White Sox defeat Yankees 4-3 to gain series split

Willy Garcia, subbing for the injured Avisail Garcia in right field, drove in two runs with a double in the fourth inning, and James Shields bounced back from his only bad start of the season to lead the White Sox past the Yankees 4-3 late Thursday night.

Rain delayed the start of the game to 10 p.m., and the finale of a four-game series which saw the Sox (34-44) gain a split ended at 1:01 a.m. Friday.

Shields pitched a season high 6 1/3 innings, exiting in the seventh in favor of left-hander Dan Jennings leading 4-3. Shields allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out two after the veteran right-hander was roughed for six runs in three innings Saturday against the A’s.

“I was a little inconsistent throughout but I made some pitches when I had to,” Shields (2-1, 3.98 ERA) said. “The outfield did a phenomenal job. Melky’s catch and [rookie center fielder Adam] Engel was tracking down balls left and right.”

Avisail Garcia (sore left knee) will likely miss the opener of the Sox’ weekend series against the Rangers Friday night. Willy Garcia, batting ninth in the lineup, knocked in Yolmer Sanchez and Adam Engel with his double against Yankees right-hander Luis Cessa.

The Sox scored two in the second, one on Engel’s fly ball headed toward the corner that right fielder Rob Refsnyder couldn’t glove, allowing Sanchez to score. Omar Narvaez followed with a single to left scoring Engel.

Refsnyder had replaced Dustin Fowler, who left the game after suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee. Fowler was making his major league debut and was scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday night.

Anthony Swarzak pitched a scoreless eighth and David Robertson struck out major league home run leader Aaron Judge with the tying run on first base for the final out and his 12th save.

Jennings intentionally walked Judge, representing the tying run, with two outs and nobody on in the seventh, a show of respect by manager Rick Renteria for the 22-year-old Judge.

Didi Gregorius then grounded out to end the inning.

Left fielder Melky Cabrera threw out Ronald Torreyes trying to stretch a single into a double in the fourth and took extra bases away from Judge in the fifth when he backed up to the fence and leaped up to make a catch. Cabrera turned around and looked into the stands as if the ball had gone over the fence for a home run before turning around and throwing the ball back in.

“I thought it was a home run because he didn’t show the ball right away,” Shields said.

“That was the way that it goes,” Cabrera said through an interpreter. “It was the reaction at the moment. I had a very good read and judged it at the precise moment.”