White Sox Secure Victory Against Guardians with Ninth-Inning Rally

The Chicago White Sox faced a suspenseful moment near their dugout while celebrating a potential win. Both teams awaited the result of a video review involving Tristan Peters’ run home ahead of a tag by catcher Patrick Bailey, following a single by Sam Antonacci. “I was pretty confident I was in there,” Peters remarked, acknowledging the close nature of the play.

The original call deemed Peters safe. After an extensive review, officials upheld the ruling. Antonacci’s two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning clinched a 6-5 win for the White Sox against the Cleveland Guardians at Rate Field. The game on June 22, 2026, attracted an audience of 23,151 spectators.

The victory enabled the Sox, standing at 40-37, to overcome the threat of a second consecutive late-inning defeat. It also placed them alongside the Guardians, who are 41-38, at the top of the American League Central standings. “It was a crazy one there,” commented manager Will Venable, praising his team’s persistence.

Antonacci stood out with a strong performance, recording two hits, three RBIs, a walk, and a run during the series opener. “He really enjoys those moments,” Venable noted, highlighting Antonacci’s consistent competitive spirit and effective at-bats.

For much of the game, the Sox maintained control. Anthony Kay, the starter, delivered six scoreless innings, conceding only three hits and achieving eight strikeouts. The Sox constructed a 3-0 lead through Braden Montgomery’s RBI double in the second inning, an RBI single by Andrew Benintendi in the third, and a home run from Randal Grichuk in the sixth.

The Guardians equalized with three runs in the seventh inning against reliever Grant Taylor. Venable remarked on the bullpen’s overall strong performance but noted imperfections. “They are not going to be perfect every day,” he stated, trusting them to improve and seize future opportunities.

The Sox regained the lead with a broken-bat RBI single by Antonacci in the bottom of the seventh, which managed to elude the reach of first baseman Rhys Hoskins. Reflecting on the play, Antonacci said, “There was a lot of spin on the ball with the way I hit it.” The unique hit worked in their favor.

Leading 4-3 going into the ninth, challenges arose as reliever Seranthony Domínguez issued a walk to Travis Bazzana, who advanced on a wild pitch and then scored on Bailey’s single. “You can’t walk the first guy,” Domínguez admitted. Bailey later scored to provide the Guardians a temporary 5-4 lead, capitalizing on a sacrifice fly and narrowly beating Peters’ throw home.

Peters contributed again in the bottom of the ninth. Following a walk by Montgomery and a check-swing double from Peters, Jacob Gonzalez struck out. Antonacci then delivered a single on the first pitch, enabling Montgomery and Peters to secure the winning runs. “I just tried to tie it up,” Antonacci explained, praising Peters’ speed for completing the victory.

The exhilarating game reminded players of the intensity found in playoff matches. “We said in [the clubhouse] that’s kind of what a playoff game is going to feel like,” Antonacci mentioned, emphasizing the team’s eagerness for future challenges.