WHITE SOX WALK OFF CUBS 9‑8 IN 10 INNINGS
CHICAGO (Interstat) — Edgar Quero’s two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted the Chicago White Sox to a 9-8 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field before a crowd of 38,608.
The White Sox, who trailed 4-0 after the first inning and later 4-2, took a 7-4 lead on Tristan Peters’ three-run homer in the eighth, only to see the Cubs tie it in the ninth on Michael Conforto’s three-run shot. The game, which lasted 3:18 and featured 12 hits by the White Sox and nine by the Cubs, ended on Quero’s blast to center field off Cubs pitcher Daniel Palencia.
Cubs left fielder Ian Happ went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was 0-for-3 but was hit by a pitch twice. White Sox right fielder Derek Hill went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, though he threw out a runner at third base in the second inning.
The Cubs struck quickly in the top of the first. Nico Hoerner singled to center, and Michael Busch followed with a two-run homer to right, his fourth of the season. Alex Bregman singled, and Seiya Suzuki singled to put runners at first and third, but Conforto flied out and Carson Kelly lined out to end the inning with the Cubs ahead 3-0.
White Sox starter Sean Newcomb, who had allowed three runs on four hits in the first, settled in to retire the next six batters before the Cubs added a run in the fourth. Dansby Swanson singled, Hoerner walked, and after Busch flied out, Bregman singled to score Swanson. The White Sox answered in the bottom half on Andrew Benintendi’s RBI double, making it 4-2.
In the fifth, the White Sox tied the game. Tristan Peters walked, Sam Antonacci singled, and after a force out, Miguel Vargas doubled to right, scoring Peters and Munetaka Murakami. The score remained 4-4 through six innings.
White Sox reliever Jairo Iriarte worked a scoreless seventh, and in the eighth, the White Sox struck again. Benintendi walked, Edgar Quero singled, and Peters crushed a three-run homer to right, his first of the season, giving Chicago a 7-4 lead.
The Cubs refused to buckle in the ninth. Bregman walked, Happ struck out, and Suzuki reached on a throwing error by third baseman Miguel Vargas. Conforto then homered to center, his third of the season, scoring Bregman and Suzuki to tie the game at 7-7. Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya popped out and Crow-Armstrong lined out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, White Sox shortstop Munetaka Murakami doubled with one out off Cubs pitcher Jacob Webb, but Vargas popped out and Colson Montgomery was intentionally walked. Chase Meidroth lined out to left, sending the game to extra innings.
The Cubs pushed a run across in the top of the 10th against White Sox closer Tyler Davis. Swanson walked, Hoerner reached on a fielder’s choice that erased a runner at home, and after an intentional walk to Busch, Bregman grounded out to score Swanson. Davis intentionally walked Happ, then struck out Suzuki to end the threat.
In the bottom of the 10th, Meidroth reached on a bunt single against Palencia, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Benintendi that was overturned on replay, and Quero crushed the next pitch over the center-field wall for his first home run of the season, giving the White Sox a 9-8 walk-off victory.
Davis earned the win, improving to 2-1. Rolison took the loss, falling to 3-1. Palencia allowed two runs on one hit in one inning, while Webb threw one scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
The series now stands at two games apiece after the Cubs won 10-5 on Friday and the White Sox won 8-3 on Saturday. The Cubs fell to 29-18, while the White Sox improved to 24-22.
Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chicago Cubs 6, Chicago White Sox 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Cubs a 65.50 percent probability to win. The Cubs were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of 17 runs went under the over-under line of 8.5.