White Sox clinch AL Central lead on Antonacci’s walk-off hit
Sam Antonacci’s ninth-inning single secures 6-5 victory over Cleveland, tying the White Sox with the Guardians for first place in the American League Central.
The Chicago White Sox have pulled into a first-place tie with the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central following a 6-5 victory on Monday night. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Chicago and marked their sixth walk-off victory of the season, a total tied for the most in Major League Baseball.
Sam Antonacci delivered the decisive blow with a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning. The rally began after Cleveland had taken a 5-4 lead in the top half of the frame. Rookie Braden Montgomery drew a one-out walk from Cleveland reliever Cade Smith, followed by a double from Tristan Peters. After pinch-hitter Jacob Gonzalez was struck out, Antonacci’s hit secured the win.
Cleveland’s bullpen struggled to close out the game, with Seranthony Domínguez recording his fifth blown save in 17 opportunities. The Guardians had taken the lead earlier in the ninth when Kyle Manzardo hit a sacrifice fly off Chris Murphy. Rookie Travis Bazzana had reached base via a leadoff walk from Domínguez and advanced to third on a steal and a wild pitch before Patrick Bailey singled to tie the game at 4-4.
The White Sox had built a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning thanks to a leadoff pinch-hit home run by Randall Grichuk off Tim Herrin. However, Cleveland rallied against White Sox reliever Glenn Taylor in the seventh, scoring three runs on a pinch-hit two-run single by Kahlil Watson and an RBI single by Rhys Hoskins to tie the contest at 3-3.
White Sox starter Anthony Kay provided a strong start, retiring 10 batters in a row before walking Manzardo with two outs in the sixth. Kay struck out Gabriel Arias on his career-high 101st pitch to maintain the 2-0 lead before the seventh-inning collapse. Cleveland starter Gavin Williams allowed two runs on five hits and struck out eight batters over five innings.
Chicago catcher Kyle Teel returned to the lineup after missing time due to a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Italy in the World Baseball Classic. Teel went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in his first game back.
The result leaves Chicago at 40-37 and Cleveland at 41-38, with both teams sharing the top spot in the division. The Guardians have lost 11 of their last 16 games as the White Sox look to capitalise on the tie.
The teams are scheduled to meet again on Tuesday, with Cleveland starting left-hander Parker Messick, who holds a 7-3 record and a 2.70 earned run average. He will face White Sox right-hander Sean Burke, who is 4-4 with a 3.89 ERA.
