Sam Antonacci stood at the plate for an intense at-bat, aiming to ignite a rally for the Chicago White Sox in the 10th inning against the Cincinnati Reds. The Sox trailed by a run with an automatic runner on second base at the start of the inning. Antonacci battled to a full count, fouled off several pitches, but ultimately struck out swinging on the 14th pitch from Emilio Pagán. The Reds went on to clinch a 5-4 victory at Rate Field in front of a crowd of 38,113.
The White Sox had established a four-run lead, aided by three home runs, marking standout moments in the game. Despite a brilliant performance from starter Sean Burke, the team faced disappointment in the end. Burke pitched seven innings, allowing only one run and three hits, while striking out eight without any walks. Reflecting on the game, Burke expressed his willingness to exchange his performance for a win, acknowledging a mistake pitch to Eugenio Suárez that resulted in a solo home run.
“I’d trade that performance for a win, obviously,” remarked Burke. “That one’s going to eat at me a little bit. Especially in a close game like that, reflecting on what could have been done better.”
With this loss, the first-place White Sox saw their lead in the American League Central reduced to 2.5 games, with the Detroit Tigers close behind. The Sox had control through much of the game, with home runs from Brenton Doyle, Edgar Quero, and Miguel Vargas contributing to their early 3-0 lead. Antonacci further extended the lead by driving in Randal Grichuk with a double in the fourth inning, making it 4-0.
Burke remained effective, not allowing any hits until Suárez’s fifth-inning home run. He gave up just a single in the sixth and a double in the seventh. Manager Will Venable praised Burke’s performance, noting that Suárez was the only batter capable of challenging him effectively.
“He was awesome,” said Venable. “A great feel for the slider; plenty of swing and miss on the fastball. So really outstanding by Burke.”
However, the Reds capitalized on the Sox bullpen in the eighth. Matt McLain reached on an infield single. Michael Toglia added a bloop hit, and Elly De La Cruz brought home a run with a single, closing the gap to 4-2. Tyler Stephenson’s right-field single tied the game at 4-4. The Sox had a chance in the bottom of the eighth with a double by Munetaka Murakami, but he was left stranded. Edgar Quero’s potential ninth-inning go-ahead was caught just short of the left-field wall, extending the game into extra innings.
The Reds executed strategic plays in the 10th, advancing the auto runner McLain to third and scoring him on De La Cruz’s sacrifice fly. The Sox were retired successively in the bottom of the 10th, with Antonacci’s strikeout followed by two pop ups. Cincinnati’s relief pitchers were formidable, retiring 18 out of 19 Sox batters faced.
“Really good upfront,” Venable noted regarding the offense. “We got good swings early but couldn’t sustain it.”
Leave a Reply