Irabu, Yanks Clobber ChiSox

May 26, 1998 / 1:23 AM EDT / CBS/AP

His first complete game. His first shutout. The major league ERA lead. All in a night's work for Hideki Irabu.

"I was thinking if I could control my number of pitches, I might get a complete game," Irabu said after pitching the surging New York Yankees past the Chicago White Sox 12-0 Monday with a six-hitter.

"I was very happy to be able to keep pitching at that level and at that pace," Irabu said through a translator. "It was very satisfying."

The Yankees, who have scored 38 runs in their last three games, made it easy for Irabu, batting around in the first and scoring six times.

"They scored a lot of runs for me and I was able to relax after that," said Irabu, who pitched out of a bases-loaded jam n the first.

He allowed a pair of doubles by Charlie O'Brien and four singles, walking five and striking out six.

"He had it going on, he was dealing," said Bernie Williams, who homered and drove in four runs. "It was a lot of fun."

Irabu (4-0), making his 16th career start, qualified for the ERA race with his first 5 1-3 innings. Then with his shutout, he had the lowest in the majors at 1.13.

"I knew about it," he said. "But when I get up on the mound, I try not to think about it."

The Yankees chased Jaime Navarro (4-5) after one-third of an inning his shortest appearance in 259 career starts.

"He's upset. We've been trying to have team meetings and focus," Chicago's Frank Thomas said. "It's not easy when you get down 6-0 and have to come back. We just didn't do much. We got embarrassed 12-0."

While Chicago has lost seven of nine, the Yankees have won eight of nine and improved to 34-10. New York has beaten the White Sox seven straight times, outscoring them 51-16.

"The last three days have been incredible, swinging the bats the way we are," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "It's fun to manage. Obviously you become a better manager with a 12-run lead."

Chuck Knoblauch walked to open the game, Derek Jeter singled and Paul O'Neill hit a two-run double, the first of his four hits.

A single by Williams and walk to Darryl Strawberry loaded the bases before Jorge Posada hit a two-run single, with the runners advancing on a bad throw by center fielder Mike Cameron. Chad Curtis popped out, and Scott Brosius' two-run single finished Navarro.

New York made it 8-0 in the fourth off Tom Fordham on Jeter's RBI triple and Williams' run-scoring single.

Williams' sixth homer, a three-run shot, followed consecutive singles by Knoblauch, Jeter and O'Neill in the sixth off Tony Castillo.

Notes: After the game, the White Sox called up left-hander Jim Parque from Triple-A Calgary and designated outfielder Ruben Sierra for assigment. Sierra, 32, hit .216 with four homers and 11 RBIs in 27 games. Parque, 2-3 in eight starts in Calgary, will make his major league debut against the Yankees on Tuesday night. ... Yankees reliever Graeme Lloyd withdrew his appeal of a three-game suspension for his part in a melee with the Baltimore Orioles and is serving the suspension during the series with the White Sox. ... Jim Abbott, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 1996, will throw again for the White Sox on Tuesday, general manager Ron Schueler said. After the workout, the White Sox will determine whether to offer him a contract. Abbott pitched for Chicago in 1995. He was 2-18 for the Angels in 1996. ... O'Neill has four four-hit games this season.