With the White Sox coming into this game on a three-game losing streak and the Athletics coming to town, it was crucial to end the first half on a high note. Chicago’s bats had been silent and their pitching had been problematic for quite some time but that was all remedied against the Athletics.
In a 14-1 mauling to open the series, the South Siders dominated in every aspect of the game — and no player more so than Tristan Peters, who hit for the seventh cycle in White Sox history as part of a 4-for-4
night.
As luck would have it, the only team that has struggled more than the White Sox to score runs lately has been the Athletics. With struggling slugger Nick Kurtz out of the lineup, starter Sean Burke had no excuse not to go out and dominate. It was clear from the jump that he’d do exactly that, as he made Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom look more lost than Jack Shephard in 2004. Burke felt it was so nice that he had to do it twice, again sitting down two of the Athletics’ best batters in the third inning as well.
It took the White Sox a little bit of time to find their bats, which is to be expected for a team that had scored just two runs over the past three games, but they absolutely took over in the fifth inning. The first five batters reached base safely, as the Good Guys were able to tack on four runs and never look back. It was clear they were the much better team, and again looked like a club that currently sits as the second seed in the American League.
For a moment in the sixth inning it looked like it wouldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows on Mexican Heritage Night, when the first two Athletics batters reached base. Instead, Burke got Jeff McNeil to ground into a double play as he was able to neutralize the lone Athletics threat before it ever truly materialized. While a Tyler Soderstrom homer in the seventh inning dampened a near-flawless night for the ascending Burke, he shut down the Athletics immediately after. Burke was dominant on the night as he struck out nine batters over seven innings, taking his strikeout total to 20 over his last two starts.
Although the scoreboard made it look like this game was still close, everybody in the ballpark knew it was only a matter of time before things were broken wide open. With that being said, nobody knew that it would become a blowout so quickly.
Tristan Peters launched a two-run homer in the seventh, and you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from Sox fans when they realized they wouldn’t need to sweat the bullpen blowing yet another winnable game. Then in, an at-bat that brought smiles to everyone’s face, Munetaka Murakami followed up three Ks to mark his return to the team with an RBI double, scoring on Miguel Vargas’ ground-rule double that followed.
Mune’s double brought some of the loudest cheers of the night and with that, the party had officially started on the South Side.
Not to be overlooked, Tristan Peters completed his cycle in his second at-bat of the seventh inning, the first cycle for a White Sox player since José Abreu on Sept. 9, 2017. The moment Peters made it clear he was gunning for the triple, the crowd upped the ante ,with a roar. When he was ruled safe at third and secured his cycle, the crowd was so loud they would’ve taken the roof off of Rate Field if it had one:
Quite honestly, the game could’ve been called the moment Peters slid into third base, but rules are rules and unlike the AUSL, there is no mercy rule. It was a dominant performance in all aspects for a team that badly needed a win like this. While you never want to put too much on a single game, this one win may have flushed all the negative feelings of the past series down the drain and brought back the relief that’s been lacking for the first time all year.
Burke has been really good for quite some time, and now is looking like a true ace. With a bullpen that is struggling more than John Schriffen trying to make a big call without his voice cracking, it’s that much more important that he go deep into games.
As for the bats, you need to score runs to win games against anybody. You don’t always need to score 14 runs like they did Friday night, but you do need to score more than the White Sox have lately. The brightest part of the night was the fact that everyone played a role in the beatdown: Six of nine starters recorded at least one RBI and everybody came around to score at least one run.
Friday night made it abundantly clear how much the White Sox rely on good vibes and momentum to achieve success this season. This finally looks like the same team that has made fans believe this season. As crazy as it sounds, fans may again start dreaming of home playoff games. With two contests still yet to be played before a much deserved All-Star break and a better than .500 record for the first half clinched, the White Sox will look to strike while the iron is hot and capture the series, and possibly a sweep, this weekend.
