The Chicago White Sox burned both their automated ball-strike challenges in the third inning of a 4-run frame, contributing to a difficult Game 3 loss against the Guardians.
By the third inning of Game 3, the Chicago White Sox had already exhausted their most valuable strategic resource. Catcher Kyle Teel. who entered Wednesday with a 7-for-8 postseason record. unsuccessfully challenged two successive ball-strike calls. leaving the team without the automated system for the remainder of a pivotal American League Division Series matchup.
The timing proved disastrous. The team was attempting to navigate a volatile pitching appearance from Bryan Hudson during a four-run frame. The defensive struggles compounded quickly; Hagen Smith eventually relieved Hudson. only to surrender a bases-clearing triple to Jo Adell that further ballooned the deficit.
“I felt good, he put a good swing on it,” Smith said of the sequence.
While the White Sox have maintained a season-long philosophy that aggressive use of the ABS system pays off, the results on Wednesday were stark. The team struggled to control the zone throughout the afternoon, surrendering 10 walks and recording 19 strikeouts at the plate.
“Just need to be better,” Teel said after the loss. “Bad game for me [with] challenging. Learn from it, do better tomorrow, but it’s got to be better.”
Strategic frustration followed in the fourth inning. After the Guardians successfully challenged that a Foster Griffin pitch hit Tristan Peters’ bat rather than his hand. manager Will Venable countered by arguing that catcher Patrick Bailey committed interference on a check-swing. That challenge also failed. The sequence occurred on the second pitch of an at-bat that eventually saw Peters double home Chase Meidroth.
Amidst the errors, rookie Sam Antonacci provided a rare bright spot. Despite recording only one hit—a medium-speed grounder up the middle off lefty Joey Cantillo—Antonacci reached base four times. He scored after a first-inning walk and later forced in a run after being hit by a pitch in the sixth. As the league’s hit-by-pitch leader. his willingness to wear the ball proved vital for a team struggling to generate offense.
Despite the lopsided score, the atmosphere at the stadium remained intense, with 40,590 fans dressed in black. For veteran right-hander Davis Martin, the scene served as a reminder of the team’s journey since 2024. “To be real honest, I was a little emotional,” Martin said. “National anthem. like just seeing it all and experiencing what we went through in [2024]. and just to get back to this point was unbelievable.”.
As the series continues. the White Sox look toward Thursday for a chance to clinch an American League Championship Series berth. Meidroth credited the home crowd for the team’s position, noting, “They’ve been amazing all year. We wouldn’t have been in this spot without them and we’re looking forward to [Thursday].”.
The start time for Game 4 remains in flux, currently set for 4 p.m. CT. However, the schedule will shift to a 7 p.m. start should the Yankees, currently down 2-0 to the Rays, lose their own series.
White Sox Guardians ALDS MLB ABS challenges Kyle Teel Will Venable