Chicago White Sox lose despite hitting seven homers
By Drew Peabody
The Chicago White Sox’s long downward slide continued Saturday as they managed to hit seven homers but still lose the game in Chicago.
When you do something as a team that has been done only twice before in history and it results in losing the game, you start to question whether it is your year. The Chicago White Sox hit seven home runs in a game on Saturday afternoon, yet managed to lose the game to the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-8.
Four of the homers were surrendered by Blue Jays starter R.A. Dickey who last surrendered four homers in a game to (you guessed it) the White Sox on June 27, 2014, but the White Sox won that game. Both times a team had hit seven homers and lost it was done by the Detroit Tigers who turned the unwanted trick on May 28, 1995 and August 8, 2004.
Another unusual aspect about the home runs is that one of the home runs was of the inside-the-park variety. Brett Lawrie hit a ball that was originally ruled a home run, but Lawrie sprinted around the bases just in case. The umps ruled that it was not actually a home run but must have rewarded Lawrie for his hustle when they awarded him an inside-the-park homer anyway over the objections of Toronto manager John Gibbons.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Dioner Navarro and J.B. Schuck followed with solo shots over the fence to notch three homers in a row for the White Sox. Chicago was just chipping away at a 5-0 Toronto lead.
Edwin Encarnacion followed the White Sox solo shots with a two-run single in the fourth inning to make the score 8-3. An RBI single by Lawrie cut the lead to 8-4, then the White Sox homer fest continued. Solo shots in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings were not enough to overcome the potent Toronto offense, as the Blue Jays managed to hang on for a 10-8 victory.
Aside from Lawrie, homering both inside the park and over the wall (which had not happened to a White Sox player since 1974) the other odd thing about the homer barrage for Chicago was that their big boppers Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu were not part of the fun. Of the homer hitters for Chicago, only Lawrie has more than four on the season.
Another strange thing about the homers is that four different Blue Jays pitchers allowed them, Jason Grilli, Drew Storen and Roberto Osuna were all touched for a long ball in addition to Dickey.
Next: Time to trade Chris Sale?
The mystifying season for the White Sox continues. After a 23-10 start, the White Sox have lost 28 of 42 games. Their record currently stands at 37-38. The acquisition of James Shields has not helped turn things around. They have lost all four games posting an incredible 15.80 ERA over 13.2 innings. Everything they touch turns to garbage it seems. This loss yesterday despite seven homers is just the icing on the cake for the 2016 Chicago White Sox.