Jon Berti hits first Yankees home run to spur seventh straight victory
Jon Berti of the Yankees celebrates his fourth-inning three-run home run against the White Sox at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
One thing is almost certain about Jon Berti’s first home run as a Yankee.
John Sterling’s call likely would have included the line “Bye, Bye, Berti.”
The third baseman’s three-run shot was the pivotal blow in the Yankees’ 7-2 victory over the White Sox on Sunday
But with Sterling retired, Yankees fans will have to enjoy the moment without a signature home run call. And given that Berti’s hit broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning and powered the Yankees (33-15) to a sweep and their seventh straight win, that’s probably OK with them.
Berti’s homer off former Mets righthander Chris Flexen traveled 366 feet to right-centerfield at Yankee Stadium. It would have been a home run in only one other MLB ballpark — Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
But the 5-10, 190-pound Berti outmuscled 6-7, 282-pound teammate Aaron Judge, who added a two-run wall-scraper to right in the fifth for his 13th home run of the season.
“It felt good off the bat, but I didn’t know if I got enough of it,” said Berti, whom the Yankees acquired in a trade with the Marlins on the eve of Opening Day. “Fortunately, it had enough. I think it might have been an out in Miami, obviously. A lot more fun for it to be a homer.”
Judge’s hit traveled 339 feet and would not have been a homer anywhere other than the Bronx.
The Yankees actually trailed in this game — rare for them lately, as they have won 13 of 15 — when Chicago (14-33) scored two in the second against Carlos Rodon. Corey Julks homered to left, and after a walk, Zach Remillard smacked an RBI triple off the bottom of the leftfield wall.
Catcher Jose Trevino made an alert play later in the frame as he picked off Remillard at third base for the final out of the inning. Trevino pointed to first to appeal a checked swing before firing to Berti, who applied the tag.
“I think we’re just getting those powers being locker buddies,” Trevino joked. “We decided to connect like that.”
Said Berti: “Just something between Trevi and I. Something that I wish I was able to be here for spring training and kind of get to know guys throughout that process, but over the last month or so getting to know my teammates more both on the field and off the field, so we can do things like that.”
That was all the runs allowed by Rodon (5-2, 3.27 ERA), who manager Aaron Boone said was “under the weather” this past week. The lefthander struck out six in six innings and allowed four hits and two walks. He threw 99 pitches.
Boone said he thought about removing Rodon after five innings, but Rodon had other ideas and ended his stint by striking out Korey Lee to end the sixth.
Rodon, who was drafted by the White Sox and pitched his first seven seasons for Chicago, said it was “a big deal” to beat his old team in his first career outing against them.
“I definitely wanted to beat them,” he said. “I’m sure they wanted to beat me as well. I know a lot of guys over there.”
Trevino tied the score at 2 in the bottom of the second inning with a two-run single off Flexen (2-4, 5.48 ERA).
Trevino nearly extended the Yankees’ lead in the sixth but was robbed of a home run when Julks scaled the leftfield wall and brought the ball back into play.
“Oof,” Trevino said. “Great play by Corey Julks out there. Would have been nice, but I’ll take the single, two RBIs and the win.”
Notes & quotes: Tommy Kahnle threw a perfect inning with two strikeouts and DJ LeMahieu reached base all four times (single, three walks) in a rehab game at Double-A Somerset. Boone said Kahnle could be activated as soon as Wednesday . . . Michael Tonkin, the leading candidate to be removed from the major-league roster for Kahnle, threw 48 pitches in 2 1⁄3 innings of scoreless relief on Sunday. Tonkin has been designated for assignment three times this season — twice by the Mets (who brought him back and then DFA’d him again) and once by the Twins (for whom he pitched one game in between Mets stints).
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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