If this felt like a game the White Sox had no business winning, that’s because for most of the afternoon, they didn’t. And then, in the end, they did anyway.
The Good Guys walked it off in extras, 3-2, completing the sweep of the Angels. Chicago finished the month with 14 wins. That’s not exactly cause for a parade, but it is their best April since 2021.
This afternoon’s victory wasn’t pretty, but it was resilient, and that was enough.
The offensive story for the first nine innings was simple: a lot
of traffic, but no destination. The South Siders had no problem getting runners on base with seven hits and seven walks against Angels pitching, especially after Yusei Kikuchi exited early due to injury. They just couldn’t execute in the clutch.
They managed to scratch across their first run in the third. Chase Meidroth doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Miguel Vargas single. That should’ve been the start of something. Instead, it was a one-off. Munetaka Murakami walked, but Austin Hays hit into a double play, and Colson Montgomery lifted a fly ball out — opportunity gone.
The sixth inning was worse. Murakami walked again, Hays singled, then immediately got picked off thanks to a heads-up throw from Jorge Soler. Then, Montgomery hit a grounder that turned into a play at the plate, with Adam Frazier and Travis d’Arnaud combining to cut Murakami down. Will Venable challenged, hoping for a blocking-the-plate call. No luck. Call stands. Inning over.
By the seventh, it felt like the script was written. Walks from Jarred Kelenic and Antonacci went nowhere. Meidroth and Vargas couldn’t move them over. Another inning, another shrug.
Even in the eighth, facing a reliever with a 5.40 ERA, the Sox made Ryan Zeferjahn look like peak Mariano Rivera, striking out the side.
Down to their last outs in the ninth, it looked like more of the same, but the Good Guys had something left in the tank.
Tristan Peters wore a pitch. Kelenic struck out. Antonacci stepped in and ripped a triple down the right field line, scoring Peters and tying the game. Suddenly, life.
They couldn’t finish it there, of course. That would’ve been too easy. So, extras it was, where the Sox had already struggled this year, going 1-3 in bonus baseball.
But the bullpen gave them a chance. Bryan Hudson continued his quietly excellent season with a clean eighth. Tyler Davis helped erase trouble in the ninth, inducing a slick 6-4-3 double play. And Seranthony Domínguez stranded the ghost runner in the 10th without much drama.
That set the stage for the bottom of the 10th with Drew Pomeranz on the mound. The Angels, oddly, chose to load the bases the long way by intentionally walking Vargas, then unintentionally walking Murakami. A grounder from Hays cut down the runner at the plate. It seemed like another chance slipping away.
And up stepped Montgomery.
First pitch. No hesitation. Line drive to center. Ballgame.
First career walk-off for the “Monty Monster,” and honestly, it felt fitting. He’s been flashing power lately, and while this wasn’t a homer, it might’ve been louder.
White Sox starter Erick Fedde definitely did his part. He just didn’t get much help.
After retiring eight straight to open the game, he gave up a Mike Trout homer in the fourth to tie things, then another solo shot in the seventh to Vaughn Grissom that put the Angels ahead 2-1. That was it. The veteran’s final line: seven innings, five hits, two runs, no walks, six strikeouts. He deserved a win, but he still doesn’t have one. Maybe next time out.
Progress isn’t always pretty. Sometimes it looks like stranding runners all afternoon and still finding a way. They’ll take the sweep. They’ll take the momentum. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll take this version of themselves on the road to San Diego and see what sticks.
