CLEVELAND -- As the White Sox undisputed sparkplug and offensive catalyst during their surprising run to the AL Division Series, Sam Antonacci knows when he needs to fire his teammates up and when to keep them loose.
So when he sensed his teammates were a bit tense ahead of Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Astros, he purposely tripped going up the dugout steps during introductions to keep things light. And when he reached on a walk to open the game, he smacked his helmet wildly to get his teammates going.
Antonacci will look to bring that same energy and distinctive style to the AL Division Series against the division-rival Guardians that begins on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET at Progressive Field.
“I tripped to get the guys going,” Antonacci said. “I could feel a little tension. Nothing crazy, but just to make them realize that everyone is going to wake up tomorrow and eat the same thing they were going to have for breakfast whether we win or lose. And hitting the head just happens naturally. And now, it just has been the norm to get the guys fired up with a little bit of unorthodox stuff.”
Antonacci, 23, has been a major part of the White Sox resurgence after the club lost 121 games in 2024 and 102 games in ’25. But he wasn’t part of those teams: He was a fifth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina University in ’24 who made his MLB debut on April 15 this season and never looked back.
He slashed .277/.370/.396 with eight homers, 25 doubles, four triples, 81 runs, 48 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 140 regular-season games. He’s mostly served as leadoff hitter since early May, while seeing time at both second base and left field.
Antonacci started the AL Wild Card Series in Houston in left and went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk in a 6-3 win over the Astros in Game 1. He finished 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored during a 7-3 victory in Game 2. He set the tone early, doubling off right-hander Hunter Brown to open the game and set up a four-run first inning that helped the White Sox put away the Astros.
“Sam has been amazing,” manager Will Venable said. “He's been in the middle of everything. He's a guy when you think about the identity of our club, and the characteristics of our club, and in being tough, and having a competitive spirit, and just the energy and not backing down really from anything. That all starts with Sam. He really is the guy that embodies all those things, and goes out there on a daily basis and sets the tone for us.”
Antonacci isn’t expected to lead off in the ALDS series opener against the Guardians, with lefty Parker Messick on the mound. He might even come off the bench. Antonacci went 0-for-3 against Messick during the regular season and had an .807 OPS against right-handers compared to a .604 OPS vs. lefties. He also went 1-for-11 against Game 2 starter Gavin Williams, so Antonacci knows he will have his hands full against tough Cleveland pitching.
“A lot of people are very proud of us for getting here, and a lot of people want us to say, ‘We've made it here. Our goal is finished,’” Antonacci said. “That's not the case here. Our job is to keep winning. And we have a good chance to win. It's just up to us whether we want to advance or not.”
Antonacci, a Springfield, Ill., native, knows how much this unexpected run means to White Sox fans. Their series victory over the Astros was their first postseason series win since they won the World Series in 2005, when Antonacci was just two years old.
And while Antonacci grew up a Cardinals fan, a lot of his friends are White Sox fans, especially many of his teammates from his time at Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill. He spent two years there before transferring to Coastal Carolina and said this is the most fun he’s had playing baseball since college.
“I don't take it for granted when I put that White Sox jersey on every day, and then for the name on the back as well to represent my family,” Antonacci said. “The South Side has been waiting for this for a while. When we got to Houston, our main [goal] was just to get playoff baseball back to Chicago. And now that we've done that, our goal is just to win this series.”