Lefty power sinks South Siders to spoil Montgomery’s first home game
Things at Rate Field tonight were much the same, and yet, they were different. In a change of pace from their usual introduction, the Chicago White Sox 86’d longtime pregame standard “Thunderstruck” from the stadium playlist, instead paying tribute to the departed Bobby Jenks by taking the field to the tune of P.O.D.’s cult classic “Boom,” one of the most fitting pairings of pitcher and intro music since Nancy Faust invented the concept.
In their first game at home since Jenks’ passing over the weekend, it looked for a few innings as if they might also pay tribute to his era of Sox baseball by playing a competitive ballgame. But again, though things felt a little different, they were still the same, with eight unanswered Toronto runs being far too much for a suddenly-youthful Sox offense to overcome on the way to loss No. 61.
José Berríos has had Chicago’s number for most of his career, but early on it looked as if the Sox might finally be able to break his spell. The home side struck first, grinding out a well-earned second-inning run when Kyle Teel wore a two-strike hit-by-pitch, moved to second after a gritty at-bat that saw Colson Montgomery take several tough pitches en route to a seven-pitch pass, and ultimately scored when Brooks Baldwin flared one off of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s glove down the first-base line for a hit.
Meanwhile, Sox starter Sean Burke cruised through his first three innings of work, allowing a pair of baserunners via base on balls but keeping the Blue Jays out of the hit column. Still, there were warning signs. Burke’s velocity wasn’t quite as sharp as it has been as of late, breaking 96 mph just twice after touching 98 mph in his two previous starts, and he saw three line drives or fly balls of 100 mph or more find a Sox glove in the first two innings. Cracks started to show in the fourth inning, when Guerrero reached on a walk, stole second, and then scored on a flare single from Bo Bichette before an out had been recorded.
The cracks deepened an inning later. In the game thread published prior to first pitch, I suggested the outcome of this game might depend on how Burke would handle Toronto’s right-handed sluggers, because generally speaking he had been considerably better against lefties to this point. Well, poo on me, because the thing that swung this game was Toronto’s lefties going to absolute poundtown on Burke, starting with back-to-back nukes in the fifth inning courtesy of Joey Loperfido and Nathan Lukes.
Montgomery had a nondescript day at the plate after that aforementioned base on balls, but he once again made his presence known in the field with an outstanding diving stop in-between those Toronto runs that likely would have been a SportsCenter-worthy double play, were it not for a Chase Meidroth double-clutch.
If there were cracks in the fourth that deepened in the fifth, the sixth inning was an exercise in strip-mining. The first six Jays hitters of the inning reached base, the first three of those being on Burke, who departed shortly after Addison Barger added to the lefty hit parade with a two-run moonshot that blew the game open.
Brandon Eisert ultimately managed to get out of the inning, but not before the lead had ballooned to 8-1.
Though Berríos settled in quite firmly and failed to allow another run after Baldwin’s second-inning single, the Sox did show some signs of life against a mediocre Toronto bullpen, scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh when Montgomery reached on an error, moved to third on a Josh Rojas double, and came home when Mike Tauchman plated them both with a single.
Lenyn Sosa managed to bring one more across in the eighth, singling home Miguel Vargas against Toronto mopup man Robinson Piña.
Tyler Alexander closed out the game for the Sox with three scoreless innings, while Chad Green locked down the ninth for Toronto to put a stamp on this one with a final score of 8-4. As MLB teams usually are after a Monday series-opener, these two will be back at it again tomorrow evening, with erstwhile farmhand Chris Bassitt slated to toe the rubber against Aaron Civale at 6:40 p.m. CT. We’ll see you there!
Futility Watch
White Sox 2025 Record: 30-61, tied for the third–worst start in White Sox history and tied for the 83rd-worst start in baseball history. A 30-61 record projects to 53-109 over a full season. A year ago, the record-breaking White Sox were 26-65.
All-Time White Sox Record (1901-2025, 19,297 games) 9,624-9,673 (.4987). It’s been 135 games since the White Sox had an all-time winning record. The White Sox are currently 49 games worse than .500 and falling under by 66 more games will land the team at its lowest point in its 125-year history.
Record Since the New Pope Was Revealed as a White Sox Fan 20-32
Race With the Colorado Rockies for to the Worst Record in 2025 9 games better
- Race to the Worst “Modern” 162-Game Record (2024 White Sox, 41-121)
- Race to the Worst “Modern” Record in a 162-Game Season (1962 Mets, 40-120-1, finished three percentage points worse than the 2024 White Sox)
- Race to the Most White Sox Losses (2024, 121)
- Race to the Worst White Sox Record (2024, 41-121)
12 games better, in all cases