Just when it looked like momentum was finally beginning to turn the Chicago White Sox way, the Cleveland Guardians kicked them in the balls like only they can — with a walk-off hit that had a .060 expected batting average.
Grant Taylor and the White Sox were one out away from clinching the series when a lazy fly ball off Brayan Rocchio’s bat fell just beyond the outstretched glove of Sam Antonacci. As the ball dropped into left field, so too did the White Sox’s lead in the AL Central, shrinking to just a half-game.
For the second straight night, it looked like Miguel Vargas was going to deliver the knockout blow. Chase Meidroth’s sixth-inning single cut the deficit to 4-3 before Randal Grichuk followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to tie the game. Then, with two outs, Vargas delivered a clutch single to put the White Sox ahead 6-4 — their first lead of the night.
It was an especially frustrating loss, wasting a gritty offensive effort from a lineup that clawed back from an early 3-0 deficit, then erased a 4-2 hole before taking a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
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That early hole was largely thanks to opener Chris Murphy, who surrendered two home runs in the first inning, raising the question: Why use him as the opener in the first place?
The White Sox have found plenty of success with the opener strategy this season. But for it to work, you need the opener to at least give you a clean first inning. When pitchers like Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson or Sean Newcomb take the ball, the logic is clear given how effective they’ve been this season. Murphy, however, entered the game with a 3.94 ERA and had been particularly vulnerable on the road, where he carries a 6.62 ERA.
Sam Antonacci’s positioning on the final play also deserves some scrutiny. The ball Rocchio hit off Taylor left his bat at just 88 mph, but Antonacci was positioned toward Rocchio’s pull side. Combined with a poor route to the ball, a fly ball that probably should have been caught instead turned into a walk-off double.
Antonacci admitted as much after the game, telling reporters his route to the ball was “pretty dogshit to be honest.” But he wasn’t the only culprit.
Antonacci is an infielder by trade, and with a one-run lead in the ninth, the White Sox could have opted for a defensive replacement in left field. With Randal Grichuk serving as the DH, he could have moved to right field, allowing Braden Montgomery to slide over to left while Tristan Peters remained in center.
Taylor also didn’t help himself, issuing a free pass to Patrick Bailey that put the tying run in scoring position. When you’re one out away from clinching a series against a division rival, there are plenty of places to point the finger.
Nitpicking and Monday-morning quarterbacking aside, none of it changes the reality. This is a must-win series.
With Monday’s victory, the White Sox already clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Guardians. But that extra breathing room is critical for a team that has been far better at home, posting a .581 winning percentage at home compared with just .441 on the road.
If the White Sox can hang onto the division lead, they are currently in line for the No. 2 seed in the American League, ahead of the Houston Astros. Avoiding the Wild Card round and earning home-field advantage could be a massive boost for a young White Sox team that has fed off the energy of its home crowd all season. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more electric environment than a sold-out blackout at Rate Field.
But surrender the division lead, and the stakes change dramatically. The White Sox would have to navigate the Wild Card round just to reach the ALDS, while potentially giving up home-field advantage in that series if they advance.
