White Sox 9, Royals 1: Postseason bound

The Chicago White Sox are postseason-bound. 

By setting the tone early and giving rookie starter David Sandlin extra run support, the White Sox offense delivered a knockout punch early to seal the deal. On an afternoon when White Sox hitters sprayed 12 hits, they got to spray champagne in the clubhouse to celebrate one of the most surprising turnarounds in recent memory.

It started in the first inning with Sam Antonacci singling to center field. Kyle Teel laid down a sac bunt, and Randy Dobnak made an errant throw to first base. Pressure was building early.

After Miguel Vargas showed the bunt, Dobnak threw a wild pitch that went five-hole on catcher Carter Jensen. Antonacci couldn’t pick up the wild pitch right away, but he made a late dash, and his slide was just in time to swipe third safely. 

Vargas then cashed in in with a single to left field, giving the Sox an early 1-0 lead. Munetaka Murakami struck out, missing a chance to extend his four-game streak of at least one RBI. However, Andrew Benintendi drove the first pitch to deep enough center field for a sac fly.

Up 2-0, Dobnak made a mental error by not checking on Vargas and watched him steal second base. That became a key play when Tristan Peters hit a seeing-eye single to center field. Vargas easily scored, and the White Sox offense was cooking, putting up three early runs.

The party continued in the second inning. Braden Montgomery singled to right field, followed by Antonacci, who drew a walk. Next was a baffling decision by Dobnak, as he stepped off to make a pickoff throw at first base. One big problem: Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino wasn’t covering the bag. Another throwing error by Dobnak allowed Montgomery to score from second, making it 4-0.

Teel got hit by a pitch, putting runners on the corners for Vargas. Oftentimes, pitchers throw softer stuff to the outside corner, hoping that Vargas pops up the pitch. Instead, Vargas lined a single to right field for another RBI, and the Sox led 5-0. Murakami extended his RBI streak to five consecutive games when he grounded into a force out, but beat out the double play, allowing Teel to score. 

Speaking of Teel, he had a great day at the plate. In the fourth inning against Alex Lange, Teel launched his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot. Later in the seventh inning, Teel singled to make it 2-for-2, with a walk, two HBPs, three runs scored, and his home run. Even though his season numbers aren't impressive (.196 AVG, .690 OPS), Teel is hitting .225/.446/.400 in his last 15 games.

Sandlin pitched like he didn’t need the big cushion. More like his performance in St. Louis, Sandlin stole strikes early with his breaking stuff, then caught Royals hitters looking with two strikes by blowing fastballs past them while waiting for the curve. Sandlin kept his pitch count manageable, which allowed him to keep eating innings. When he finished the sixth inning, Sandlin had only 85 pitches, but Will Venable didn’t feel the need to keep pushing his rookie starter.

The final line -- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K -- was an excellent one. Salvador Perez tagged Sandlin for a solo home run in the fourth inning, but that was the only blemish. To call it a quality start would be an understatement for Sandlin and the White Sox. It was a much-needed effort from someone in the rotation to buy additional rest for a bullpen that’s preparing to be used often in the postseason. In fact, it may be an impressive enough performance to earn Sandlin a spot on the White Sox postseason roster.

Huascar Brazobán took over in the seventh inning, looking recharged after spending time on the injured list. Despite allowing a double to John Rave, Brazobán struck out two before handing it off to Tyler Davis in the eighth inning. Last year, Davis pitched the final inning to help Birmingham win a Southern League championship. Today, he pitched a clean three-up, three-down eighth inning.

With an eight-run lead, White Sox could afford to give Grant Taylor another day off. Trevor Richards pitched the ninth inning. Pasquantino hit a rocket line drive, but Murakami robbed him of a base hit with a nice leaping catch. After walking Perez, Richards allowed more loud contact to Michael Massey, but Brenton Doyle made the grab in center field for the second out.

Nick Loftin drove a fastball high and deep into the right-center field alley for a double. With runners in scoring position, Richards got Rave to hit a slow chopper towards second base. Both Antonacci and Murakami went after the ball; the second baseman fielded it, and his throw to Richards, hustling to cover first base, was just in time. Kansas City didn’t challenge the play, and the celebration was on.

For the first time since 2021, the White Sox will play playoff baseball. Now, in the final weekend, they can set their sights on the AL Central crown. 

Game Notes

• Sam Antonacci, Kyle Teel, Miguel Vargas, Chase Meidroth, and Braden Montgomery all had multi-hit games
• Andrew Benintendi had a unique batting line of 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, but walked twice and had two RBI (bases loaded walk and sac fly).
• Colson Montgomery went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Montgomery is now tied with Mark Reynolds for the MLB single-season strikeout record with 223.

Record: 82-77 | Box Score | StatCast