Chisholm Jr. homers in 500th game and Yankees reach halfway point with 3-0 victory over A's

Associated Press (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered on the first pitch he saw in his 500th game and the New York Yankees beat the Athletics 3-0 on Friday night to reach the halfway point of the season.

Chisholm hit his fifth homer in 21 games since returning from an oblique injury on June 3 and gave the Yankees the lead in the second by driving a cutter from A's starter Mitch Spence (2-3) to the second deck in right field. As he rounded third, the third baseman shrugged his shoulders and did a little shuffle before crossing the plate.

Chisholm has 89 homers and 109 stolen bases since debuting with the Miami Marlins on September 1, 2020. The only other players with as many homers and stolen bases through 500 career games are Eric Davis (107, homers, 190 stolen bases) and former Yankee Alfonso Soriano (97 homers, 121 RBIs

Cody Bellinger and DJ LeMahieu hit RBI singles as the Yankees reached the halfway point at 47-34, putting them on a 94-win pace. The Yankees were 52-29 at the halfway point last season when they finished with 94 wins and reached the World Series for the first time since 2009.

New York rookie starter Will Warren (5-4) survived issuing three walks in the first inning and allowed two hits in five innings.

Four relievers followed Warren and Devin Williams got the last three outs for his 11th save to complete New York’s ninth shutout.

Aaron Judge was walked intentionally for the 18th time this season in the third before Bellinger singled. LeMahieu hit an infield single in the fourth after Paul Goldschmidt reached on catcher’s interference.

Spence, a former Yankees minor leaguer, allowed three runs and three hits in five innings.

The A’s lost for the fifth time in six games and were blanked for the sixth time this season.

Warren ended a 36-pitch first inning by getting a called third strike on former Yankee Gio Urshela. He ended his 100-pitch outing by stranding runners at first and second in the fifth.

Warren has 39 strikeouts on called third strikes — most in the majors.

Athletics LHP JP Sears (5-7, 5.44 ERA) faces Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (4-3, 2.84) on Saturday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Athletics' Mitch Spence pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Friday, June 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger hits an RBI single during the third inning of a baseball game against the Athletics Friday, June 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge runs to third base on an RBI single by Cody Bellinger during the third inning of a baseball game against the Athletics Friday, June 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' DJ LeMahieu runs to first base for an RBI single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics Friday, June 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. hits a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Athletics Friday, June 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

VAL GARDENA, Italy (AP) — Franjo Von Allmen edged his friend Marco Odermatt for a World Cup downhill victory Saturday in the latest 1-2 finish between the Swiss rivals, whose duels shape as the peak of men’s skiing in the Milan Cortina Olympics season.

Von Allmen finished 0.30 seconds ahead of Odermatt as both stars were aggressive and daring on the bumpy and tiring Saslong course.

It was the sixth time they combined to finish 1-2 in the 10 World Cup downhills since the Val Gardena race one year ago, including Thursday when Odermatt won a shortened race.

No other racer came close to them Saturday when Odermatt had the fastest speed close to 127 kph (79 mph). Only third-place Florian Schieder of Italy was also within a second of Von Allmen, 0.98 back on the 3.45-kilometer (2.14-mile) course.

The result was unofficial with low-ranked racers yet to start.

The 24-year-old Von Allmen has three career wins in World Cup downhills, and Odermatt was runner-up each time.

Each also won a gold medal in downhill at the two-yearly world championships held since the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and their rivalry could be a main event on Feb. 7 at the next Winter Games.

Men’s Alpine skiing at the Olympics is raced at Bormio where another Swiss racer, Alexis Monney, won the World Cup downhill last December with Von Allmen second.

Monney and Ryan Cochran-Siegle of the United States crashed out Saturday on the rolling bumps and jumps, while James Crawford had a spectacular save landing a jump.

Von Allmen and Odermatt both were on the limit at times on a third straight race day, that saw former World Cup overall champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde skip the start. Kilde is returning after almost two years out recovering from a scary crash at Wengen in January 2024.

Odermatt extended his big lead in the season-long overall World Cup standings chasing a fifth straight title, and Von Allmen closed the gap in the downhill points race.

There was no repeat of the stunning result Friday in super-G on a hill where more sunshine on the course after 12:30 p.m. gives late starters a fighting chance.

Super-G winner Jan Zabystran — the first Czech man to win a race in 60 seasons of World Cup racing, denying Odermatt victory — had the No. 36 bib Saturday and was almost three seconds back.

Still, unheralded Swiss racer Alessio Miggiano took fifth place with the No. 43 bib, just 0.06 off the podium.

AP Olympics coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Italy's Giovanni Franzoni speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Italy's Florian Schieder celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Val Gardena, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)