CHICAGO β After the ugliest series of the young season, the White Sox needed something to feel good about. They got it in the most dramatic way possible.
Derek Hill laid down a bunt single with two outs in the bottom of the 10th that tied the game on a throwing error, and Tristan Peters singled to right to score Hill and give the White Sox a 5-4 walk-off win over the reigning AL champion Blue Jays in front of 33,171 at Guaranteed Rate Field. It's the first home opener win for the franchise since 2021.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| CHW | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 1 |
Burke Delivered the Start They Needed
Sean Burke was the story for most of the afternoon. The right-hander threw 6 innings of 4-hit, 1-run ball with 7 strikeouts on just 85 pitches β by far his best outing of the season after struggling through 4 innings in Milwaukee. Grant Taylor opened with a perfect 1-inning, 9-pitch stint (all strikes) before Burke took over in the second and locked in. He held the Jays to a single run β an Alejandro Kirk RBI double in the second β and retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced.
Cease Returns, Sox Strike First
Dylan Cease β who made 123 starts for the White Sox from 2019-2023 β got the ball for Toronto and didn't get a warm welcome. In the first inning, Chase Meidroth walked, Munetaka Murakami singled him to third, and Cease booted a Miguel Vargas comebacker for a fielding error that let Meidroth score. It was 1-0 before Cease recorded an out, and the home crowd loved it. In the third, Vargas walked, Colson Montgomery reached on an infield single, they pulled off a double steal, and Austin Hays singled both home to make it 3-1. Cease lasted 4.1 innings with 6 strikeouts but walked 3 and was charged with 3 runs (2 earned).
The 8th Inning Gut Punch β and the 10th Inning Answer
The 3-1 lead felt comfortable. Then Jordan Leasure entered in the eighth and Andres Gimenez crushed a two-run homer to right (361 feet) to tie it at 3-3. Just like that, a game Burke had controlled was headed to extras.
In the top of the 10th, ghost runner Davis Schneider moved to third on an Ernie Clement groundout. After Seranthony Dominguez struck out Gimenez for the second out, Vargas threw wildly on a George Springer grounder and Schneider scored to give Toronto a 4-3 lead. The same Vargas error that looked like it might define the game.
But in the bottom of the 10th, Vargas was the ghost runner at second base. Montgomery grounded out to advance him to third. Hays struck out for the second out. Two outs, two strikes β and Hill laid down a bunt toward the catcher. Tyler Heineman's throw to first sailed wide, Vargas scored from third to tie it, and Hill hustled to second on the error. Peters stepped up and ripped a single to right. Hill raced home. Walk-off. Ballgame.
Up Next
The White Sox and Blue Jays continue Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Anthony Kay faces Eric Lauer. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. CT.