White Sox-Yanks PPD Friday; doubleheader Sunday

NEW YORK -- With stormy conditions set to barrel down on the area Friday night, the Yankees and White Sox announced several hours before the scheduled first pitch that the series opener at Yankee Stadium would not be played due to the forecast of sustained inclement weather.

The game will be made up on Sunday as the first game of a single-admission doubleheader, which will begin at 3:05 p.m. ET. The second game will start no earlier than 7:05 p.m. ET. If the first game ends later than 6:35 p.m. ET, Game 2 would start approximately 30 minutes after the end of Game 1.

Tickets for Friday’s game will not be valid for Sunday’s doubleheader. They may, however, be exchanged for tickets to a similar regular-season game at Yankee Stadium (subject to availability) as described in the club’s rain check policy, which may be found at www.yankees.com/raincheck.

The distribution of Friday’s “Andy Pettitte Bobblehead presented by Delta Air Lines” (for the first 18,000 guests) has been rescheduled for Friday, June 10, at 7:05 p.m. ET, when the Yankees host the Cubs.

Nestor Cortes will start Saturday's game for the Yankees, and the club's pitching plan for Sunday's twin bill has not yet been decided. The White Sox maintained the order of their rotation, which means Dallas Keuchel will start Saturday, new acquisition Johnny Cueto will make his second start Sunday in Game 1 and Michael Kopech will make his return from the paternity list in Game 2.

The first game of Sunday’s doubleheader will be broadcast by Prime Video, and the second game will be broadcast in primetime as part of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball lineup.

It was a surprise respite for both clubs, which were in the midst of long stretches of contests without an off-day. The Yankees had played 13 consecutive games before Friday’s postponement, while the White Sox had played nine -- including a doubleheader apiece.

“There ain’t nothing worse than sitting around [until] they call it; this is better for everybody,” said White Sox manager Tony La Russa. “We could have played, but this time of the year, we’ll take it.”

The two clubs last met less than a week ago in Chicago, where the Yankees took three of four from the White Sox, outscoring them by a margin of 32-15. Saturday’s starters were both successful in that series, as Keuchel tossed five scoreless innings in Chicago’s 3-2 win while Cortes struck out seven and allowed only one run on three hits over eight innings in the Yankees’ 5-1 victory the next day.

Now, they will go toe-to-toe to open this weekend series between American League favorites on Saturday afternoon.