ST. LOUIS -- One game does not make a 162-game Major League Baseball schedule.
For the 2026 White Sox, it actually was one inning and one swing of the bat from Randal Grichuk on Saturday turning a recent 3-9 slog toward October back to a significant momentum boost on the road to the postseason.
“Well, it makes you feel better,” said White Sox manager Will Venable prior to Sunday’s series finale at Busch Stadium. “We all probably woke up in a better mood than we did the day before -- just having lost four games and even before that just feeling like we haven’t played our best baseball.”
“Yesterday is like the light at the end of the tunnel,” third baseman Miguel Vargas said. “You see, ‘OK, now we go.’”
Grichuk delivered the almost astonishing home run swing in the 6-5 win on a 1-2 sinker from Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien after swinging through a couple of off-speed offerings earlier in the count. But this game-winning rally was not a one-man show.
Kyle Teel opened the ninth by falling behind at 0-2 in the count to O’Brien before fighting back to draw a leadoff walk. Pinch-runner Brenton Doyle swiped second on a close play off a pitchout, and after Grichuk drove one out down the right-field line, it was Bryan Hudson who pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save.
Hudson was getting ready before Grichuk, with the possibility of a hit simply tying the game. The southpaw moved into an extra gear after briefly celebrating the home run moment.
“I watched it all. It was sick,” said a smiling Hudson. “Hands up in the air, screaming, the whole nine yards. It was really cool.
“With us being a younger team, 3-9 is not ideal, especially chasing the postseason. But something like that just flips the energy. Afterwards, we were all fired up.”
Grichuk coming through has extra meaning because of what he means to the clubhouse, to the team. He slashed .194/.212/.323 over 33 plate appearances for the Yankees this season, but has posted an impressive line of .301/.332/.607 over 205 plate appearances since coming to Chicago as a free agent on May 4.
His momentum-changing swing seemed almost expected, despite the White Sox being one strike away from a fifth straight loss.
“You know, if that old man with a beautiful wife and two kids don’t want to go home, I guess we have to stay,” said Vargas with a laugh. “It’s great to see him doing that for us, especially him, he has been such a great leader for the clubhouse, a great addition for us. We were very excited on the bench.
“When Grich is in there, we expect a lot of things out of him. We all know in that situation he’s got it under control, and we really believe in him. We just want a hit, and he did more.”
An American League Central showdown in Cleveland (75-74) begins Monday night at Progressive Field, with both teams knowing the importance of this three-game matchup. The White Sox (76-72) can’t clinch the division, but they can secure the head-to-head tiebreaker behind their current 6-4 series edge and move much closer to their first playoff appearance since 2021.
Saturday’s victory provided a boost. It also highlighted a point Vargas has talked about previously: This White Sox team plays 27 outs, every game, down to the last pitch. When a team consistently follows that philosophy, it’s bound to gain an edge.
“One hundred percent. I get chills when you say that,” said Vargas, pointing to goosebumps on his arm. “A lot of times it’s hard to keep believing and trusting that because that’s our identity now. Play 27 outs. Every time we keep pushing and can put pressure and give the opportunity to somebody to deliver like that, I think we are going to be in a good spot.”
“Getting that result makes you feel better about things and hopefully it’s a momentum shifter,” Venable said. “Certainly I know we feel better than we did the day before.”