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With the game tied and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Trayce Thompson worked the count to 3-1 against Addison Reed. He got a fastball down the pipe, took a huge swing, and the moment the ball left the bat, not a soul in the park or watching at home had any doubt. It sailed through the air at 109 mph before landing in the left field seats, 403 feet from home plate.
Thompson’s third home run of the year gave the White Sox a much-needed, 6-5 victory and snapped a four-game losing streak. Credit the offense and the pitching staff as well for creating the opportunity for the dramatic finish.
Reynaldo Lopez got the start and gave up some hard-hit balls, including a massive two-run homer by Logan Morrison. However, he managed to pitch 6 ⅔ innings using just 83 pitches, giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits. He didn’t help his already questionable peripherals, walking two without getting a single strikeout.
That home run by Morrison put the Sox down 5-1, but they chipped away at the score one inning at a time. Daniel Palka answered with a no-doubt two-run homer of his own in the bottom of the fourth to make it 5-3. The next inning, Omar Narvaez hit a leadoff double, Adam Engel bunted him to third, and Yolmer Sanchez singled to score the run. Then the Sox tied it up in the sixth when Matt Davidson smoked an RBI double off the right field wall, 106 mph to the opposite field.
With the Sox right back in the game, Rick Renteria allowed Lopez to post a few more zeroes before going to the bullpen in the seventh. Luis Avilan, Juan Minaya, Aaron Bummer and Nate Jones got it across the finish line, combining for 2 ⅓ scoreless innings with just one hit, no walks, and three strikeouts.
After that strong effort, all it took was Thompson cuing the Gatorade showers.
Game Notes
- I finally managed to win Sox Math.
- The Sox struck out 14 times tonight. Tim Anderson drew the golden sombrero and looked like his 2017 self, swinging at everything.
- Wimpy read an Xfinity plug in the voice of Vin Scully, and my fiancee had no idea why I was laughing uncontrollably.
- Chuck Garfien really went to work in the field. He spoke to Bill Melton and Roger Bossard, and he interviewed the self-described “ball hawk” who retrieved Morrison’s home run. It was weird.