In a game full of emotions, poor bullpen management, and too-close-for-comfort scores, the White Sox pulled one from the Guardians as my favorite scrappy rookie, Sam Antonacci, walked it off in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 win. Grab your Tums and strap in for this winning recap.
Things started really well for the Good Guys, denting the scoreboard in the second inning with a two-out rally: Chase Meidroth singled, and Braden Montgomery followed up with a double that sent Meidroth racing home.
And the Sox didn’t stop. Luisangel Acuña started the bottom of the third with a single and distracted Gavin Williams quite a bit by stealing second and taunting Cleveland. Sam Antonacci battled, earning himself a nine-pitch walk after Cleveland lost an ABS challenge. Miguel Vargas singled, and Acuña was waved home but called out. The White Sox challenged the tag and a blocking interference, but lost.
I sat and pondered if I knew anything about baseball after that call, because it was a clear block. Alas. Thankfully, Andrew Benintendi knocked Antonacci in, making it 2-0.
Kay continued to keep Cleveland off the board, but as his tank was emptying in the sixth, he gave up his second walk of the game with two outs, prompting the bullpen to get Grant Taylor warmed up. Kay dug deep for a career-high 101 pitches, but also got the much-needed, inning-ending punch out of Gabriel Arias. Kay tied his career high with his eighth K, and Arias was on his way to a platinum sombrero.
Tim Herrin replaced starter Gavin Williams for the Guardians, which prompted a Randal Grichuk pinch-hitting appearance. It would prove to be a great call by Will Venable, as Grichuk homered, again, against a lefty. That would be it for the frame, but the White Sox were now up, 3-0. Taylor, who entered the game for the seventh, struggled with his command early. He gave up a leadoff walk to Steven Kwan, a hit to Daniel Schneemann, and a wild pitch that would advance both. Another walk loaded the bases, and trouble surfaced when Kahlil Watson singled, sending two runners home. Ryhs Hoskins sent a ball up the middle to tie the ballgame and prompted a the hook for Taylor. Bryan Hudson ended the inning with a strikeout, but the lead was long gone.
Braden Montgomery led off the seventh with a double. With a broken bat, Antonacci snuck a hit past first base, sending Montgomery home to regain the lead. Antonacci promptly stole second, and then third on a wild pitch. Unfortunately, Miguel Vargas struck out to end the inning.
With the Sox still up, 4-3, Seranthony Domínguez came in for the ninth and promptly walked the leadoff batter. A stolen base and wild pitch got Travis Bazzana to third, putting the tying run 90 feet away with nobody out. Patrick Bailey singled, tying the game and giving Domínguez yet another blown save.
But it got worse, as Brayan Rocchio doubled to put ducks on the pond, and Domínguez lucked into a strikeout before being booed and yanked off the mound. A shallow fly ball to center would send the runner home after a successful challenge from the Guardians, putting them up, 5-4. But, with a runner on third and two outs, Arias waved at a third strike for his fifth K of the game.
Braden Montgomery started a ninth-inning rally with one out by picking up a walk, and Tristan Peters made up for an awful throw in the previous frame with a stand-up double that shouldn’t have even been a hit. After a strikeout by pinch-hitter Jacob Gonzalez, the White Sox were down to their last out, one batter away from dropping two games behind Cleveland in the AL Central.
But we had a guy there, my favorite guy, Antonacci, who stepped up and smacked a first-pitch fastball at his eyes for a single past matador-shortstop Brayan Rocchio, sending both runners home. The Guardians challenged the tag play with on Peters for the winning run, but the call was upheld — SAFE!
The Good Guys stormed the field, ripping Antonacci’s jersey off and baptizing him in Gatorade after his first career walk-off, as he took it all in while wearing the best shit-eating grin I’ve seen in my life.
The White Sox and Guardians are back to being tied for first place, with the White Sox technically ahead by .04 percentage points.
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