CHICAGO — Shortly before the Yankees began a threegame series against the White Sox, manager Aaron Boone was asked what it’s like to play a 2891 team that’s on pace to finish with the worst record MLB has ever seen.“Is it tough coming into a series where if you win, you’re supposed to win against a team that’s historically bad, and if you lose, it’s catastrophic?” a reporter wondered.“You know, when we don’t win, it’s usually catastrophic,” Boone said, a quip that referenced how some can overreact any time the Yankees lose. “When we do win, it is what it is. We’re on a mission to try and be a great team, to be a championship team, and most of us have been around long enough to know that every night you set foot on a big league diamond, you’re capable of losing and you’re capable of winning. Ultimately, it comes down to you gotta play well.“If we play well, we should put ourselves in a good position.”The Yankees did not play well on Monday, nor did they put themselves in a good position. Instead, the owners of one of baseball’s better records humiliated themselves against the bottom-feeding White Sox, losing 12-2.The White Sox had gone 3-27 in their last 30 games, a stretch that saw them fire manager Pedro Grifol after tying an American League record with 21 straight losses.The evening actually started on a positive note for the Bombers, as an Aaron Judge double gave them a quick run in the opening frame. But Luis Gil allowed two in his first inning of work, as ex-Yankee Andrew Benintendi and Gavin Sheets hit their own RBI doubles.Korey Lee then smoked a 407-foot solo shot in the fourth before Nicky Lopez singled a run home.In addition to four earned runs, Gil totaled seven hits, two walks, three strikeouts and 98 pitches over four innings. With the Yankees’ bullpen spent after a busy Sunday, the righty offered his shortest start since July 2.Following Gil’s departure, ex-White Sox reliever Tim Hill surrendered another RBI double to Sheets. The first baseman added yet another run-scoring two-bagger in the seventh before Dominic Fletcher produced a run with a single.Chicago didn’t stop there, though, as Corey Julks lined an RBI single before Brooks Baldwin smoked a three-run homer. The White Sox totaled six runs in the seventh; all were charged to Enyel De Los Santos.They ...
