When Yoan Moncada made his debut in a White Sox uniform on Wednesday, July 19th, he was greeted with a standing ovation from the South Side faithful upon stepping into the batter’s box. The switch-hitting second baseman drew a walk on nine pitches in his first at-bat after falling behind 0-2 in the count. Sox fans cheered his patience, but free passes don’t exactly electrify a stadium. Moncada grounded out and lined out in his other plate appearances as Ricky’s Boys went on to lose 9-1 to the Dodgers. Fans eager to see what Moncada could do with the bat would have to wait until the weekend series.
That Friday night in Kansas City, Yoan got his first RBI as a member of the White Sox on a groundout in the second inning. He then came up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the third.
Down 0-2 in the count, Moncada rips a pitch on the outside corner to the opposite field gap to clear the bases and extend the White Sox lead to four. He shows off his killer speed by making it from home to third in 11.24 seconds, according to Statcast. A modest overhead applause celebration from Yo-Yo and a quick Hawk “YES!” call perfectly cap off this highlight. Although Sox fans would have liked to see it happen at the Rate, Moncada’s first hit for the good guys is certainly an enjoyable memory.