The White Sox’ 13-9 win over the Astros Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field wasn’t pretty from a defensive standpoint.
The teams combined for 30 hits, with the Sox scoring a season-high 13 runs.
The Sox didn’t showcase the stellar starting pitching the team had displayed for most of August, allowing six earned runs over 40.2 innings pitched before Wednesday’s game.
But they didn’t need it.
James McCann’s go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning gave the Sox (54-65) the boost they needed to win the series against the top team in the AL West.
Sox manager Rick Renteria called the game one of the most exciting wins of the season.
“Both teams didn’t quit,” Renteria said. “I know there were a lot of ups and downs. I know we gave up a few runs, we gave up the lead. But to highlight that by Alex coming in and just stopping them there, and the two-out, two-strike granny, you can’t write it any better than that, for a young man who’s been grinding and putting in a pretty good season for himself and for helping us in the organization.”
McCann’s game-deciding home run was his fourth career grand slam. He said he was trying to get Astros right-hander Ryan Pressly’s pitches up and elevated.
“The emotions that are going through your body, there’s really nothing that compares to it,” McCann said. “It’s something that we all dream of as little boys and to have it come to fruition as a grown man, it makes you a kid again.”
One inning before McCann’s grand slam, Eloy Jimenez hit a 434-foot shot over the center-field wall for the Sox’ first home run of the game. Jimenez became the 11th Sox rookie to hit 20 or more homers in a season.
“When you have these days, it’s really good because when one starts, you can keep going like today,” Jimenez said. “We do a really good job to not lose the focus on the game and just keep battling.”
The Astros (78-43) didn’t go away quietly, which is expected from one of the top teams in the majors. They erased multiple Sox’ leads throughout the game, including tying it at nine after Jose Altuve’s two-run homer in the eighth inning.
After going through three pitchers in the eighth Alex Colome (4-2) stabilized the Sox on the mound, taking the victory after striking out two batters and not allowing a hit or run in 1.2 innings pitched.
“I’m more elated in the way that, even though we gave up the lead, they ended up tying it with such a good lineup, we didn’t quit,” Renteria said. “They’ve been doing that all year. It may not go well for us at some point in time but these guys keep fighting, they keep playing. They want their guys to have success, they want to be able to get it done.”
McCann said the Sox pulling out the win despite losing the lead shows the fight and tenacity in the team.
He recognizes the progress and growth the team has made as it heads to Anaheim, California for a four-game series against the Angels before closing out a seven-game road trip against the Twins.
”We very easily could have folded and given in to them and the talent they have over there,” McCann said. “But we kept fighting and kept pushing and never gave in and that’s really good to see.”
