The game was effectively settled in two innings. Sean Burke handled the pitching, and the White Sox lineup handled everything else, turning a tidy 4-0 lead into a 14-1 demolition of the Oakland Athletics on Friday at Rate Field before 37,539 fans.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| CWS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 | X | 14 | 15 | 0 |
Burke was the foundation. The right-hander worked seven innings, allowing just 4 hits and 1 run while walking none and striking out nine on 98 pitches. He picked up his sixth win of the season against four losses, carrying a 3.41 ERA. Oakland's lone threat came in the seventh when Tyler Soderstrom homered to right — a 392-foot shot — but Burke had already built too large a cushion for it to matter.
The Seventh Inning
Chicago scored 4 runs in the fifth to open the scoring. Andrew Benintendi doubled to right to bring home Chase Meidroth for the first run of the game. Benintendi then scored on a Tristan Peters single, Teel scored on a Sam Antonacci single, and Peters came home on a Miguel Vargas sacrifice fly. That was enough for Burke. Then the seventh inning arrived. Peters hit a two-run homer to right center, scoring Teel. Munetaka Murakami doubled home Antonacci. Vargas hit a ground rule double to score Murakami. Benintendi then doubled to left, bringing home Meidroth, Vargas, and Braden Montgomery on a single play. Peters added a triple to score Benintendi. Eight runs in the inning, and the game was long over.
Oakland starter Aaron Civale lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits with 4 strikeouts. He fell to 5-7 on the season with a 5.42 ERA. The Athletics' bullpen covered 6.1 innings and allowed 10 more runs, finishing off a night to forget for Oakland.
Peters finished 4-for-4 with a double, a triple, a home run, and 4 RBI. Vargas went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, and 3 RBI. Benintendi was 2-for-5 with two doubles and 4 RBI. For Oakland, Aaron Civale now needs 2 more wins to reach 50 career victories. The White Sox improved to 48-45. Oakland has dropped seven straight, falling to 41-53.