White Sox reach .500 this late in season

The White Sox moved to 21-21 after a win over the Royals, reaching .500 for the first time this late in a season since 2022.

The White Sox’s climb back to mediocrity, at least for now, has provided a real spark: after beating the Royals 6-5 on Wednesday, Chicago reached a 21-21 record and landed at .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2022.

The milestone carries extra weight because the team’s path back has been anything but smooth.. The Sox entered the end of March of 2025 at 2-2. only to fall into a brutal skid. losing eight straight and closing out April with a 7-23 mark.. Against that backdrop. the current stretch feels less like a statistical blip and more like proof that the organization’s ongoing rebuild is starting to translate into wins.

In the clubhouse, the moment was met with guarded optimism rather than scoreboard staring.. Shortstop Colson Montgomery said the team knows it is in a “really good spot. ” but emphasized that there is still plenty of baseball left.. While the .500 mark is a positive achievement the players can look at “right now. ” Montgomery said the priority is staying focused on the work and maintaining momentum.

Manager Will Venable echoed the idea that winning is a process.. In his low-key style. Venable said the record “matters. ” but urged the team to keep stacking strong performances and let results follow.. Having spent nine years in the majors. Venable’s perspective reflects how rare it is for even long-building teams to reach this point without some kind of sustained shift in performance.

Wednesday’s game also offered a reminder that the Sox’s surge has come with proper situational baseball, not just offense. Montgomery contributed at the top of the lineup, going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, including a solo home run that stood up as a key late-in-game jolt.

The pitching and bullpen execution mattered just as much.. After Chicago built a 6-3 lead in the ninth. closer Seranthony Dominguez surrendered a two-out. two-run homer to Royals star Bobby Witt.. Dominguez then recovered and finished the job by striking out pinch hitter Jac Caglianone, preserving the narrow advantage.

Venable pointed to the importance of that extra run the Sox added earlier. framing it as insurance that gave the bullpen room to work.. Montgomery also described how a reliever-focused scouting approach helped him prepare at the plate. emphasizing that he committed to the fastball in the situation where he expected to get it.

Earlier, the seventh inning illustrated how quickly leverage can shift a game.. Reliever Jordan Hicks entered and hit Isaac Collins. then allowed a pinch-hit single by Carter Jensen. creating trouble with the Royals’ 1-2-3 hitters looming.. But Hicks steadied the inning by striking out Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt swinging. then getting Lane Thomas to end it with a look at strike three.

Venable called the pitching sequence “really impressive. ” noting that Hicks appeared to be feeling good and was in a strong spot.. He also highlighted that the decision to use Hicks in that kind of high-leverage moment worked out—something that can’t be taken for granted for any team trying to convert close games into wins.

Still, not every aspect of the pitching was clean.. Starter Noah Schultz had difficulty with control again. walking five batters in 4⅓ innings and allowing three runs and two hits while striking out five.. Even with those issues. Chicago was able to overcome the roughness. a sign that recent performances have included enough balance to survive when things don’t go perfectly.

Montgomery suggested the broader reason the Sox have been improving is that players are beginning to show who they really are—on both offense and defense. and especially at the plate and in the field.. He said confidence can be “infectious. ” and that the way the clubhouse is feeding off each other has helped everyone stay more comfortable as the games progress.

What makes this week’s success stand out is the contrast between how quickly the season can swing.. The Sox started 2025 with momentum, then endured a stretch that pushed them far away from .500.. Getting back to even matters because it changes how players and coaches experience daily preparation: it turns performance goals from purely developmental into something that can be measured in the standings—without necessarily letting the standings become the only focus.

The win also reinforced the idea that the Sox’s approach is becoming more business-like when it counts.. Even as the team’s core grows younger and the rebuild continues. Wednesday’s game showed multiple moments where the team did the small things: timely hitting. sequencing in the bullpen. and resilience after giving up late contact.

While the focus remains on turning progress into consistency. the broader clubhouse mood has appeared to align around that shared belief.. Montgomery’s comments about looking in the right direction—without fixating on the record—capture how teams often handle turning points in long rebuilds: celebrate enough to feel the change. but keep working so the improvement doesn’t fade.

The Sox also pointed to how a close game can hinge on choices made in real time.. Reports around the team referenced that Jirschele considered the decision to send Romo home as the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of the Sox’ win Sunday. a reminder that in tight contests. management decisions can carry as much weight as box-score outcomes.

From a cultural standpoint. the organization’s optimism has begun to sound less like a promise and more like a lived experience.. Hill described the atmosphere as the most fun he has ever had playing baseball. saying every player seemed to be pulling “from the same side. ” and that it does not matter who is called up or traded into the group as long as everyone commits to the same mindset.

Asked when he realized Romo had a “power stroke. ” Venable responded that it was when the player started hitting home runs.. Venable also characterized Hill’s standout moment as “a special five minutes. ” underscoring that while individual bursts matter. they are best understood as part of a larger pattern the Sox are trying to build—one that is now showing up in the standings for the first time since 2022.

White Sox Royals MLB standings Seranthony Dominguez Colson Montgomery Will Venable Jordan Hicks