Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes combined to limit the Chicago Cubs to just four hits as the New York Yankees secured a 2-0 victory on Saturday, marking their second consecutive shutout. The Yankees’ catcher, Austin Wells, contributed with an RBI and threw out two runners attempting to steal. With this win, New York (82-60) has clinched their 32nd straight winning season.
The Cubs (72-70) were blanked for the third time in four games and have been shut out 15 times this season. They were also held to one hit in a 3-0 loss to the Yankees in the series opener on Friday. Schmidt, returning from a right lat strain, pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits with one walk and two strikeouts on 75 pitches. Cortes (9-10) then completed the shutout with 4 1/3 hitless innings, marking New York’s 13th shutout of the year.
The Yankees scored their first run in the first inning. Gleyber Torres led off with a single, Juan Soto walked, and both moved up on a wild pitch. After Aaron Judge struck out, Wells drove in Torres with a groundout. Torres has now hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games and reached base in 30 of his last 31.
New York added another run in the sixth inning. Judge walked, advanced to second on an infield single by Jazz Chisholm Jr., and then scored on a double steal that ended with a throwing error by Christian Bethancourt. Judge went 0-for-3 with a walk and extended his streak to 11 games without a home run, his longest of the season.
Javier Assad (7-5) took the loss for the Cubs, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits over 5 2/3 innings, with three walks and five strikeouts. Chicago’s best scoring chance came in the fifth inning when Patrick Wisdom tripled with two outs, but he was stranded as Cortes got Bethancourt to fly out.
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