Antonacci's breakout day jolts White Sox offense in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS -- Sam Antonacci “plays crazy,” according to teammate Jacob Gonzalez. The Minnesota Twins probably had a few less friendly adjectives to describe Antonacci on Wednesday, and that’s just the way the White Sox like it.

Antonacci went 4-for-4 and reached base six times, and Erick Fedde threw 4 2/3 hitless innings to pick up his first win since Aug. 9, 2025, as the White Sox avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Twins, 8-0, at Target Field.

Antonacci singled in the first and second innings and doubled in the sixth and eighth innings, raising his average from its pregame mark of .272 to .291 on the season. He also walked in the fourth and was hit by a pitch for a Major League-leading 12th time this season in the ninth, raising his on-base percentage from .361 to .383.

He also scored two runs and drove in another, and even the one plate appearance that didn’t end well for Antonacci was a product of the style of play that’s made him so successful. With one out in the second inning and the White Sox already leading 4-0, he tried to stretch a single to a double but was nipped at second base by left fielder Trevor Larnach’s throw.

“With the score being up four or five runs at the time, I was willing to take those chances,” Antonacci said. “But obviously if it's a closer game, I probably put on the brakes and stay at first with the middle of the order coming up.”

But as his former Minor League teammate pointed out, that’s a big part of what makes Antonacci special.

“He's just crazy. Not that he's playing recklessly, but he plays crazy,” Gonzalez said. “Like, stretching doubles – everyone wants to do that. It's just, he's also fast enough to be able to do crazy things. So it's a lot of fun.”

Antonacci kick-started the White Sox by leading off the game with a base hit. Five of the first six hitters ended up reaching base that inning, capped by a Gonzalez single that netted him his first two Major League RBIs and put the White Sox on top 4-0.

“He did a good job setting the tone for the group,” manager Will Venable said. “A guy up there who’s been doing it really since he's got up here. And the guys followed his lead behind him. We had quality at-bats up and down the lineup, contributions from everywhere.”

Antonacci was the team’s fifth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina University in the 2024 Draft. He moved through the organization quickly, playing his first summer at Single-A Kannapolis before climbing through High-A and Double-A in 2025. And after not breaking camp with the Major League team in late March, he posted a .313/.500/.479 slash line in 14 games at Triple-A Charlotte. The White Sox called him up on April 15, and he’s been a fixture in the lineup ever since.

Antonacci downplayed his perfect day at the plate (“I just got a lot of good pitches to hit today and got on base. It doesn't happen often.”) but his manager doesn’t take any of it for granted.

“The thing about him is he puts himself in a really good spot every single at-bat to compete, give himself a chance,” Venable said. “He's got a good swing, makes good swing decisions. He’s willing to get in there and fight until the end. Obviously we see him willing to take hit by pitches, whatever it is. He's just in that mode where he's doing whatever he can to get on base.”

And if things get a little crazy from time to time, well, as White Sox fans are learning, that’s just Sam being Sam.