Sean Burke gave the White Sox a chance to win Saturday afternoon. His offense didn’t give him much support, but it gave him just enough.
The righthander came out firing, mowing through the first with a fly out and back-to-back punchouts. The knuckle curve had bite, and he breezed through the first three innings on just 28 pitches.
The Sox gave him a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Miguel Vargas drew a two-out walk and promptly swiped second with Munetaka Murakami at the plate. The stolen
base proved pivotal when Mune dunked a blooper into left field, allowing Vargas to race home. Small ball, but it counts.
It wasn’t exactly a fireworks show, but lately, you take the runs wherever you can find them.
Jackson Jobe was every bit as stingy on the other side. The righty pounded the strike zone, fanned the side in the fourth and made the Sox look lost — except for Colson Montgomery, who at least forced a nine-pitch battle before whiffing — four innings in, still just one lonely hit for Chicago.
Burke encountered his first real bit of trouble in the fourth when Hao-Yu Lee and Riley Greene singled to put runners on first and second with two outs. He escaped with help from Vargas, who made a fantastic play at third on Dillon Dingler’s grounder to end it. Vargas has endured his share of defensive struggles at the hot corner this season, recording -2 Defensive Runs Saved, but that was a gem.
A 28-pitch fifth ended Burke’s efficiency. After plunking Ben Malgeri and allowing a single to Brett Callahan, he walked John Peck to pack the sacks. The breaking pitches that danced early began missing, and Kevin McGonigle lifted a sacrifice fly to left to knot things up. Burke limited the damage by striking out Lee and stranding a pair to end the frame.
The White Sox immediately gave him the lead back. Braden Montgomery ripped a one-out ground-rule double and advanced to third on Brenton Doyle’s single. Sam Antonacci followed with a deep sac fly to left, putting Chicago back in front, 2-1.
Would more runs be nice? Sure. But at this point, you take what you can get and say thank you.
Burke returned for the sixth because, frankly, manager Will Venable didn’t have much choice. The bullpen is taxed, and asking it to nurse a one-run lead for four innings didn’t sound particularly appealing.
That move nearly blew up in his face.
A single and back-to-back two-out walks suddenly loaded the bases for Callahan. Burke spun a 79 mph knuckle curve that Callahan swung at, but the ball squirted away from Teel and Greene slid home with what appeared to be the tying run.
Chicago challenged the call, arguing that the pitch clipped Callahan, making it a dead ball and killing the play. The challenge was successful, sending Greene back to third and keeping the Good Guys in front. Burke finished it himself, snapping off a gorgeous 80 mph curve for the punchout. He roared off the mound, and honestly, who could blame him? The righthander gutted it out, worked through the mess and became the first Sox starter to complete six innings since Aug. 21. Final line: one run, five hits, three walks and five Ks.
Miggy gave the South Siders some cushion in the bottom half, blasting the first pitch he saw for a solo home run. The 102 mph rocket was his 33rd homer of the season and extended Chicago’s lead to 3-1. The dinger also kept the White Sox on pace to reach 200 home runs for the first time since 2012.
Noah Schultz and Grant Taylor combined to handle the rest. Schultz struck out five over 1 2/3 innings, and Taylor recorded the final four outs, and that’s your ballgame.
Detroit outhit Chicago, 8-4, but went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11. Meanwhile, the White Sox went 2-for-2 with RISP.
Clutch hitting. Who knew?
Burke picked up win No. 10, the first Sox starter to hit double digits since 2022, while Schultz earned his first hold and Taylor got his 10th save.
It wasn’t the prettiest victory, but style points stopped mattering a long time ago. With their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, the White Sox needed a win, and they found a way to get one.
The Guardians are still a half-game up and get the A’s tonight.
Time to scoreboard watch, friends.
MVP
Sean Burke: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K, HBP, W
Runners-Up
Miguel Vargas: 1-for-2, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, HR, SB
Munetaka Murakami: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
Sam Antonacci: 0-for-3, RBI, SAC
Braden Montgomery: 1-for-3, R, 2B
Noah Schultz: 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K, HBP, H
Grant Taylor: 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, S
Cold Cat
Kyle Teel: 0-for-4, 2 K
Runners-Up
Andrew Benintendi: 0-for-3, 3 K
Colson Montgomery: 0-for-3, 3 K
