Sosa hits 2 HR’s as White Sox top the Guardians in extras, 5-4

CHICAGO (WGN) — Lenyn Sosa hit two home runs, and the Chicago White Sox salvaged game two of Friday’s doubleheader on Mark Buehrle statue night.

After a picturesque ceremony that saw the White Sox pay homage to Buehrle with a lengthy video tribute on the Rate Field jumbotron, his statue reveal set the stage for both teams to settle into a back-and-forth affair that ended in extras.

Here’s how the action played out.

Game Recap

Sosa led off the scoring for the White Sox in the bottom half of the first, taking a middle-high cutter from Guardians’ starter Gavin Williams 426 feet to left centerfield for a solo home run.

Two innings later in the top of the third, Cleveland’s All-Star third baseman, Jose Ramirez, followed suit with a two-run home run to right field to take the lead for the Guardians.

Miguel Vargas notched a sacrifice fly to left field to score Mike Tauchman in the bottom half of the inning and tie the game.

In the home half of the fifth, Sosa stepped to the plate and went yard again, this time with a gargantuan, 440-foot blast into the left center stands for another solo home run.

Cleveland didn’t wait long to respond, though. Shortstop Brayan Rocchio laced an RBI double to left field that scored Daniel Schneemann to make it a 3-3 ballgame.

The Guardians took the lead in the top of the seventh, 4-3, thanks to an RBI double off the bat of center fielder Angel Martinez before Chicago mounted a late-game charge to tie things up.

Kyle Teel walked to lead off the bottom of the eighth before Colson Montgomery reached on an infield single and Teel advanced to third on a throwing error by Schneeman at second.

Then Miguel Rojas hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 4-4 and set up the White Sox for a topsy-turvy tenth top of the 11th before they walked it off win in the bottom half of the inning.

In the top of the 11th, Mike Vasil worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the middle of a torrential downpour.

“It’s not ideal. I was warming up with it a little bit. I think the umpiring crew was great,” Vasil said. “They were coming out and being like we know a little cell is coming in. We’ll give you 30 seconds to let this get out of here. I pitched earlier in the year in Houston in some rain. But tonight it was a little slick.”

Vasil ended up inducing an inning-ending double play from Kyle Manzardo before the bats sent everyone home.

Chase Meidroth pinch hit and moved Colson Montgomery over to third to start the home half of the 11th.

The Tauchman broke his bat on a 1-1 changeup that squibbed past Cleveland reliever Kolby Allard to score Montgomery from third and seal a 5-4 extra innings victory for the South Siders.

Up Next

The White Sox take on the Guardians in game three of a four-game set at Rate Field. Sean Burke (4-8, 4.40 ERA) is set to take the mound for Chicago, while Tanner Bibee (4-9, 4.35 ERA) gets the start for Cleveland.