, who played NBA ball for the St. Louis Hawks in 1957-58.

The Brunson/Hart magic worked on Davis too, as Ali Sanchez greeted him with a single to right, and Paul Goldschmidt hit a 3-run Bomb to right for a 9-3 Yankee lead.

6. Chisholm HR Makes It 10-3 NY in 7th

Trevor Richards, a 6’2 righty out of Aviston, Illinois came on for the 7th and Jazz Chisholm Jr. who grew up a huge Yankees fan in the Bahamas. Chisholm rocked Richards with a 398-foot HR to right center for a 10-3 Yankee lead.

7. Blackburn Good — But Allows 2nd HR to Montgomery

Paul Blackburn — who grew up in California — relieved Rodon and pitched a shutout 6th but allowed a solo HR to Colson Montgomery in the 7th for a 10-4 game. It was Montgomery’s 19th HR of the yr and 2nd of the game.

8. Bird Finishes — Allows HR for Final Score

Blackburn got an out in the 8th before being relieved by Brent Headrick who got the last 2 outs.

Greg Bird pitched the 9th, allowing a leadoff HR to leftfielder Sam Antonacci to make it a 10-5 game, before getting groundout, strikeout, and fly out for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401815789

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