September heat feeds 7-3 Sox win

Tonight’s powerful, 7-3 win over the Kansas City Royals can be told in just a few clips, to let’s get right to it, because while seeing balls flying out of Sox Park is always tasty, having them fly out in support of a Chicago White Sox win is a pure delight.

The first big fly proved to be the game-winner, as Eloy Jiménez came to the plate with the sacks packed and just one out. As he’s done several times this season, Jiménez adjusted his swing to take a sinker low the other way, and out of the park. It wasn’t a colossal Eloy blast, but it still counted for four points.

In the second, Adam Engel’s eyes lit up when he saw a juicy, 90 mph fastball from Jakob Junis cross the heart of the plate, just outside enough for Engel to launch it into the jetstream for an oppo taco.

Finally, there was a jet airliner blast from Yoán Moncada in the seventh, to close scoring. Moncada’s 452-foot blast to center field wasn’t a towering fly like Jim Thome’s blackout homer, but it traveled just as far. Wow.

Iván Nova earned his 10th win of the season in slightly messy fashion, given the light air at the ballpark tonight (three homers in 5 ²⁄₃ innings). But those three longballs was K.C.’s only damage of the game, and Nova’s relief corps (Jace Fry, Aaron Bummer, Evan Marshall and Jimmy Cordero) kept things tight with 3 ¹⁄₃ innings of one-hit, two-walk, two-strikeout ball.

The White Sox are now 52-0 when leading after eight innings, which is the second-best mark in the majors (Angels, 60-0). There’s the makings of a major league bullpen here, buddy.

Outside of Jiménez’s big blow, the offense pretty much came from Moncada, who pumped his average to .301 with a 3-for-4, two-run, two-ribbie ballgame.

Same time, same place mañana, as Reynaldo López tries to somehow match his one-hit dominance of his last outing.