Juan Soto hits an epic three-hitter in the Yankees’ win over the White Sox

CHICAGO — What can’t Juan Soto do?

Before Tuesday night, the short list included hitting three home runs in a single game or even slugging at Guaranteed Rate Field (albeit in six career games there).

The Yankees star killed two birds with one stone — and three baseballs with three swings — Tuesday night, crushing three homers to support Nestor Cortes’ seven-hit shutout en route to a 4-1 victory over White Sox.

Soto had a chance to make it a four-run game in the ninth inning, but was forced to settle for a walk.

The White Sox threatened to spoil the night after Cortes left the game, pushing a run into the eighth against Mark Leiter Jr. before plating the first two batters in the ninth against Tommy Kahnle.

With Clay Holmes seemingly unavailable after throwing 45 shots on Sunday, Aaron Boone turned to Jake Cousins ​​to put out the fire.

Cousins ​​hit the first batter he faced before issuing a walk to load the bases, but then got a flyout and a strikeout to save the day.

On a day that began with Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the MRI tube revealing a UCL injury — the severity of which remains to be determined — the Yankees (71-50) were able to end the night on a high note as they swept the half. -game ahead of the Orioles for first place in the AL East.

The win also erased some of the stench that came from Monday’s ugly 12-2 loss to the historic White Sox (29-92), setting up a rubber game on Wednesday — with the Yankee starter to be determined, but possibly a bullpen game. after Cortes went deep on Tuesday.

Soto, who now has five home runs in his last three games, went the other way for his first two home runs of the night before blasting a long fly ball to left in the seventh inning.

The three home runs — traveling a total of 1,182 feet — gave him 33 on the season, two shy of his career high.

It was all the support Cortes needed as the left-hander pitched seven huge innings for the Yankees, who desperately needed some length to give themselves a breather.

Entering Tuesday, Yankees relievers had been forced to throw 15 innings over the past three days (four games).

They haven’t had a starter complete six innings since July 28, never mind seven (July 22) — both by Carlos Rodon — putting extra pressure on a relief corps that has shown more cracks of late.

Cortes hadn’t been very good recently either.

He owned a 7.49 ERA over his last seven starts before Tuesday, failing to complete even five innings in five of those outings.

But against the White Sox, Cortes scattered just three hits and walked none while tying a season high with nine strikeouts.

Soto took care of the rest.

A day after the Yankees went 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left 16 runners on base, Soto took matters into his own hands.

After giving up his first at-bat against Jonathan Cannon, Soto took the White Sox to right for a two-run shot in the third inning and a solo blast in the fifth, both to left field.

Then, in the seventh inning against Fraser Ellard, Soto visited right field for a 406-foot poke that made it a 4-0 game.

Entering Tuesday, Soto had homered in 27 of 30 MLB ballparks — with only Guaranteed Rate Field, T-Mobile Park and Globe Life Field remaining on his preseason goal checklist.

By the end of the night, he only had two left, and he would visit each of them in September.