Exactly what the Yankees envisioned.
From the time they acquired Aroldis Chapman last December, the Bombers pictured a devastating back end of the bullpen, with Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller preceding the fire-throwing lefthander to the mound.
For the first time since Chapman came off his suspension last Monday, Joe Girardi was able to deploy all three in the same game and the results were predicable.
Dellin Betances came on with two outs in the sixth and struck out four straight, giving way to Miller, who allowed a hit but struck out two in a scoreless eighth.
Chapman, called on for the first time to protect a one-run lead as a Yankee, fanned two in the ninth to preserve a 2-1 victory in front of 39,691 the Stadium.
Chapman, again getting the crowd buzzing with his 100-mph-plus fastball, earned his second save.
The threesome combined to strike out eight over 3 1/3 innings.
The Yankees (15-20), in improving to 6-3 on a 10-game homestand, beat White Sox stud Jose Quintana.
The lefthander, formerly of both the Mets and Yankees organizations who came in 5-1 with a 1.38 ERA, allowed two runs and five hits over seven innings.
Ivan Nova (2-1), making his second start in place of the injured CC Sabathia, was terrific, allowing one run and four hits over 5 2/3 innings.
The Yankees scored all of their runs with two outs in the second. Quintana walked Chase Headley and Aaron Hicks jumped on a 0-and-1 fastball and drove it over Adam Eaton’s head in right for an RBI double. The hit improved Hicks to 10-for-27 on the homestand. Didi Gregorius followed and, swinging first pitch, slapped an RBI single to right to make it 2-0.
The White Sox (24-13) caught a break when Austin Romine rifled a shot to right-center but Gregorius had to stay at third as the ball hopped into the Yankees’ bullpen for a ground-rule double.
Nova, who stranded a runner in each of the first two innings, provided a shutdown inning, needing 12 pitches to retire the White Sox in order.
After Melky Cabrera’s leadoff single in the second, Nova retired seven straight, a streak Todd Frazier ended with his 12th homer of the season. The third baseman torpedoed a first-pitch fastball to left-center, making it 2-1.
After a perfect, 10-pitch fifth, Nova took the mound in the sixth at just 59 pitches. But already looking ahead, Girardi had Betances warming. Nova retired Jimmy Rollins and Jose Abreu to start the inning but walked Frazier.
Girardi quickly popped out of the dugout, who summoned Betances to face Cabrera. The former Yankee battled Betances for eight pitches before striking out swinging at a full-count curveball.
..... - Newsday