Miguel Vargas and Jacob Gonzalez sparked a 10-run third inning as the White Sox routed the visiting Royals 22-1 on Friday, sending 14 batters to the plate and matching the second-highest scoring total in franchise history.
Miguel Vargas sent a drive toward the left-field bullpen, and the White Sox never let up after that.
By the time they finished Friday’s opener of the series against the visiting Royals, they posted 22 runs to match the second-highest scoring total in franchise history. Vargas and Jacob Gonzalez homered in a 10-run third inning, and the White Sox rolled to a 22-1 victory.
Vargas and Gonzalez weren’t just adding damage—they were lighting the fuse. In the third. Vargas hit his career-high 18th homer. a three-run shot to left off Mitch Spence (0-2). after Gonzalez walked with one out and Sam Antonacci singled. The inning kept growing: Chase Meidroth drove in a run with an infield single. Tristan Peters singled in two more. and Gonzalez followed with a three-run drive to right. Vargas added an RBI double to make it 10-0 before Kyle Teel grounded out to end the inning.
Peters capped the burst with a grand slam of his own later in the game, the first of his career. He drove in six runs overall.
“It’s incredible,” Peters said.
That third inning didn’t just stand out—it rewrote the game. The White Sox sent 14 batters to the plate, and their highest-scoring inning since an 11-run second in Cincinnati on May 7, 2023.
The night stayed electric after that. Benintendi made it 11-1 when he led off the fourth with his 10th homer, a drive to right off Beck Way. Teel added a two-run shot in the fifth against Lucas Erceg for his first homer this season.
Peters then bumped the lead to 17-1 in the sixth with a drive to right-center off John Schreiber. The grand slam was the Sox’ sixth this season.
Chase Meidroth had four of the Sox’ season-high 23 hits and scored three runs. Vargas and Gonzalez each finished with three hits and five RBI. Andrew Benintendi and Kyle Teel also homered.
“It’s a ton of fun when everybody is doing well and seeing the ball well and everybody wants to hit,” Peters said.
The White Sox’s scoring came alongside a strong pitching performance from David Sandlin (2-1). who was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. Sandlin allowed one run and three hits in six innings. but what stood out was how quickly the Royals got to him—and how controlled it remained after Kansas City scored once in the fourth. Sandlin walked the first three batters he faced in the fourth. before the Royals’ lone run came on a double-play grounder by Michael Massey.
Afterward, Gonzalez pointed to the balance of the night.
“That was really cool, getting to see everyone hit,” Gonzalez said. “Not only that, but we held them to one run. Pitching was great. Sandlin had the one inning where he gave up a run, but even then, he got himself out of it, which was huge. Just a complete game today.”
The win carried playoff-level implications inside the division. The White Sox improved to 27-13 at Rate Field, and only the Rays have a better home record at 29-12. With the victory. the Sox moved a game ahead of Cleveland in the American League Central. with Cleveland at 42-40 after its Guardians loss to the Mariners.
For a franchise that’s seen its share of big nights. this one belonged in the top tier: the Sox matched their second-highest total. and their 22 runs were their highest-scoring game since they scored 22 in Boston on May 31. 1970. The franchise record remains 29 runs at the Kansas City Athletics on April 23, 1955.
“It’s special, it was a special night,” manager Will Venable said. “Really good stuff up and down the lineup. Everyone contributed; the guys off the bench did a nice job. As good as our offense was, I thought our pitching was great, too.”
White Sox Royals Miguel Vargas Jacob Gonzalez Tristan Peters Kyle Teel American League Central Rate Field David Sandlin MLB
22-1 is wild. Like when did the Royals even show up? lol
I swear the third inning is always where teams fall apart. Vargas hit that left field thing and then it snowballed… 14 batters is insane. Also 18th homer?? dude been hot.
Wait so did Mitch Spence just get yanked immediately or did he finish? The article says 0-2 but then like 3-run shot off him so I’m confused. 22 runs matching franchise history, that sounds made up to me… unless Sox always have one inning like this.
Peters grand slam was the headline in my head. First career one and boom, 6 RBIs, that’s some movie stuff. But also 10-run third? I feel like the Royals pitching just stopped being real after that left-field bullpen drive, not even a gradual decline or anything.