Antonacci’s walk-off gives Sox 6-5 thriller vs. Guardians

Antonacci’s walk-off – Sam Antonacci delivered a two-run walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, and after a long, tense replay review, the plate umpire’s safe call stood as the White Sox beat the Guardians 6-5 at Rate Field. The win came after Chicago erased a late deficit, wit

For a moment Monday night at Rate Field, it looked like the White Sox’s first walk-off hit of rookie Sam Antonacci’s career might be stolen at the finish line.

With the game tied. Antonacci lifted a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth. sprinted hard around the bases. and then—when Tristan Peters slid across the plate—everything froze. Plate umpire Nick Mahrley had called Peters safe. sending players from both teams scattered across the field waiting for the verdict.

Antonacci stood on the edge of the outfield grass, helmet perched nervously on his head as the review dragged on. Chris Murphy, the fifth Sox pitcher of the night, said he stayed ready in the dugout because if the call was overturned, he’d have to go back out for the 10th.

After the first replays, Murphy said he understood the outcome wouldn’t change. “After I saw the first replay, I knew he was safe,” he said.

When judgment finally arrived, it favored Chicago. Crew chief Marvin Hudson confirmed, “The call stands,” as the Sox held on for a 6-5 win.

Replays in the umpires’ TV replay booth did not provide sufficient evidence that the call on the field was wrong—how close it was is the only way to describe what came next. One man in the elevator, described as looking like Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, joked that “you just have to be lucky.”

Then the celebration started in earnest, with Antonacci being chased by teammates running with uncontained joy. Murphy, who earned the “winning pitcher” mark, said he sprinted after Antonacci too—then went all the way to the Gatorade dunk.

“I was soaked,” Murphy said, adding that Antonacci “ran too far,” costing him the chance to be the hero.

The backdrop to that finish was a game that never stopped swinging.

Anthony Kay pitched six scoreless innings. throwing to a catcher who’d caught him just once in spring training before that catcher headed off to Team Italy. Kyle Teel returned after missing the Sox’ first 76 games because of back-to-back leg injuries. and he was on hand for a night that kept turning—until it finally turned for Chicago.

The Sox now sit tied for first in the American League Central with the Guardians.

After Cade Smith’s shutdown in the eighth, the Sox didn’t wait for tomorrow. They kept punching back in the ninth. and Antonacci’s grounder—shattered his bat on the play—became the turning point. The broken bat flying toward first baseman Rhys Hoskins and an otherworldly spin on the ball combined into trouble for the defense. The ball skipped into right field for a go-ahead single.

Rookie Braden Montgomery helped set the tone around those late swings, doubling twice, walking, and scoring two runs.

Standing on the field surrounded by fans, Montgomery called it special. “It was special,” he said. “I mean, standing there on the field, surrounded by all those people, everyone that loves the Sox, it was magic moment.”

It also mattered how the game began to tilt toward the Guardians.

The Guardians had won 15 of their last 17 games against the Sox, turning Chicago into a longtime punching bag since Jose Ramirez KO’d Tim Anderson on an August night in 2023. Monday night looked like it could stretch that trend again.

The Guardians scored three runs off reliever Grant Taylor to tie the score in the seventh. In the ninth. they took the lead against purported closer Seranthony Dominguez. whose return to the dugout came with loud boos. Then, just when it seemed like the boos would turn into relief, the inning flipped.

Murphy pointed to what the Sox have felt all season. He described the late push as part of a pattern—especially with the same skepticism that had followed Chicago into this matchup.

“The Guardians’ Cade Smith has been one of the best relievers in baseball. He shut us down in the eighth,” Murphy said. “Then we got to him in the ninth. Like, that’s the epitome of this team. You’re not going to beat us. We’re going to keep punching back.”

And after the replay review held up the call at the plate, the Sox got exactly what they were waiting for: the moment didn’t end in limbo. It ended in noise—Antonacci’s bat, Murphy’s soaked jersey, and a final score that landed at 6-5.

White Sox Guardians Sam Antonacci walk-off Nick Mahrley Marvin Hudson Rate Field American League Central Anthony Kay Kyle Teel Cade Smith