The Crosstown Classic opener just slapped the White Sox with a brutal 7-5 extra-inning walk-off loss to the Cubs. Talk about a soul-crushing heartbreak right out of the gate. This game stayed super close and competitive, but man, the poor challenges and some seriously sloppy defense absolutely doomed the South Siders. They fell hard in the opener, and it’s a tough one to swallow.
Early Fireworks and a Grichuk Bomb
Things got ugly fast when the White Sox went down in order, only for the Cubs to answer immediately. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki just hammered back-to-back homers, setting a wild tone. The Cubs kept threatening with back-to-back singles, but Pedro Ramírez hit it right to Brenton Doyle to finally end the first. The Sox tried to get something going in the third, burning an ABS challenge, but Sam Antonacci still got plunked. No good came of it, though, as Shōta Imanaga absolutely shut down the next three batters. Luis Castillo seemed to find his groove in the bottom of the third, and his guys behind him helped strand a baserunner. Then came the fourth inning magic for the White Sox. After Munetaka Murakami walked, Miguel Vargas snagged their first hit of the game. And then, *boom*! Randal Grichuk stepped up and blasted a three-run homer, snatching the lead for the Good Guys. You love to see it.
Errors, Questionable Calls, and the Bitter End
That lead didn’t last long, though. Suzuki walked to start the fifth, and you know how leadoff walks always come back to bite you. Alex Bregman singled, then Ian Happ grounded into a force out, putting him on first and Suzuki on third. Nico Hoerner brought Suzuki home with an infield single, and then Vargas, man, he made a wild throw to first. Happ scored on that error, giving the Cubs a 4-3 lead. Tyler Schweitzer replaced Castillo and managed to escape, but the damage was done. Schweitzer struggled with command in the sixth, giving up a walk and a single, but got out of it. The seventh saw some drama when Jake Rogers caught Bregman trying to steal home, firing to Vargas for the tag. It was a huge out! The White Sox finally roared back in the eighth after Murakami walked. Andrew Benintendi became the hero, crushing a two-run homer to make it 5-4. Trevor Richards, who came in earlier, kept the Cubs mostly quiet. But then the ninth inning happened. Luisangel Acuña walked, but a double play off Rogers’ bat quickly got two outs. After Meidroth went down swinging, it seemed like they might hold it. Nope. Jordan Hicks issued back-to-back walks, the second one on a questionable call. And get this: the Sox were out of challenges. Hoerner singled, Tristan Peters bobbled the ball, and Tyrone Taylor scored to tie it. They intentionally walked Pedro Ramírez to load the bases, but Hicks struck out Miguel Amaya for the second out. A ground ball to Vargas sent this wild ride into extras. The 10th inning kicked off with yet another leadoff walk, and from there, the Cubs sealed the 7-5 walk-off. Just brutal.
This opener stings, no doubt. Losing a close one in extras, especially with those defensive lapses and missed challenges, just hurts. The White Sox showed some fight, but those late-game mistakes are gonna stick with them. They gotta clean it up quick if they want to turn this around.
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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