In the most critical September series in recent White Sox history, bloodshed was expected during the division duel. Maybe a few words would be exchanged, some ugly small-ball, or perhaps even a brawl harkening back to the José Ramírez-Tim Anderson scuffle. None of that happened. Instead, the Sox pocketed the series opener with a decisive triumph over the Guardians, 7-3.
Frames one through three were slow on both sides, with meager threats made, but nothing serious. Then the fourth inning came, and
it reminded everyone why the Sox have struggled to score recently. Gavin Williams hit Munetaka Murakami to grant a free pass to the coldest hitter on the crew, and Andrew Benintendi followed with a single to center that awarded him and Murakami two bases after a close outfield throw to third. With ducks on the pond and no outs, there’s no way the Sox would come out of the inning scoreless, right?
Let’s not jump to conclusions — this is still the Sox we’re talking about. Tristan Peters struck out, but Colson Montgomery was hit by a pitch, juicing the bases just in time for Chase Meidroth to ground into a force out at home plate.
That left one out for Braden Montgomery to do damage with the sacks packed. Surely, a run will come from a guy who hasn’t had a hit since September 9. In four quick pitches, Montgomery struck out, swinging:
Fortunately, the baseball gods gifted the Sox an opportunity for redemption. And this time, they didn’t waste it.
Benintendi’s leadoff single set the stage for a grueling, 18-pitch at-bat from Peters that included 12 fouls. He ended up three pitches short of tying the MLB record for pitches seen in an at-bat.
But Tristan’s relentlessness paid off, as Williams was run off the mound and the runs started churning. Colson drove in the first … on an errant throw from first base that should’ve lit the fuse on a double play had it not bounced off Peters’ helmet:
Once again, Peters emerged as the offensive force needed to kick this team back into gear. In the space of three outs, Chicago went through three Cleveland arms, tore through 54 pitches, and put up six runs. Miguel Vargas rediscovered his power with a two-run blast, while Murakami and Braden struck out each for their third time. In other words, everything was back to normal.
If six runs weren’t enough, Benintendi added a seventh for good measure in the ninth. Although Murakami and Braden continued their disappointing slumps at the plate, at least the rest of the lineup picked up the slack.
And just like the good ol’ days this summer, the pitching backed up the bats. Sean Newcomb got in and got out in a swift first inning before passing the torch to Sean Burke. Seeking redemption for getting pushed around by the Bucs in his last outing, Burke twirled five shutout innings, fanning four and only allowing four hits. Burke’s one unearned run came in the sixth after an embarrassing fielding error from Colson on a pop-up, but the sixth-inning storm well offset this mistake.
Although a pair of runs slipped past Trevor Richards in the ninth, the Sox showed that they won’t go down without a fight. There’s plenty more where that came from, Cleveland. Tonight, the White Sox asserted that they are here to stay, and the AL Central will need to be pried from their hands.
MVP
Miguel Vargas: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, HR, SB
Runners-Up
Sean Burke: 5 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 4 K
Andrew Benintendi: 3-for-5, R, RBI
Tristan Peters: 0-for-3, R, 18-pitch BB that sparked the sixth-inning breakout, HBP, K
Hagen Smith: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Chase Meidroth: 1-for-4, R, RBI, K
Cold Cats
Colson Montgomery: 0-for-4, R, 3 K, E and additional pop-up misplay
Runners-Up
Braden Montgomery: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
Munetaka Murakami: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
Trevor Richards: 1 IP, H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
