CHICAGO -- Playoff-atmosphere baseball on June 13? On the South Side of Chicago?
Any of the 37,882 fans in attendance at Rate Field on Friday for the White Sox 8-2 victory over the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers can attest this phenomena certainly is possible.
The White Sox victory, buoyed by a seven-run fifth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit, extended their home winning streak to eight. They improved to 19-3 over their last 22 at the Rate, and they also moved to 37-31 overall, reaching a season-best six games over .500 while maintaining a one-half game lead over the Guardians in the American League Central.
This game had an October feel even before the first pitch was thrown by Anthony Kay (6-1). The crowd making up Rate Field’s fourth sellout of the season only enhanced that frenzied electricity.
“I can't say enough about the fans. These fans are unbelievable,” White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth said. “They make this fun.”
“Our fans have been absolutely incredible,” Kay said. “I didn’t realize how loud it was until I was out of the game and we had that seven-run inning. It was incredible to be a part of it in the dugout and watch the boys get that inning going. Just watched the fans go crazy.”
Kay escaped a two-run second, limiting the damage to give the offense a chance to fight back. He allowed just those two runs in five innings, striking out seven, walking one and winning his fifth straight start at home.
It was a complete game pitching effort, as Kay, Bryan Hudson, Trevor Richards and Chris Murphy retired the last 19 Dodgers hitters. But let’s shift focus to the work the bats did against Roki Sasaki (3-4) and Blake Treinen in the fifth.
Four straight White Sox hitters reached back to start the fifth, with Miguel Vargas, who finished with three hits, doubling home the go-ahead run in the rally. Vargas began his career with the Dodgers and went through immense struggles at the plate after coming to the White Sox during a three-team trade at the 2024 Trade Deadline.
Now, the tarps off section at Rate Field chants “M-V-P” as he steps to the plate. Vargas, who received a championship ring from the Dodgers for the club’s ‘24 run, still wanted to beat his old squad on Friday. But not for the obvious reason.
“Yeah, 100 percent,” Vargas said. “I want to beat not just the Dodgers. I want to beat everyone. Definitely it’s an important series for us. Definitely competing against old teammates is always fun.”
“He’s thriving. And with young players it takes time,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Vargas. “Miggy’s a baseball player, always had the ability to hit, the defense has gotten a lot better, he’s in good shape. I’m very happy for Vargy.”
Vargas’ run-scoring double was just a part of the White Sox fifth-inning uprising.
Rookie Braden Montgomery walked to force home a run, Meidroth singled home two and Tristan Peters completed an eight-pitch at-bat against Treinen with a two-run triple to right. Peters' at-bat drew a standing ovation from the crowd, as did Montgomery’s plate appearance when the count reached 3-0.
Meidroth, who also had three hits, increased his hit streak to 12 games and his on-base streak to 22. He also made a strident request for the White Sox faithful to maintain this home-field advantage.
“Keep coming because it's awesome,” Meidroth said. “We love it. We love our fans and this is amazing."
“Yeah, it was special. It was electric, starting with the fans,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Obviously, a very good environment to play in. They showed up and our guys responded. I thought we played with a lot of energy and obviously the contributions from everybody were special. It was just a great atmosphere.”
In these last six games against the Phillies on the road and at home against the Braves and Dodgers, the White Sox have posted a 4-2 record with three consecutive wins at home. They have two more against the Dodgers before going to Yankee Stadium, capping a stretch of 12 straight games against playoff-caliber teams.
A barometer of sorts? Of course. Does the opponent matter to the White Sox? Not really. It’s all about what’s inside their clubhouse.
“It doesn't matter what they believe. We stay with us. We believe it,” Meidroth said. “That's all that matters and we're going to continue to put the work in. We've got a ways to go. We've got to get a lot better at a few things. We're excited. We know where we're at, but we're not satisfied right now."
“We know who we are as a team,” Kay said. “We are going to keep showing everyone if they don’t believe.”