White Sox showing they're the team to beat in AL Central with sweep of Tigers

DETROIT -- Any lingering, remaining doubt as to the top team in the American League Central was answered by the White Sox three-game sweep of the Tigers this weekend at Comerica Park.

Just don’t expect this ultra-focused group from Chicago to live in such rarified, cocky air. They are understandably confident following a 7-5 victory Sunday, but they certainly aren’t celebrating anything beyond the win that day.

“You call it whatever you want,” said White Sox manager Will Venable when asked for a second or third time since Friday if this weekend was some sort of division statement for the White Sox. “I'm just so proud of the group. … These guys are tired and beat up and they just keep playing.”

“It’s kind of unspoken in the locker room what’s going on right now and coming into this weekend and understanding where we are at with this team,” White Sox starter Sean Burke said. “I think for everybody to show up like that was huge for us.”

It was just two months ago, from June 19-21, when the White Sox were swept out of Comerica Park by the Tigers. It was just three days ago when the White Sox lost a series at home to the Reds during one of their worst three-game stretches in the last month.

There was no hangover from either of those setbacks, both far and near, as they moved to a 5 1/2 game lead in the division. It’s their biggest advantage since the final day of the 2021 campaign when they last reached the postseason with a division crown. No other team is within a series sweep of .500 in the division, but that fact shouldn’t diminish the on-field prowess shown by Venable’s crew.

They trailed early Friday and powered their way to victory behind four home runs. They were behind 3-0 and 4-1 on Sunday, in a game where Burke and his 1.60 ERA over his last 62 innings entering the finale weren’t as sharp, and still cruised back to improve to 28-34 on the road. Even when they were losing, the White Sox still gave the feel of being a step or two away from victory.

"If you follow the sport, you can literally see that they've been doing that really all year. They play in a ballpark, they built their team to have some power,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “They've got some speed. They got a kid that made an All-Star team who hits eighth for them.

“So they definitely have built their team to have different ways to score, but they score. They put the ball in play quite a bit. They also miss a lot, but they take advantage of their opportunities. They're never out of it because of that two-run, three-run homer that they can get to flip the game, and it comes top to bottom. They're a very good team, and their record reflects it."

Munetaka Murakami delivered the knockout punch, as he has done so many times this season, via a two-run homer off Tyler Holton in the seventh. It was Murakami’s 28th home run and second of the series. Murakami, who tied Sammy Sosa on the franchise’s all-time home run list, also took a hit away from Hao-Yu Lee with two outs in the seventh to strand the tying run at second.

In the ninth, Miguel Vargas hit his third homer of the series (his 28th of the season), making it the 10th time Murakami and Vargas have homered in the same game this year. That ties the White Sox franchise record by a duo, set by Luis Robert Jr. and Jake Burger in 2023, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye in 2006 and Frank Thomas and Carlos Lee in 2003.

“All the home runs, I’m really happy to hit them. It’s just one of them,” said Murakami through interpreter Kenzo Yagi. “Everybody is looking in the same direction. Everyone wants to win every single game and that confidence is there.”

The White Sox tied a season high at seven games over .500 with a 65-58 ledger. They move on to Wrigley Field for three games against the Cubs, who they beat in a home series from May 15-17.

This series pits the AL Central leaders against the National League Wild Card leaders and could be for Chicago bragging rights, unless they meet again in the World Series.

Think about that possibility for a moment. The White Sox aren’t thinking past Monday, let alone into late October.

“Our message all year is taking it day by day,” Burke said. “Show up tomorrow, a big series against the Cubs back home. Those next three games are in our focus.”