Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox 9/24

The New York Yankees are back at home in the Bronx ready to play host to the Chicago White Sox for the final four times this season. The Yankees will see the inside of Yankee Stadium at least nine more times this season, eight times during this home stand and one more potential playoff game, and the team will look to make the best of it starting tonight against the White Sox. New York is a much better home team than they are an away team, although I feel supremely confident in the team’s ability to go out on the road and win a game as well, so these eight games will definitely make or break the team’s AL East Division hopes. Tonight the Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound to face off with the White Sox ace Chris Sale. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV.

• Pineda will look to once again harness some of those Big Mike XXL powers tonight against the Chicago White Sox. Pineda pitched quite well in his last start against the New York Mets and will look to keep that momentum going all the way into the postseason. Pineda will not have to worry about being pinch hit for tonight so expect more than 80 or so pitches this time around. 

• Sale heads into this start needing just 11 strikeouts to break the Chicago White Sox franchise record for most strikeouts in a single season. Ed Walsh struck out 269 batters in 1908 for the White Sox. Sale is also just four K’s away from 1,000 in his career. Sale has struck out batters with great effenciency this season but his 4.66 ERA over his last 12 starts and 21 home runs allowed this season at least gives the Yankees a chance tonight in the Bronx.

The Yankees finish the regular season with four games at home with the Chicago White Sox, four games at home with the Boston Red Sox and three games out on the road against the Baltimore Orioles. No more Toronto, no more Houston and no more Texas. These eight games will 100% decide whether the team wins the division, makes the playoffs as a Wild Card team and whether the team will host a playoff series or have to win one out on the road. Despite the way it looks the division race is far from over and despite the way it looks this team is far from dead. Go Yankees!