Chicago White Sox • American League Central
El Tigre Takes Detroit as White Sox Win Opener, 9-5
Miguel Vargas homered twice, Chicago launched four long balls, and the bullpen closed the door in the opener of a massive three-game series.
DETROIT — Miguel Vargas is known as “El Tigre.” Friday night, El Tigre conquered Detroit.
Vargas went 4-for-5 with two home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers, 9-5, in the opener of a massive three-game series at Comerica Park.
That’s a White Sox Winner.
Chicago entered the weekend with Detroit attempting to close the gap in the American League Central. The White Sox responded by launching four home runs, collecting 14 hits and extending their division lead over the Tigers to three and a half games.
Vargas supplied the defining performance.
He doubled during Chicago’s five-run fourth inning, crushed a two-run homer in the sixth and added a solo shot in the eighth. His second blast completed his first four-hit game of the season and gave the White Sox the final run of the night.
Four hits.
Two home runs.
Three RBIs.
Three runs scored.
El Tigre arrived in Detroit and took over the ballgame.
Five Runs Change Everything
The White Sox struck first when Braden Montgomery singled home Sam Antonacci in the opening inning. Detroit answered with three runs across the second and third innings, putting Chicago behind 3-1 and energizing the Comerica Park crowd.
That energy disappeared during the fourth.
Tristan Peters tied the game with a two-run homer to right center. Munetaka Murakami followed with a solo blast to give Chicago the lead. Vargas doubled and Andrew Benintendi walked before Braden Montgomery ripped a two-run triple into center field.
Five runs crossed the plate. A 3-1 deficit became a 6-3 White Sox advantage. Chicago never trailed again.
Peters finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Braden Montgomery went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, delivering a run-scoring single and the decisive two-run triple.
Murakami added his 27th home run of the season, while Vargas increased his season total to 27 with his two-homer performance.
The Bullpen Finishes It
The Tigers made one final push during the seventh. Ben Malgeri hit his second home run of the night, and Gleyber Torres brought home another run to cut Chicago’s lead to 8-5.
The bullpen stopped the rally there.
Grant Taylor recorded the final two outs of the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth. Bryan Hudson retired Detroit in the ninth, striking out two while protecting the four-run lead.
José Urquidy earned the victory after allowing three runs across 3⅔ innings. Sean Newcomb opened the game with 1⅓ scoreless innings before Chicago used Urquidy, Huascar Brazobán, Taylor and Hudson to cover the remainder of the night.
It was not a perfect pitching performance, but the staff held together when the Tigers threatened to turn the game. That mattered greatly.
The First Punch Belongs to Chicago
Detroit entered the series as the closest challenger to Chicago in the division. The Tigers had an opportunity to immediately tighten the race on their home field. Instead, the White Sox increased the distance.
Chicago improved to 63-58. Detroit fell to 60-62. The White Sox now lead the Tigers by three and a half games, with Minnesota four games behind and Cleveland four and a half games back.
One victory does not decide a division race. Winning the opening game of a head-to-head series, however, places all the pressure on the team trying to catch you.
The White Sox delivered the first punch.
Peters started the comeback. Murakami supplied the lead. Montgomery opened the scoring and drove home the decisive runs. The bullpen finished the job.
And Miguel “El Tigre” Vargas owned Detroit.
Game details and statistics verified through the official game box score.
Snowman Multimedia Official Game Report
White Sox 9, Tigers 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 0 |
| Detroit Tigers | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| Hitter | AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Antonacci, LF | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brenton Doyle, PH-CF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Munetaka Murakami, 1B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Miguel Vargas, 3B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Benintendi, DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Braden Montgomery, RF | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colson Montgomery, SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Chase Meidroth, 2B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tristan Peters, CF-LF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Drew Romo, C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 40 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Hitter | AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gleyber Torres, 2B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dillon Dingler, C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin McGonigle, SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Eduardo Valencia, DH | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Colt Keith, 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Spencer Torkelson, 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Zach McKinstry, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ben Malgeri, LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Max Clark, CF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 37 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Pitcher | Decision | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Newcomb | — | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| José Urquidy | W, 1-1 | 3.2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Huascar Brazobán | — | 1.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Grant Taylor | H, 9 | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Hudson | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | — | 9.0 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| Pitcher | Decision | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Jobe | L, 1-1 | 3.2 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Jacob Waguespack | — | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Enyel De Jesús | — | 2.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Ty Madden | — | 1.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals | — | 9.0 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
Extra-Base Hits
2B: Vargas (27), Meidroth (24). 3B: Braden Montgomery (3). HR: Peters (7), Murakami (27), Vargas 2 (27).
Game Information
WP: José Urquidy (1-1). LP: Jackson Jobe (1-1). Time: 2:40. Attendance: 39,638. Site: Comerica Park, Detroit.
Standings Impact
Chicago improved to 63-58 and extended its American League Central lead over Detroit to 3½ games. Detroit fell to 60-62.
Honorable Mentions
Braden Montgomery: 3-for-5, three RBIs. Tristan Peters: 3-for-5, home run, two RBIs and two runs.
Statistics verified through the official game box score.
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