Benintendi has his own way of celebrating 10 years of MLB service time

ARLINGTON, Texas -- On the Sunday before the All-Star break, the White Sox celebrated Andrew Benintendi reaching 10 years of Major League Baseball service time.

They even got him a bottle of Rip Van Winkle bourbon, in honor of the man who fell asleep for 20 years, to reinforce his longevity and success in the game.

During a 10-3 comeback drubbing over the Rangers on Monday night at Globe Life Field, Benintendi did his own celebrating. With the bases loaded, two outs and two strikes against Benintendi during a 2-2 tie in the fifth, the veteran designated hitter connected off Jacob deGrom for a bases-clearing double down the right-field line.

It was Benintendi’s first career hit against deGrom in his 11th head-to-head at-bat.

“Just something over the heart of the plate,” Benintendi said of the game-winning drive. “I feel like he was dotting on me all night, backdoor sliders down and away. Heaters up and away, right on the corner. Just something closer to me and over the middle, and fortunately that slider leaked back over the middle.”

This latest exciting victory for the South Siders put them at 53-46 overall and a season-high seven games over .500, marking the first time they’ve hit that lofty mark since the 2021 season when they won the American League Central under Tony La Russa. The win also ended a 10-game losing streak at Globe Life, with their last win here coming on Aug. 7, 2022, by an 8-2 margin.

But success came at a steep price. Kyle Teel departed in the second inning with a left ankle injury after catching Braden Montgomery’s throw from right, spinning around and trying to tag Ezequiel Duran at home plate. He was helped off the field by manager Will Venable and a trainer and was on crutches postgame with a trip to the injured list almost certainly to follow.

Shortstop Colson Montgomery was replaced by Luisangel Acuña in the bottom of the seventh after fouling a pitch off his right shin/calf in the top half of the inning. He finished his at-bat before exiting defensively but didn’t need X-rays and is day to day.

Prior to the four-run rally in the fifth, Sam Antonacci’s grittiness was the highlight of the evening.

Facing one of the best pitchers in the game since he debuted in 2014, Antonacci worked an eight-pitch walk off deGrom to start the game. He delivered a nine-pitch single in the third and scored on Miguel Vargas’ double, then drove home Tristan Peters with the game-tying run to start the fifth on the first pitch he was thrown.

Three plate appearances, 18 pitches and dividends paid out later in the night.

“We were kind of waiting for that one big hit. We had chances all night, it felt like,” Benintendi said. “Obviously he’s really good, so you’re not going to get many pitches to hit. If you miss one, you’re probably not going to get another one. Just stick with it and go from there.”

“I think it started with Sammy,” Colson Montgomery said. “His first at-bat. He grinded. He made his pitch count get up a little bit. … We all had a pretty good understanding of what we were looking for and where we were looking. Things weren’t really clicking at first, but we all knew if we stayed with our process, we were going to get him. We got him.”

Monday’s series-opening victory included seven White Sox doubles, Vargas’ two RBIs, giving him a career-high 61 and five relievers allowing one total run behind starter Erick Fedde. They maintained a one-game lead over the Guardians -- who pummeled the Twins at home via seven home runs -- improving to 6-1 since Munetaka Murakami returned to the lineup, with Murakami knocking out one of the seven doubles.

Benintendi delivered another key hit for the South Siders, playing his role to near perfection as a strong left-handed bat and a clubhouse presence. The appreciation was shown for Benintendi with his 10-year mark in particular, a celebration he enjoyed in his own understated manner.

“It was great. It was kind of a good way to get your 10 years, celebrating with your team. I wasn’t necessarily expecting that, nor do I feel comfortable with all that,” Benintendi said. “I was hoping it would fly under the radar. It was cool.

“Coming up, I remember guys saying [to] enjoy it because it’s going to go fast. Maybe the last few years haven’t felt as fast, but it’s been good overall.”