CHICAGO – Take your pick among the top White Sox moments from a 4-1 victory over the Twins Friday night at Rate Field.
Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery, who entered the night tied with Munetaka Murakami for the team lead at 29 home runs, both went deep off Zebby Matthews, marking the first White Sox teammates to reach 30 in the same season in the same game in franchise history, according to STATS. It’s the same Matthews who carried a perfect game into the sixth against the White Sox Sunday at Target Field and allowed one run in 8 1/3 innings.
For the record, Vargas earns the bragging rights, getting the job done in the first inning. Montgomery connected for a two-run shot in the fourth.
“Doing it on the same night and being able to share with Vargas is awesome,” Montgomery said. “It’s just a lot of dedication to staying with your approach and process.”
“It’s pretty awesome,” Vargas said. “I know how hard it is and I’ve been working very hard to have a decent year, I guess. [To] achieve one of these moments, it means a lot for me for sure.”
But let’s not settle for just 30 on this night. Braden Montgomery went deep off Matthews in the sixth, producing the first time the Montgomerys have homered in the same game. Erick Fedde (8-8) threw five scoreless innings in quite possibly the most humid day of the season, striking out two and walking two.
Fedde’s performance raised his record to 5-0 with a 1.18 ERA over seven career starts against Minnesota (67-74). He certainly has the Twins' number.
“Maybe they just bring the best out of me,” said Fedde of his success against the Twins. “Had some good outings against them and maybe that snowballs into more and more confidence. When I go out there right now, I’m feeling as good as I’ve felt all year.
“Just trying to make quality pitches no matter the count. These games are as important as they come, throwing every pitch like it’s the most important one of the year. And just kind of carrying that mentality pitch to pitch and it’s had success.”
Every game is important for a young team trying to reach the postseason for the time since 2021. It’s a young team trying to wash away the disappointment and at times pain from the last three 100-plus-loss seasons.
After two straight losses in Houston and a 1-4 stretch in their past five, Friday’s win was important to start this six-game homestand. It was made even more important by the Guardians (72-70) rallying twice and walking off the Tigers twice during a doubleheader sweep in Cleveland.
The White Sox (74-67) hold a 2 1/2-game lead with 21 to play, including three at Progressive Field from Sept. 14-16.
“You see that it’s September, so you are like, 'It’s coming down, it’s winding down,'” Colson Montgomery said. “We have to keep putting our heads down and worry about each series. We can’t be looking back at Sept. 20 or whenever we play who. It’s just put our nose down and try to win each series.”
“We all want to win,” Braden Montgomery said. “This isn’t the only team we’ve played on in our lives, and so I’m sure a lot of these guys have been on winning teams before. They know what winning feels like.”
Vargas joined Robin Ventura (1996) and Joe Crede (2006) as the only primary third basemen in franchise history with 30 homers and 30 doubles in the same season. Vargas has 30 doubles after hitting 32 last year.
That first-inning home run, traveling a Statcast-projected 382 feet to right-center, put Vargas as the fifth primary White Sox third baseman to reach 30 homers in a single season. He joined Todd Frazier (40 in 2016), Ventura (34 in ‘96), Crede (30 in ‘06) and Bill Melton (33 in 1970-71).
There might have been a little magic involved in this whole night. Fans in attendance received the Mike Vasil wand giveaway, the same sort of wand Vasil uses in the White Sox dugout to bring good luck to the team. There was no additional wizard hat giveaway, which the rehabbing Vasil wears after home runs.
“We all can thank Mike Vasil for this night because it was all him,” said a smiling Colson Montgomery. “It’s fun to have all this stuff that’s not just baseball. Even if it’s magic or whatever.
“So, it made us all feel less I guess anxious or whatever you want to say for the game. We got Mike Vasil up on the Jumbotron saying ‘Let’s make some magic happen.’ It makes you sit and laugh. It’s just a game. It’s all fun.”