CHICAGO — For the second night in a row, the Chicago White Sox did something they haven’t done a whole lot of all season.
Win a baseball game.
Here’s how they staved off history against the Los Angeles Angels for the second night in a row and avoided breaking the 1962 New York Mets’ record for most losses in a season in modern MLB history.
Game Recap
In typical White Sox fashion (and to a certain extent, Angels fashion, if you asked their beat writers), the game got off to a start completely on brand for both teams — one that was trying to avoid setting the modern MLB single-season loss record, and the other trying to avoid setting their franchise record for losses in a season.
Zach Neto was picked off leaving too early on a double steal attempt in the top of the first inning, which ended up costing Los Angeles a run (Neto would go on to get picked off a second time later in the ballgame).
Andrew Benintendi was hosed trying to stretch a single into a double in the bottom half of the first, and Andrew Vaughn grounded out to third to spoil a one-out double from Luis Robert Jr.
Fortunately for Chicago and Benintendi, he’d make up for it later.
As time ticked by, the White Sox struck first an inning later when Korey Lee launched a two-run home run over the left field wall, making it a 2-0 ballgame.
The Angels answered in the top of the fourth, when Matt Thaiss walked and advanced to second on a passed ball, then Davis Martin hit Gustavo Campero with a pitch to put runners at first and second with two outs.
“Every year, you have 30 starts, 10 of them are going to be ‘Hey we are going to figure some sh*t out’ and that was today,” Martin said after the game. “Nothing felt good, the body didn’t feel good in space, so you gotta do what you gotta do to keep your team in the game and try to win a game.”
Jack Lopez reached on an infield single to second to load the bases, before Michael Soroka came in and Taylor Ward singled to centerfield, driving in Campero and Thaiss to tie the game at 2-2.
With some of the same spunk that helped them come from behind a day prior, Lenyn Sosa deposited a solo home run into the left-field bullpen to take back the lead for Chicago, 3-2, in the bottom half of the fourth.
Crickets chirped through the remaining middle innings until the eighth when Los Angeles pulled out a bases-loaded suicide squeeze, which turned into an RBI single to tie the game because Sosa didn’t come over to cover first when Vaughn and Justin Anderson converged on the bunt.
Fortunately enough for the White Sox, Benintendi saved the day in the bottom of the tenth, when he scored the ghost runner from second on a walk-off RBI single to left-centerfield, giving the White Sox their second straight win, and staving off history for a second day in a row.
“I was able to come through there and I’m happy I was able to do that for the team,” Benintendi said. “That’s a tough pitcher and I’m glad it worked out.”
Stat Pack
Benintendi, Lee, Robert Jr. and Sosa each had two hits apiece for Chicago. For Benintendi, it was his second straight two-hit game and marked the 11th game he’s hit safely in over his last 15 games played.
“Yeah, I was talking about this a couple of weeks ago. I’m kind of trying to break it into two seasons. The first half was terrible. I think I was trying to make adjustments that weren’t clicking until the second half,” Benintendi said about how his season has gone at the plate. “And now, it’s been nice to see results in a results-driven game, a game of failure.
“It’s been tough to just trust what you’re doing and once you start seeing results, it’s nice that it finally pays off.”
Martin pitched 3.2 innings, where he gave up two earned runs on three hits, five walks and four strikeouts, while the White Sox bullpen combined to give up one run in 6.1 innings of relief from five different pitchers.
Up Next
The Chicago White Sox wrap up their final home series of the year against the Los Angeles Angels with a Thursday afternoon game at Guaranteed Rate Field. Chris Flexen (2-15, 5.15 ERA) will face Tyler Anderson (10-14, 3.70 ERA), with first pitch set for 1:10 p.m. CT.