Just hours removed from a crushing loss with severe playoff implications, the White Sox needed their best players to deliver.
The Sox got that Saturday from third baseman Miguel Vargas and starting pitcher Sean Burke in a 3-1 win over the Tigers. On Friday, they squandered an 8-2 lead and lost 11-8, and because Saturday’s game was moved to the afternoon due to a stormy forecast, the Sox had little time to stew over a crushing defeat and risk losing more ground to the Guardians in the divisional race or competitors for the AL wild card.
As he’s been all season, Vargas was a reason the Sox successfully moved on. He hit his 33rd home run in the sixth inning and scored on a Munetaka Murakami single in the first to become the first Sox player to score 100 runs, homer and double 30 times and steal 20 bases in a season.
“That’s why I wake up every day and work so hard for these types of moments,” Vargas said. “It’s just this group has been pushing me every single day. And I never have been thinking about my individual stats, I just want to go out there and do the best for my team, and have some fun and always try hard.”
Vargas’ contributions didn’t stop on offense. To end the Tigers’ fourth, he snagged a sharp Dillon Dingler grounder to preserve the Sox’ 1-0 lead.
“He’s been awesome,” Burke said. “Even down the stretch, he’s turned it up another notch on both sides of the ball, which is huge to see.”
The Sox were hoping for the same from Burke, and he gave them something they hadn’t had in almost a month.
He threw six innings and gave up a run, producing the Sox’ first quality start since Burke’s on Aug. 21 against the Mets. The outing wasn’t always pretty – Burke walked three and said his day was “a little grindy” – but it was enough and lowered his ERA over his last 17 outings to 2.80.
“One of those days where you really need him to step up and have a good outing and cover a lot of innings and give us a chance to win,” manager Will Venable said. “I thought he did a great job.”
Venable and the Sox’ coaching staff helped, too.
Holding a 2-1 lead with two outs in the top of the sixth, Burke loaded the bases. On a 2-1 count, Detroit’s Brett Callahan swung through a pitch that eluded Sox catcher Kyle Teel, bringing in the tying run. But Venable and the Sox challenged the play, saying the pitch hit Callahan, which would then make the ball dead.
The Sox won the challenge, taking the run away from the Tigers. Burke then struck out Callahan to keep the Sox in front.
“It’s almost like getting another life back and kind of just seeing that happen and knowing that I’ve got another chance to keep this thing in our favor and keep the lead,” Burke said. “Once that happens, it’s just bearing down and making a pitch.”
The Sox will have to do the same to win the division or earn a wild card spot. There have been hiccups and moments that cast reasonable doubt on this young team’s ability to do that, but on Saturday they rebounded from perhaps their worst moment of the season.
“This is what this team is about. We never give up,” Vargas said. “We always come back and battle the next day and play all nine innings. That’s what we have been doing the whole year, just show up that day.”
