New Jersey Sports

NY Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano cracks three-run walkoff homer in 5-2 win over Chicago

NEW YORK -- His batting helmet floated up in the air and Robinson Cano joined it airborne a moment later before joining the usual procession. A mob of Yankees waiting at home plate? Shaving cream in the face? Nothing new for this team.

Cano's three-run home run in the 10th inning gave the Yankees (80-48) a 5-2 win over Chicago in front of 46,318 soggy fans at Yankee Stadium. It was their 12th walkoff win of the season.

Just the facts

*The Yankees never trailed. Derek Jeter smacked a home run into center field to open the game, his third leadoff homer this year and 17th overall. Two innings later, Johnny Damon hooked an 0-1 pitch over the right-field wall for another solo shot.

*Sox starter Mark Buehrle lived dangerously throughout, allowing eight hits in six innings, but kept the Yankees from getting another run across the plate.

*C.C. Sabathia tied his season-high with 10 strikeouts and overpowered the Sox at the outset. But his armor wore off in the seventh. Outfielder Alex Rios doubled home a run and then Gordon Beckham punched a bases-loaded, two-out single. A run scored, but catcher Ramon Castro was thrown out at the plate by Nick Swisher to preserve the tie.

*In the tenth, Sox reliever Randy Williams walked Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher before allowing the homer to Cano. Brian Bruney (1-0, 4.34 ERA) got the win after pitching a scoreless 10th.

The big picture

*The Yankees are now the first team in baseball with 80 wins. They are 29-11 since the All-Star Break

*New York leads Boston by 6 1/2 games in the American League East race and continues to surge forward.

*Sabathia (15-7) remains tied with St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright for the most wins in the majors.

From the clubhouse

*Manager Joe Girardi: "Every time Robby comes to the plate, I feel good about it. Because I know he can do so many things with the bat."

*Outfielder Nick Swisher: "Sometimes when you're on teams and the moment changes like that, you're either going to do one of two things: You're either going to crack or you're really going to pick up your game. And I think that every time that situations like that have come our way, we have not cracked. We've just kept going."

*Reliever Brian Bruney: "It doesn't really matter the situation. This offense can break through quickly."