Normally, if Gavin Sheets swung on 3-0 with the White Sox to hit a three-run homer that padded their lead from seven to 10 runs, there might've been a hard stare at the very least, because of unwritten rules and all that.
But then again, you'd probably assume that the White Sox had that seven-run lead in the seventh inning, if not later.
Today, that homer happened in the second inning, and a second inning the White Sox entered trailing 1-0. Sheets was the 13th batter, and his no-doubter scored the ninth, 10th and 11th runs. If anybody could've truly been upset by such a swing -- and nobody should doubt the White Sox's ability to fritter any lead away over eight innings -- they'd still probably be too stunned by the turn of events for it to actually register.
The White Sox went from an embarrassing first to a record-setting 11-run explosion in the second, and while Michael Kopech allowed four homers, he could at least saying he was pitching to a very generous score.
Hanser Alberto keyed the charge with a perfect day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a homer, two doubles, a walk, two runs scored and four RBIs from the fifth spot. That homer followed Luis Robert Jr.'s leadoff walk from Graham Ashcroft to give the Sox a 2-1 lead, and then the Sox managed to score their next six runs all after two outs.
The sequence:
- Yasmani Grandal single
- Gavin Sheets flyout
- Elvis Andrus single
- Seby Zavala strikeout
- Tim Anderson walk
- Andrew Benintendi two-run single
- Andrew Vaughn two-run triple
- Robert RBI single off Ashcraft's person-- pitching change --
- Hanser Alberto walk
- Yasmani Grandal RBI single
- Gavin Sheets three-run homer
And just like that, the Sox held a double-digit lead, but that didn't stop them from posting two more crooked numbers.
In the third, the Sox scored three more two-run outs. Spencer Steer held the door open by booting Benintendi's two-out grounder, and the Sox stormed through on consecutive doubles by Vaughn, Robert and Alberto.
Two innings later, the Sox struck earlier. Anderson reached on an infield single, moved to third on Benintendi's double, and scored on Vaughn's sac fly. Benintendi moved to third, and while Robert's walk didn't get him home, another Alberto double did the job. Robert advanced to third and scored on Grandal's groundout for what turned out to be the most unnecessary of insurance runs.
The run support allowed Kopech to pick up his first win of the year, although anything less would've been inexcusable. He trailed 1-0 two pitches in on a Jonathan India solo shot, and his problems could've been compounded when the Sox colossally botched a rundown when Kopech had TJ Friedl picked off second. After way too many throws, Friedl returned to second, which was possible because Steer, who had advanced to second to replace Friedl assuming he'd be out, was able to return to first because nobody was covering.
Nevertheless, Kopech managed to wriggle out of it with a strikeout and two flyouts, and he next took the mound with a 10-run lead.
It's hard to separate Kopech's stuff from the task. He had twice as many homers on his line as strikeouts, he only induced six whiffs on 99 pitches, and his fastball lacked the power he'd shown recently. However, he only issued one walk and one HBP, so he definitely tried to take the most direct line to qualifying for the win.
The other three relievers followed suit in terms of minimizing walks, although Keynan Middleton added a plunking, but they all came away with lower ERAs than they brought to the finale.
In offensive stat-padding, Robert reached base four times on a double, a single and two walks and scored four runs. Vaughn broke out of his slump with three hits and four RBIs, and Grandal helped from the DH spot in the first game since Eloy Jiménez hit the IL, going 2-for-4. Carlos Pérez pinch-hit for him, so Pedro Grifol found the most enjoyable way to deploy three catchers.
Seby Zavala is the only one who didn't seem to enjoy himself, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout. He nearly hit an opposite-field homer in the sixth, but he was robbed by Wil Myers, who so badly misplayed Vaughn's triple in the second.
He also didn't get the benefit of facing a position player, as Luke Maile faced the top of the order. He and his knuckleball induced three flyouts around a two-out single by Vaughn.
Bullet points:
*The White Sox had topped out at 10 runs in a second inning, which happened on July 28, 1935.
*The Sox hadn't scored 11 in an inning since Sept. 17, 2007, when they only scored in an 11-run inning.
*White Sox pitchers held the Reds hitless in 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position, while Sox hitters were 8-for-13.
*A blowout can do wonders for run differential. The White Sox went from -67 to -54 in one day.
