CHICAGO — Yermín Mercedes knocked in Yoán Moncada with a single to left in the ninth inning to give the Sox a 9-8 victory against the Detroit Tigers in a wild game Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Moncada reached when José Cisnero hit him with a pitch to begin the ninth and advanced to third on a single to right from José Abreu. Mercedes followed with the game-winning hit.
There was history with the win. Tony La Russa earned the 2,763rd victory of his career, putting him in a tie for second on the all-time list with John McGraw for managerial wins.
Yasmani Grandal homered twice as the Sox increased their lead in the American League Central to four games over the second-place Cleveland Indians.
Grandal’s first home run, in the second inning, gave the Sox a 1-0 lead. His second, in the seventh, tied the game at 8.
Nick Madrigal also homered as the Sox built a 7-2 lead.
The Tigers scored six runs in the seventh. Jonathan Schoop’s three-run homer off reliever Evan Marshall cut the Sox lead to 7-6. Schoop had four hits, including two home runs, and five RBIs.
Eric Haase hit a two-run homer off Marshall to give the Tigers an 8-7 lead.
Grandal tied the game with his third homer in two days.
While the score doesn’t indicate it, the game began with strong pitching.
Sox starter Dallas Keuchel allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with three strikeouts and one walk in six innings. Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull allowed one run, the homer to Grandal, on two hits with four strikeouts in four innings before leaving with right forearm tightness.
Despite blowing a big lead, the Sox rebounded to win for the ninth time in 12 games.
