Miami resident Vargas records 6 RBIs in White Sox first win of 2026

MIAMI -- The return to Miami was always going to mean something for Miguel Vargas. Back in the place he calls home, he made sure it meant everything on Monday night.

On a quiet, rainy night outside loanDepot park, Vargas delivered the loudest moment of the game, launching a grand slam to left field to lead the White Sox to a 9-4 win over the Marlins.

“Having my family here was a great motivation and to be able to give them that happiness and for them to have had enjoyed it as well was a special moment,” Vargas said in Spanish.

After the Marlins lost their ABS challenge on a low-and-outside sweeper at the start of his at-bat in the top of the fourth, Vargas said that made him feel more comfortable for the rest of it, especially with the bases-loaded situation.

“[I] was trying to get a good pitch and grab some runs,” Vargas said. “[Chris Paddack’s] changeup was good but I was lucky that he left it in the middle when I went up against him.”

With Tristan Peters, Everson Pereira and Luisangel Acuña on base, Vargas turned on a changeup from Paddack after earning the White Sox first hit in the top of the third from the same pitch, sending it a Statcast-projected 402 feet at an exit velocity of 105.5 mph to left field for his first home run of the season.

“He was excited to be out there like he is every day but just had a really nice performance, controlled the zone and obviously some big swings,” White Sox manager Will Venable said.

Vargas continued to be part of a notable stretch for Chicago, which has hit grand slams in back-to-back games for the fourth time in franchise history and the first since June 23-25, 2006, with Colson Montgomery getting the first Sunday afternoon against the Brewers.

The White Sox entered the night looking to reset after being swept by Milwaukee, which included being outscored by 19 (29-10) over the three-game series, while the Marlins stayed home riding momentum from a sweep of the Rockies.

Leading off for Chicago, after replacing Chase Meidroth, who had some “soreness” in his elbow but was available off the bench, Vargas flied out to left. Then Munetaka Murakami grounded out and Austin Hays struck out swinging as the White Sox went down in order in the first inning. It was the kind of empty frame that echoed closely with what the White Sox showed in the opening series.

But the tone shifted in the top of the third.

Pereira, coming off a multihit game on Sunday, led off with a double to left. Edgar Quero followed with a groundout to move him to third and Acuña struck out swinging, bringing Vargas to the plate with two outs. He attacked the first pitch he saw from Paddack and lined it into left field for an RBI single to open the scoring.

Murakami, who has also been part of White Sox history recently, having started off his Major League career with a homer in every one of his first three outings, followed with a ground-ball single to keep the inning moving, and Hays broke it open with a three-run home run to right field.

Being down 8-0, Miami answered in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run homer from Liam Hicks and a RBI single from Jakob Marsee in the fifth. Davis Martin started and pitched five innings, only giving up three runs with six strikeouts, and Sean Newcomb came out of the bullpen for 2 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and only one run.

“We needed strikes. We needed outs there. We were light on the bullpen tonight. And, you know, we needed a good start from Davis. Really happy that he gave it to us,” Venable said. “Newcomb was excellent tonight. He was in a spot where we really needed length from him. We got quality as well. So for him to come in [and] throw three innings … that game was huge.”

But Vargas was not done.

He added a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth for his sixth RBI of the night, capping a career performance. Acuña, who had stolen second and third earlier in the inning, scored on the play.

“There’s a strong tradition and history for Cuban players, and for me it’s an honor to come and represent that here in Miami,” Vargas said.

It marked the first six-RBI game by a White Sox player since Seby Zavala on July 31, 2021, vs. Cleveland, and came in a return to a place that remains familiar and important to Vargas.