The White Sox delivered the most runs they’ve scored since 1970 in a 22-1 demolition of the Royals, scoring 10 in the third inning and moving to 42-38 while holding first place in the AL Central near the All-Star break.
Friday night didn’t just turn into a rout in Chicago—it turned into history.
The White Sox took the Kansas City Royals apart with a 22-1 win at Rate Field, scoring 22 runs in a game that, for a lot of the season, felt out of reach. The blowout moved Chicago to 42-38 and kept the club alone in first place in the AL Central as the All-Star break approaches.
This is the same franchise turnaround that still feels unreal for some fans. One year ago, the White Sox finished 60-102.
The scoreboard reflected what the atmosphere already suggested the moment it started to snowball: the 22 runs were the most Chicago has scored in a game since 1970. Kansas City, meanwhile, tied the most runs it has ever allowed in its franchise history.
Then came the inning that turned everything from bad to unbearable.
In the third inning, the White Sox scored 10 runs—ten—sending the wheels fully off the Royals’ bullpen. Mitch Spence, a Royals reliever, saw his ERA go to 21.21. He gave up eight hits in the inning, and all 10 runs were earned.
That kind of inning doesn’t just happen to a pitcher. It drains everything a bullpen has to offer for the rest of the series. which is why performances like Spence’s often look like one more cruel moment in a long game. But the numbers were blunt: eight hits, 10 earned runs, and a third inning that functionally changed the outcome.
Chicago didn’t stop after that.
Miguel Vargas, the White Sox third baseman, capped a stretch of damage with a three-run home run against Kansas City during the third inning at Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois, on June 26, 2026 (Patrick Gorski/Imagn Images).
By the time the sixth inning rolled around, the Royals were still paying for the deficit. Tristan Peters. Chicago’s center fielder. rounded the bases after hitting a grand slam against the Royals during the sixth inning at Rate Field in Chicago. Illinois. on June 26. 2026 (Patrick Gorski/Imagn Images).
In total, four White Sox players hit home runs. Two others finished a triple shy of the cycle. Everyone who had a plate appearance reached base, and eight players recorded at least two hits.
After the game, first baseman Jacob Gonzalez didn’t dress it up. “That was sick,” he said. “No other way to put it.”
It’s the kind of night that leaves you with one clear memory: the White Sox weren’t simply winning—they were piling up numbers the franchise hasn’t seen in decades, while a Royals team that had been seen as a sleeper to “make some noise” at the start of the year absorbed a record-tying beatdown.
And with the win taking Chicago to sole possession of first place in the AL Central, this isn’t just a one-game headline. It’s a statement as the season nears its next big moment.
Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals 22-1 AL Central Mitch Spence Miguel Vargas Tristan Peters Jacob Gonzalez Rate Field All-Star break