SEATTLE β Bryan Woo struck out eight over six shutout innings, and Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson turned his first major league hit into a three-run homer in the eighth as Seattle handed the White Sox a 6-1 loss Monday night at T-Mobile Park. Chicago drops to 24-23 to open this three-game series.
The White Sox managed six hits but went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and couldn't solve Woo until the game was well out of reach. Tristan Peters gave Chicago its only run with a solo shot in the seventh β the lone bright spot in a night that belonged entirely to Seattle.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| SEA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | β | 6 | 8 | 0 |
Woo Was In Command From the Second Inning On
It didn't start that way. Woo needed 25 pitches just to get through the first β Sam Antonacci singled to lead off, and Murakami drew a walk. Antonacci was heading to second on the free pass when he spotted third base unoccupied, kept running, and Woo alertly threw him out trying to take the extra base.
That was effectively the last time the White Sox threatened. Woo retired his final 11 batters, threw 60 of his 90 pitches for strikes, and finished with a line that didn't come close to reflecting how locked in he was by the end. He's now 4-2 with a 3.51 ERA.
In the third, Antonacci and Murakami put together back-to-back one-out singles to put runners at the corners with one out. Woo struck out Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery on seven pitches to end it. Chicago didn't put two baserunners on in the same inning after that.
Pitcher Stats
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PC-ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schultz (L, 2-3) | 5.1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 91-56 |
| Eisert | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21-12 |
| Hicks | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18-11 |
| Richards | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 26-15 |
| Woo (W, 4-2) | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 90-60 |
The Interference Call That Put Seattle Up 2-0
Noah Schultz held his own for most of his 5.1 innings, but the damage came in waves and the third inning cost him the most β partly due to a play he couldn't control.
Julio RodrΓguez set the tone in the first, falling behind 0-2 and then fighting back to hammer a 3-2 pitch from Schultz 396 feet to right-center for his eighth homer of the season. That was the expected kind of damage. The third inning was messier.
Jhonny Pereda was hit by a pitch and tried to score on a two-out Randy Arozarena double to left. Romo threw him out at the plate β clean tag, inning over. Except it wasn't. After review, the umpires ruled that Antonacci β playing second base, but positioned as a cutoff backup in the area normally occupied by the shortstop β was standing in Pereda's path as he rounded second and impeded his progress. The run was awarded. Arozarena was placed at third.
Manager Wil Venable came out and let the crew know what he thought of the call. He was ejected.
It was the kind of ruling that never plays well on a road trip β and it cost Schultz a run he couldn't get back. He exited with two outs in the sixth, having allowed three earned runs on five hits while striking out six. He drops to 2-3 with a 4.93 ERA.
Emerson's Moment
By the time Colt Emerson dug in against Trevor Richards with two outs in the eighth, the White Sox were trailing 3-1 with the game mostly decided. Josh Naylor and pinch-hitter Dominic Canzone were on base, and Richards β a righty β was a fresh arm.
Emerson is 20 years old. This was his second MLB game, and his first with his parents and family in the stands watching him as a big leaguer. He'd been hitless coming in.
He fell behind 1-2 early and laid off two pitches out of the zone. He fouled off a changeup and a fastball on the plate. Then Richards came back with a low, 81 mph changeup β the seventh pitch of the at-bat β and Emerson golfed it just over the right-field fence. A 344-foot line drive. Three runs. Game over.
"He's a two-pitch guy, but he's got a really good fastball and a really good changeup," Emerson said after the game. "So I was just looking for something down the middle over the plate that I can hit for a base hit up the middle. Got to two strikes early, fought back, and then put a good swing on a good pitch and by the grace of God, it went out."
Emerson β Seattle's top pick in the 2023 draft, 22nd overall, and the holder of an $95 million, eight-year contract that was the largest ever signed by a minor leaguer with no MLB experience β became the 11th player in Mariners history to homer for his first big-league hit. The last one? Jarred Kelenic, in 2021. The same Jarred Kelenic who was playing right field for Chicago on Monday night and watched the ball clear the fence.
Peters' Homer Came Too Late
The White Sox did get something going in the seventh. Peters sat on a first-pitch fastball from Eduard Bazardo and hit it out to right on a 366-foot solo shot β his second homer of the season β to cut it to 3-1. It was the only run Chicago would score all night.
AndrΓ©s MuΓ±oz came on in the ninth and made quick work of the top of the order. The White Sox went down in order.
What's Next
Chicago sends Anthony Kay (3-1, 4.61 ERA) to the mound Tuesday night for Game 2 of this three-game set against Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller (0-0, 3.38). First pitch at T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. Central.