Both teams absolutely came out swinging last night, combining for a ridiculous 25 hits and 18 runs, but it was the White Sox (69-63) who outlasted the Rangers (66-67), beating up on Jacob deGrom in an 11-7 slugfest. This was a massive win for the South Siders, especially after a blowout loss, and it keeps them holding onto a crucial 2 1/2-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians. Talk about needing a bounce-back, and these Good Guys delivered.
The White Sox Offense Unleashed Chaos on deGrom
The South Side offense just exploded in the bottom of the first, absolutely dominating Jacob deGrom and plating six runs after batting around the order. It was clear the former Cy Young Award winner wasn’t on his A-game, but credit where it’s due: the White Sox were way more selective and patient at the plate. They struck out just twice against the veteran righthander while walking five times. This is the second time in just a few weeks deGrom has walked five batters in an outing, which tells you everything about how things are going for him.
Things went sideways fast for deGrom. Sam Antonacci led off with a double, then deGrom walked Munetaka Murakami, setting up Miguel Vargas with two aboard. The Rangers didn’t even record an out until Chase Meidroth popped out with the bases loaded, but by then, the White Sox had already pushed across two runs. Vargas singled, and a Wyatt Langford throwing error allowed Antonacci to score, moving Murakami to third. Braden Montgomery kept the hit train rolling, singling to bring home Murakami for a 2-0 lead. Then Tristan Peters, who was a triple shy of the cycle and ended the night with his 11th homer, mashed a broken-bat double that put two more runs on the board, stretching the lead to 4-0. With Peters and Colson Montgomery on second and third, Brenton Doyle singled up the middle, driving in both runners and making it 6-0.
deGrom’s Struggles Continue as Kay’s Outing Takes a Turn
DeGrom’s night officially ended after walking his final two batters in the fourth. He induced a ground ball, but the Rangers couldn’t complete the double play, forcing Skip Schumaker to go to the bullpen to stop the bleeding. Immediately after Cole Winn replaced him, Colson Montgomery and Meidroth mashed back-to-back RBI singles, tacking on two more insurance runs, both charged to deGrom. He finished his 3 2/3-inning outing having allowed eight runs on six hits, ballooning his ERA to 4.21. Oof.
Lefthander Anthony Kay looked sharp for most of his outing, allowing only one run through the first four frames on a solo homer by Jake Burger. But then a switch flipped in the top of the fifth, and Kay surrendered three more runs before Jordan Hicks replaced him. It was a wild sequence: Cody Freeman singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, Danny Jansen blasted a two-run homer, and then Kay hit Justin Foscue with a pitch. That’s the 25th batter Kay has hit this season, the most among major league pitchers. Kay did record two big outs, striking out Corey Seager and Brandon Nimmo, but he walked Langford between them, moving Foscue into scoring position. Ezequiel Duran ripped an RBI single to left, and that was the last straw for Will Venable, who turned to Hicks to shut Texas down. Kay ultimately allowed four runs on six hits.
This win was absolutely huge for the White Sox, keeping that gap over the Guardians. Next up for the South Siders, they’ll need to carry this offensive fire right into their next game to solidify that lead even further.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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