CHICAGO –– It was no surprise that Thursday’s game required a big night for the White Sox offense. Whether the team that scored just one run in its last game or 56 in its previous eight would show up was the bigger question.

Because in the opposing dugout stood the New York Yankees, who entered the series opener ranked first in MLB in home runs (225), slugging percentage (.456), OPS (.788) wRC+ (118) and (WAR (28.1) and second in runs (692). They lived up to their reputation, as Cody Bellinger slugged a two-run home run after an Aaron Judge walk in the first inning, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a solo shot in the second –– both players’ 26th home runs of the season.

“It’s a relentless lineup, there’s no doubt about it,” White Sox starter Davis Martin said. “They built it to be that way. They built it for one through nine to have power and to be able to beat you. So yeah, I think I was just trying to make a good pitch to Judge and just doing too much. Solo shots don’t beat you, two-run bombs do.”

First baseman Miguel Vargas made sure the White Sox didn’t go away quietly, tying the Bronx Bombers in the second with his first-career grand slam. But Vargas exited in the fifth with a left wrist contusion –– he’ll undergo an MRI Friday morning –– after a collision with Judge at first base, and that would be it for the White Sox lineup in a 10-4 loss Thursday at Rate Field.

“In the moment, I was very scared,” Vargas said. “It wasn’t feeling right in the moment. It felt a little better when I got past that moment. Hopefully tomorrow it will still feel better.”

Vargas’ injury also came with the Yankees’ go-ahead run, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. As Vargas attempted to scoop a throw from third baseman Curtis Mead, his wrist collided with Judge’s leg as he ran to first. Vargas immediately fell to the ground in pain, and second baseman Lenyn Sosa had to run all the way to foul territory to retrieve the throwing error, giving Ben Rice enough time to score from first base on an infield single.

“It’s just such a high and a low,” Martin said. “[Vargas] goes out there and hits the grand slam to get us right back in the game. The energy’s there, everybody’s kind of rockin’ and rollin’, the pitching staff kind of catches a little bit of a stride. And then boom, it just kind of takes the wind out of your sails. To have Luis [Robert Jr.] go down two days prior and Colson [Montgomery] dealing with his [oblique] stuff, it all kind of adds up.”

Bellinger doubled in the next at-bat, and Chisholm hit a sacrifice fly to extend New York’s lead to 6-4 in the fifth. The first four runs came off Martin, who was credited with three earned runs in 3.2 innings due to Lenyn Sosa’s fielding error in the second. Left-hander Tyler Alexander was on the mound during the Yankees’ two-run fifth, his only two earned runs in 2.1 innings of work.

New York added more insurance in the seventh against White Sox relievers Wikelman Gonzalez and newly-recalled left-hander Cam Booser. After a fielding error by Brooks Baldwin and a Ryan McMahon double, Anthony Volpe brought home a run with a sacrifice fly. Two more scored in the next at-bat, a two-run home run by Trent Grisham. Paul Goldschmidt capped off the night with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

“I think the story really was defense on both sides,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “You just saw how the inability to turn some of those balls in play into outs led to runs on both sides.”

With their third straight loss, the White Sox dropped to 48-85 and have three more games against the Yankees to wrap up a 10-game homestand. Right-hander Yoendrys Gomez takes the mound for Friday’s 6:40 p.m CT start against former White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon, who will make his first appearance at Rate Field since 2021.