Chicago White Sox Hold Off Los Angeles Angels in a Dramatic 10-Inning Showdown

In a thrilling extra-inning baseball spectacle, the Chicago White Sox dodged a historic 121st loss for the second consecutive game, pulling off a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night. Andrew Benintendi’s decisive single in the tenth inning was the game-changer. The White Sox now share the infamous major league record for the most losses in a season with the 1962 New York Mets. They face the Angels again on Thursday, followed by a three-game series at Detroit to conclude the season.

Benintendi’s Clutch Performance

For the second game in a row, Benintendi emerged as the hero, lining a crucial one-out single to left-center against José Quijada (2-1). This much-needed hit helped the struggling White Sox (38-120) stave off another loss. Miguel Vargas, the designated runner, scored the winning run from second. In a moment of celebration, Benintendi was draped with a cooler by his teammates, a repeat of Tuesday’s scene when he scored another game-winning hit during the eighth inning of Chicago’s 3-2 victory.

White Sox’s Offensive Power

Korey Lee sparked an early lead for the White Sox with a two-run homer in the second inning, while Lenyn Sosa’s solo drive in the fourth against José Suarez kept Chicago ahead. Despite the Angels’ multiple attempts to rally back, including having runners on the corners in the seventh against Enyel De Los Santos, the Angels were left frustrated as Kevin Pillar grounded into a double play.

Unrest Among Fans

The sparse crowd remained mostly silent until the eighth inning when fans started to express their dissatisfaction with chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. Chants of “Sell the team!” and “Jerry sucks!” resonated throughout the stadium as the Angels tied the game against Justin Anderson. This frustration, however, did not deter the White Sox, with interim manager Grady Sizemore stating, “We’re not going to let anything rattle us. We’re going out there and trying to compete and do the best we can to get a win.”

Angels’ Struggles Continue

The Angels (63-95) equaled a franchise record with their 95th loss, a dubious honor previously held by the 1968 and 1980 teams. Their efforts to turn the game around were thwarted by grounding into three double plays in the last four innings, including a crucial one with the bases loaded. Ron Washington, the Angels’ manager, expressed frustration at being unable to get the right hit at the right time.

Impressive Reliefs

White Sox’s Davis Martin yielded two runs and three hits in 3 2/3 innings. Michael Soroka then stepped in, allowing only a two-run single to Ward over 2 1/3 innings. Later, Jared Shuster (2-4) successfully worked the 10th. On the Angels side, Suarez managed five innings, surrendering three runs and five hits.

Up Next

The White Sox have postponed ace Garrett Crochet’s start to Friday, deciding to field RHP Chris Flexen (2-15, 5.15 ERA) for the home finale. The Angels will entrust the ball to LHP Tyler Anderson (10-14, 3.70 ERA). Sizemore expressed excitement about having Crochet start against the playoff-contending Tigers, stating, “it’s gonna make for good baseball.”

Despite their historic losing streak, the White Sox have managed to hold off becoming the team with the most losses since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders (20-134) for two nights straight, making for some unexpected and exciting baseball.