Pro Sports

White Sox go small to beat Rangers 5-4 in 10 after 2 big HRs

Posted June 22, 2019 7:00 am

By STEPHEN HAWKINS

Texas Rangers' Nomar Mazara (30) is congratulated by Elvis Andrus, center, after hitting a two-run home run that scored Andrus off of Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, June 21, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. White Sox catcher James McCann is at right. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) The Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - After two impressive home runs - Zack Collins' first big league hit for the White Sox after Texas slugger Nomar Mazara with the longest recorded by MLB's relatively new system - Chicago won with small ball late.

Eloy JimÃ©nez scored on a sacrifice squeeze bunt by Yolmer SÃ¡nchez in the 10th inning as the White Sox beat the Rangers 5-4 on Friday night.

"It was just a good play. If you practice, it shouldn't be hard. We bunt every day," SÃ¡nchez said. "That's part of my game. ... I like to bunt in that situation."

JimÃ©nez, a rookie who had a tiebreaking RBI single earlier in the game, had a one-out single in the 10th off Shawn Kelley (3-2) and went to third on Tim Anderson's soft single to left. SÃ¡nchez then bunted, tagged out by Kelley after the reliever fielded the ball going away from the plate.

Collins, the 10th overall pick by the White Sox in the 2016 draft, got his first big league start and went deep in the second inning. His three-run homer to center was measured at 447 feet by MLB's StatCast.

Mazara pulled a two-run shot deep into the second deck of seats in right field in the first that MLB's system said would have gone 505 feet unimpeded. That matched the longest ever recorded by StatCast, which is in only its fifth season of use.

"I've hit some balls really hard. That one for some reason felt different," Mazara said of his 10th homer.

"Where it ended up, that was pretty amazing," manager Chris Woodward said. "I'm glad I got to see it in person. It sounded all of 505 feet. It was pretty loud."

Colorado's Trevor Story had a 505-foot homer at home last season. StatCast measured that a foot longer than a blast that Giancarlo Stanton hit there against the Rockies when he was still playing for Miami in 2016.

White Sox starter Reynaldo LÃ³pez, who later gave up a solo homer to Rougned Odor, said he made a mistake on the pitch to Mazara.

"It was supposed to be in, and the pitch was around right in the middle," Lopez said through a translator. "And it was a very long, long homer."

Kelvin Herrera (3-3) struck out the only batter he faced. Alex ColomÃ© worked the 10th for his 16th save and broke the White Sox record for consecutive save chances converted to start a season.

The White Sox led 3-2 after the homer by Collins, a catcher from the University of Miami who made his first start as the designated hitter. He made his big league debut with a pinch-hit walk in the ninth inning of Chicago's last game.

"I was in shock when I hit that ball and I saw it gone. Running around the bases kinda seemed like a blur to me," Collins said. "I was pumped and I was just in shock. I didn't know whether it was a dream. Running around the bases, it was crazy."

THAT CLOSE

White Sox No. 9 batter Ryan Cordell, a rookie center fielder and former Rangers farmhand, had a one-out double in the ninth that hit about 13 feet up on the 14-foot wall in left field. He got stranded at second base.

WHILE ON APPEAL

Rangers 3B AsdrÃºbal Cabrera was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, playing while his four-game MLB suspension is on appeal . The suspension was for throwing equipment on the field that hit an umpire after he got ejected from Thursday's game.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: Veteran OF Jon Jay, who sustained a right groin-hip injury during spring training after signing as a free agent, is on injury rehab at Triple-A Charlotte and could be close to his White Sox debut. "I think we're discussing it," manager Rick Renteria said. "I'm sure it's coming to a head here pretty soon."

Rangers: OFs Joey Gallo (left oblique strain) and Hunter Pence (right groin strain), both on the injured list, are the Texas finalists to be starters on the American League All-Star team. Gallo, who is in Arizona, is expected to rejoin the Rangers next week. Pence is eligible to return next Thursday.

UP NEXT

White Sox: Odrisamer Despaigne (0-2) has allowed 10 runs and 16 hits over 10 1/3 innings in his two starts since the right-hander signed as a free agent last month.

Rangers: RHP Lance Lynn (8-4) has quality starts in his last eight games (4-2, 2.92 ERA in that span). He had nine strikeouts without a walk Monday night against Cleveland and went at least six innings for the 10th start in a row.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Chicago White Sox's Zack Collins is congratulated by Tim Anderson (7) and Yolmer Sanchez, right, after hitting a three-run home run off Texas Rangers starting pitcher Ariel Jurado during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, June 21, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) The Associated Press

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez walks on the mound after giving up a two-run home run to Texas Rangers' Nomar Mazara, background, during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, June 21, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) The Associated Press

Texas Rangers' Nomar Mazara follows through on a two-run home run off Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, June 21, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) The Associated Press

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez works against the Texas Rangers during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, June 21, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) The Associated Press

Texas Rangers' Rougned Odor (12) points to the stands as he crosses the plate in front of Chicago White Sox catcher James McCann after hitting a solo home run off of starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, June 21, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) The Associated Press

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Ariel Jurado works against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, June 21, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) The Associated Press

Texas Rangers' Shin-Soo Choo (17) steals second base as Chicago White Sox second baseman Yolmer Sanchez tries to apply the tag and second base umpire Carlos Torres leans in for the call during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 21, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) The Associated Press

Chicago White Sox's Yoan Moncada is congratulated in the dugout by bench coach Joe McEwing after scoring on a single by Eloy Jimenez during the third inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers on Friday, June 21, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. Yoan Moncada scored on the play. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter) The Associated Press

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