DYERSVILLE, Iowa — This is how you end a “dream” game.
With a dream home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
After a nightmare top of the ninth.
“It was a dream come true,” said bench coach Miguel Cairo, who filled in for manager Tony La Russa in the White Sox’ 9-8 slugfest victory over the Yankees on Thursday.
Closer Liam Hendriks was roughed up for four runs in the ninth, two on Aaron Judge’s homer and two on Giancarlo Stanton’s go-ahead blast.
“The ultimate high and the ultimate low,” Yanks outfielder Brett Gardner said.
There were eight homers, four by each side. Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez and Seby Zavala preceded Tim Anderson’s walk-off shot with Zavala (walk) on base against left-hander Zack Britton.
“[Anderson is] amazing,” Cairo said. “The energy. He’s a leader. He’s the man.”
Fireworks went off as Anderson circled the bases before being mobbed by teammates at the plate.
“Big games like this are the time to show up,” said Anderson, who also doubled in a run in the third inning. “Being able to walk this one off was one of the best moments of my career.”
With baseballs flying out to all fields at the cozy Field ballpark — 335 feet to the foul poles, 380 to the power alleys and 400 to center with a high well — the Sox used the long ball to build a 7-3 lead. The Yankees used it, too, nicking Hendriks for the closer’s ninth and 10th homers allowed this season.
Lance Lynn allowed four runs in five-plus innings. Michael Kopech got out of a jam left by Lynn in the sixth, and Aaron Bummer pitched out of Kopech’s jam in the seventh. Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless eighth.
La Russa was attending the funeral of his brother-in-law in Tampa, Florida, and planned to watch the game on TV. He certainly liked what he saw.
“I’ve got his back,” Cairo said. “He preaches family, and right now he’s with his family. His second family is here, and now we have to do it for him.”
Pitching through pain
Sox starters got extra rest shortly after the All-Star break, and there’s probably more of that to come. “Dead arm” issues are part of the rigors of pitching through 30 starts.
“Everybody is different when it is, too,” Lynn said. “Guys have different spots and different times of the year when they feel things. I would say the older you get, the more you get used to it, so you have less of them than the young guys.”
Lynn said he feels good “maybe five starts out of 30.”
“You’re never pain-free,” he said. “You throw a baseball for a living. It’s one of those things you get used to, and some days are worse than others.”
Carlos Rodon went on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with shoulder fatigue, but in his case, it’s more than a “dead arm,” and a shutdown was needed.
This and that
Adam Engel left the game with right groin tightness. He is day-to-day.
u With his 221st homer, Abreu tied Harold Baines for third on the Sox’ all-time list.
u Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed there will be a second Field of Dreams game next year but didn’t indicate which teams would play when asked about Cubs manager David Ross insinuating his team would be in it.
