Grant Taylor’s – Grant Taylor bounced back in a Saturday stretch, flashing a “very crispy” 98-mph fastball as he worked two flawless innings against the Royals. At the plate, first baseman Jacob Gonzalez’s late RBI helped lift the White Sox to a 2-1 win, while rookie and farm
Grant Taylor didn’t just pitch well on Saturday — he looked like the version of himself White Sox fans have been waiting to see.
Pitching coach Zach Bove described the feel of Taylor’s fastball as “very crispy. ” saying the right-hander needed only 19 pitches to strike out four Royals over two flawless innings. “It was a pretty electric outing,” Bove said. “I actually asked him out there if that was his best outing of the year and he said. ‘Yeah. definitely up there.’”.
The performance ended a rough patch. Taylor had allowed at least a run in each of his previous five outings, and Saturday provided a clean reset. “Couldn’t ask for more — dominant, attacking the zone,” Bove said. “It was awesome, and exactly what we needed, too.”
A change to his delivery helped spark the turnaround. Bove credited a tweak to the positioning of Taylor’s back foot, saying it made a quick difference. With that adjustment. Taylor has continued to build momentum. drawing All-Star talk while posting a 3-1 record and a 2.83 ERA over 31 games. He has struck out 60 batters in 40 ⅓ innings.
Taylor, for his part, framed the outing as part of a daily push rather than a one-day fix. “I feel like I’m just doing my best to get better every day,” he said. “Trying to learn more about how to get big-league hitters out, and then get better and better at it every day.”
That kind of execution matters in close games, and the White Sox got it in late moments against Kansas City. First baseman Jacob Gonzalez’s game-winning RBI single clinched Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Royals, and it carried a personal milestone for the rookie.
Gonzalez said the hit was the first walk-off RBI of his high school, collegiate or professional career. But it wasn’t his first time playing the role of late-game finisher. “I had a walk-off walk once,” Gonzalez said. “Then there was a walk-off fielder’s choice and a walk-off sacrifice fly.”
When asked how Saturday’s heroics compared to his earlier walk-off moments, Gonzalez’s answer was quick. “This was better.”
The club has been unusually productive with game-ending hits from rookies. Gonzalez joined Tristan Peters, Sam Antonacci and Braden Montgomery to make it four Sox rookies with walk-off RBIs this season. It is the first time since 1962 that four Sox have notched game-ending RBIs in a year.
For Gonzalez, the contribution also ties into the bigger adjustment of his rookie season. He is a natural shortstop now playing first base, with some defensive growing pains at the new position. Still, he has helped blunt the impact of Munetaka Murakami’s absence after Murakami suffered a hamstring injury.
Offensively, Gonzalez entered Sunday’s story line hitting .219/.315/.328 with two homers and 11 RBI since his May 31 debut. He also made a defensive play Sunday’s game highlighted his learning curve: Gonzalez made a nice catch on a liner down the right-field line to save a run in the first inning.
“I’m getting more comfortable and learning every day,” he said.
That same “learning every day” theme is showing up elsewhere in the organization, including in the minors. Nazareth Academy alumnus and Willowbrook native Jaden Fauske has had a strong month at the plate at Single-A Kannapolis. He has slashed .273/.340/.432 with a double, three homers and nine RBI.
Fauske spoke Friday during a virtual news conference, describing a recent stretch that has felt steadier. “I’ve had a pretty solid last two to three weeks or so,” he said.
A year after getting drafted by the team he grew up rooting for. the 19-year-old outfielder says he is still adjusting to the pro grind. “In high school. you’d play at most maybe three times a week. and now you’re looking at playing five to six times a week. ” he said. quick to point out that he is “living the dream.”.
There is also a hometown pull behind his motivation. “Just the idea of potentially playing for my hometown team is pretty cool to think about… It’s something I look forward to, understanding that there’s a long way to go and there’s a lot of work to be done.”
White Sox Grant Taylor Zach Bove Royals Jacob Gonzalez Munetaka Murakami Jaden Fauske Single-A Kannapolis MLB news