The White Sox were one strike away from taking control of the AL Central race, but questionable decisions and costly mistakes led to another heartbreaking collapse in Cleveland.
Heartbreak in Cleveland. Something the Chicago White Sox have become far too acquainted with in 2026.
On Tuesday night, the White Sox were one strike away from securing a series victory over the Guardians. It was a win that would have given them a 2.5-game lead in the AL Central, guaranteed they left town with at least a 1.5-game advantage, and truly put the Guardians on the back foot in the division race.
With two runners on, two outs, and two strikes, White Sox closer Grant Taylor faced a familiar foe in Guardians infielder Brayan Rocchio, the same man who broke Chicago’s heart on July 2 when he tagged Taylor for a walk-off two-run home run to right field.
This time, the ball wasn’t hit nearly as hard.
The White Sox needed just one more strike to put the Guardians away, and Taylor went to a 101 mph fastball above the strike zone. Rocchio lofted an 88.8 mph fly ball toward left fielder Sam Antonacci. Due to poor defensive positioning and what even Antonacci admitted was a poor route to the baseball, though he used more descriptive language than I will, the ball dropped a few inches beyond his glove.
A two-out, two-strike, two-run double gave the Guardians a 7-6 victory.
It was a gut punch for the South Siders.
It’s not anger. It may not even be frustration. I think most White Sox fans, above all else, felt sadness watching this game unfold.
Chicago has been in a downward spiral for weeks, but after a strong win on Monday night, it felt like this team was beginning to find its mojo again. The White Sox recovered from an early 3-0 deficit, received a solid start from Davis Martin, and watched the bats come alive with big hits with runners in scoring position.
And then, for the third time this season, they blew a lead in Cleveland and lost on a walk-off.
Those three games, the first two coming in early July before Tuesday night’s collapse, are the difference between the White Sox holding their current 0.5-game division lead and potentially running away with the AL Central by 6.5 games.
We should be counting down this team’s magic number and looking forward to hosting the ALDS. Instead, the White Sox still find themselves on the ropes, and a loss in Wednesday’s series finale would now feel like a backbreaker.
While it would be easy to blame bad luck after a softly hit ball ultimately decided the game, it’s undeniable that the White Sox made self-inflicted mistakes that came back to bite them.
It starts with manager Will Venable, who used the team’s worst relief pitcher, Chris Murphy, as an opener and then watched Murphy surrender three runs in the first inning. Why the White Sox are choosing to use one of their least reliable arms to begin the biggest game of the year beats me.
Venable can also be criticized for removing outfielder Brenton Doyle from the game. Despite the White Sox holding a lead, Doyle collecting two hits, including a triple, and being the best defensive outfielder on the roster, Venable lifted him for pinch hitter Braden Montgomery in the top of the seventh inning.
That left Antonacci, a natural infielder who has moved to the outfield this season for the sake of receiving regular at-bats, in left field during the ninth inning. Had that ball been hit with Doyle or Tristan Peters in left, we’d be talking about a 6-5 White Sox victory.
The White Sox will have to live with those decisions.
Wednesday afternoon’s game in Cleveland will be the final meeting between the White Sox and Guardians this year, and it may be the game that determines the AL Central race after Chicago left one on the table Tuesday night.
With a win, the White Sox would increase their division lead to 1.5 games with 11 remaining on the regular-season schedule and secure the tiebreaker. With a loss, Chicago would fall out of first place for the first time since July 3.
Anthony Kay gets the ball against Parker Messick, with first pitch scheduled for 12:10 p.m.
White Sox fans will be hoping more heartbreak doesn’t strike at Progressive Field.
