The White Sox struggled to string together a rally all game in their closer against the Cleveland Guardians, but their bats awoke with two outs in the ninth against MLB save-leader Cade Smith. Trailing 3-1, Braden Montgomery rocketed a fastball to center for his second home run of the season. Randal Grichuk sent the very next pitch — a low sweeper — out to right to tie things up.
In the midst of a season of impossible comebacks, it’s nothing out of the ordinary for these Sox.
It didn’t matter that they’d squandered a potential rally in the eighth, when Kyle Teel grounded out to first to end a first-and-second, one-out threat with no runs. It didn’t matter that Grichuk’s apparent game-tying line drive met a leaping Steven Kwan in left to end a threat in the seventh. All that mattered was Braden Montgomery’s hack at a center-cut fastball, and Grichuk’s swing at a tumbling sweeper.
When Kahlil Watson, who burned the Sox time and time again this series, put the Guardians ahead 4-3 in the tenth, there was no reason to panic, knowing the 2026 Sox would strike in the bottom of the frame.
Indeed, the magic held in Mike Vasil‘s wand, or the power of friendship, or the fact that the Sox are just a pretty good team, loaded the bases with one away in the tenth. Alas, a second comeback was too much to ask of the Sox, as a Chase Meidroth chopper nearly led to a double play, and Montgomery proved unable to play hero twice in the same game.
The last-minute heroics drowned out an otherwise dour game for the Sox. In addition to their late-inning nothing-burgers, the Sox had golden chances in the second and fourth, but still managed just a single run through 8.2 innings of play. The ever-changing tide of baseball also muted a series of defensive miscues, particularly those of Colson Montgomery in the early going. And it almost seems like a different game when Joe Rock forced a run home with a bases-loaded walk.
If the Sox had just managed to find a run somewhere earlier, if Montgomery had played like the gold-glove candidate we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, or if Rock had just an ounce more of control, they’d be two games up on Cleveland, instead of tied. It would’ve been something if Grichuk’s homer sent the fans home happy nearly six hours after the game was scheduled to begin.
It was painful watching Braden Montgomery’s chopper to first, knowing that the Sox were going to carry the day, but after the past few seasons, it was nice to even be in that position.
Box Score
Batting:
Pitching:
Scoring Summary
Top 6th
- Kahlil Watson singles on a line drive to left field. Brayan Rocchio and Petey Halpin score. Guardians lead 2-0
Bottom 7th
- Braden Montgomery hits a sac fly to center field. Kyle Teel scores. White Sox trail 2-1
Top 8th
- Patrick Bailey walks. Petey Halpin scores. Guardians lead 3-1
Bottom 9th
- Braden Montgomery homers to center. White Sox trail 3-2
- Randal Gruichuk homers to left. Tied 3-3
Top 10th
- Kahlil Watson singles on a ground ball to left field. Petey Halpin scores. Guardians lead 4-3
Key Performers
Randal Grichuk (PH-LF-RF): 1-for-2, HR, RBI, R
Grichuk just keeps proving Chris Getz and co. right with his performance for the Sox. He nearly delivered a second memorable pinch-hit highlight this series when he drilled a ball into the left-center gap in the seventh, only for Steven Kwan to steal the hit. Kwan, however, had no play on Grichuk’s game-tying homer with two outs in the ninth.
Braden Montgomery (RF-CF-LF): 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R
Montgomery has two home runs this year, and they’ve both been about as clutch as homers come. His encore to his walk-off bomb against Raisel Iglesias was to take Cade Smith — another one of the league’s premier closers — deep to center to bring the Sox within one. He also plated the Sox’s first run on a sac fly.
Jacob Gonzalez (1B): 2-for-4
Riding a 0-for-28 streak, Gonzalez picked the right time to break through, lacing a single to open the eighth. He picked up another hit in the ninth following Grichuk’s homer, and is now 2-for-2 in his last two at-bats.
Next Game
The Sox welcome the Kansas City Royals to Rate Field on Friday after an off day on Thursday. Neither team has announced its starting pitcher for the 6:40 contest.
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Featured Photo: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
