CHICAGO – The 10-1 White Sox victory over the Twins Sunday night at Rate Field was brought to their fanbase by the letter “R.”
"R," as in "rookies," with first-year left fielder Sam Antonacci knocking out three doubles and then driving in two runs during a three-run sixth. "R," as in "ridiculous," which is what Hagen Smith’s stuff really and truly is when he works within the strike zone.
Smith hurled three perfect innings against the Twins during a bullpen day, striking out four. Opposing hitters are 5-for-52 against Smith since he joined the White Sox (75-68), and yes, the southpaw also happens to be a rookie.
Five White Sox pitchers combined to shut down the Twins, maintaining the team’s 2 1/2-game lead over the Guardians (73-71) in the American League Central. The White Sox lead for the No. 2 seed in the AL, meaning a Wild Card round bye, rose to 2 1/2 games after the Astros (73-71) lost to the Diamondbacks at home.
Munetaka Murakami’s single in the fifth off Bailey Ober scored Antonacci to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead. Randal Grichuk followed Antonacci’s third double with a run-scoring single in the sixth, and then went deep in the eighth.
The White Sox scored five in the eighth, capped off by Kyle Teel’s three-run homer to center.