The Chicago White Sox’s stunning victory over the New York Yankees marked the second-biggest betting upset of the MLB season. Entering the game with the worst record in baseball and having lost 24 of their last 25 games, the White Sox were not the team many expected to turn the tides. Their performance this season had left fans and bettors alike skeptical of their chances.
However, everything changed on that fateful Monday.
Chicago’s remarkable 12-2 win against New York surprised everyone and was one of the largest betting upsets of the season.
From a money line perspective, this upset was significant, as the Yankees entered the matchup with -360 odds to win. This made it the second-largest upset of the year.
The only upset that topped this one was the Washington Nationals’ 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 15, where the Dodgers had -432 odds to win (according to the Action Network).
Notably, the Yankees became the first team since 2017 to lose a game by at least 10 runs while holding at least -350 odds on the money line (per Bleacher Report Betting).
This unexpected win seemingly came out of nowhere for the 29-91 White Sox, who were trailing the league by a staggering 15 games. The Yankees, in contrast, entered the game tied for the best record in Major League Baseball. Chicago had recently endured a 21-game losing streak, tying the American League record for the longest losing streak before finally breaking it the week prior.
Many bettors anticipated an easy victory for New York. The Yankees were the most heavily wagered team at DraftKings Sportsbook on both the run line (-1.5) and the moneyline on Monday (according to the Action Network).
Star player Aaron Judge attracted significant attention from bettors, being the most bet-on player to hit a home run (+160), record a hit (-265), and achieve at least one RBI (-115) in MLB games on that day.
Gavin Sheets delivered an impressive performance, matching his career-high with four hits and driving in four runs. Teammates Korey Lee and Brooks Baldwin also contributed by hitting home runs during the game.
Lee’s two-run homer came in the fourth inning against Yankees starter Luis Gil, while Baldwin capped a six-run seventh inning with a three-run blast against Enyel De Los Santos, extending the score to 11-2.
Sheets showcased his skills with RBI doubles in the first, fifth, and seventh innings, while also scoring on a single by Dominic Fletcher and adding another single in the eighth.
Judge did manage to double in a run in the first inning against rookie Ky Bush and came close to hitting his 300th home run. However, the Yankees struggled significantly, going 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position and stranding 16 players on base.
“Yeah, they’re one of the worst teams, if you want to put it that way, but these guys are still big leaguers,” commented Alex Verdugo, who scored a run. “They can still have days where they’re clicking. We saw it today, a lot of their guys 3 for 4, 3 for 4. These guys can still have good days. We’ve got to just do a better job of coming out and cashing in those runs that we had on base, kind of step on them early.”
Bush, in his second major league start, allowed two runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old left-hander struggled with control, walking seven and throwing 97 pitches after losing his debut the previous week in Oakland.
Touki Toussaint (1-2) secured the win in relief, recording four outs.
Gil (12-6) struggled, throwing 98 pitches in four innings and allowing four runs and seven hits while walking two.
