CHICAGO -- Here’s how quickly things turned great for the White Sox during a 22-1 roasting of the Royals on Friday night at Rate Field.
- Attempts at the wave, which should always be limited regardless of the score, began in the fourth inning.
- The “tarps off” group, which usually assembles later in the game, made their way to the corner of the left field upper deck in the third.
- White Sox starter David Sandlin opened the fourth with nine straight pitches out of the zone and eventually walked the bases loaded. Yet there never was a concern.
- Fans in the stands wearing Marshmello helmets were frequently featured on the center-field scoreboard. That element might not equate to success as much as it was tribute to the DJ scheduled to do a postgame concert.
- Let’s not forget the White Sox also scored 10 runs in the third off Mitch Spence, raising his ERA to 21.21.
That outburst marked the White Sox highest inning total since putting up 11 at the Reds in the second inning on May 7, 2023. The 22 runs total were tied for the second-most scored by the White Sox in a game in team history, when they scored 22 vs. Boston on May 31, 1970. The most the White Sox scored in a game was 29 vs. the Kansas City A's on April 23, 1955.
Their third inning began with a Jacob Gonzalez walk, a Sam Antonacci single and Miguel Vargas’ 18th home run. That particular long ball was called seconds before by Mike Vasil, the energetic dugout force rehabbing his way back from Tommy John surgery, who was mic’d up for CHSN’s all-access Friday. Kyle Teel walked, Andrew Benintendi doubled and one out later, Chase Meidroth’s infield single scored the fourth run.
But the White Sox weren’t done. Not even close.
Braden Montgomery walked and Tristan Peters singled home two for a 6-0 advantage. Gonzalez launched a three-run blast to right, Antonacci singled and Vargas doubled him home. Four RBIs in the inning for Vargas, just a little less than half of the White Sox total.
Benintendi and Teel added solo homers. It was Benintendi’s 10th of the season and the first for Teel, who returned to action this past Monday against Cleveland after missing 2 1/2 months due to right hamstring and right knee issues.
Peters added his first career grand slam in the sixth, giving him a career-high six RBIs. Vasil has his dugout magic wand, purchased by reliever Jordan Leasure for $20 from Amazon, and has a sorcerer’s hat used only for home runs. It got a workout Friday.
Overall, Vargas went 3-for-6 with five RBIs and he was a triple shy of the cycle, Peters and Gonzalez (batting eighth and ninth) combined for five hits, 11 RBIs and six runs scored.