The White Sox spent Saturday afternoon at Rate Field leaning on a replay call, a composed start from Sean Burke and another milestone swing from Miguel Vargas, beating the Tigers 3-1 to keep their October push moving in the right direction.
Chicago entered the sixth holding a one-run edge when the game turned on a manager’s challenge. Burke had loaded the bases with two outs, and Brett Callahan appeared to chase a pitch in the dirt. Riley Greene crossed from third on what was initially ruled a wild pitch, seemingly tying the score. Will Venable challenged, maintaining that the ball had struck Callahan on the swing. Replay agreed, wiping away the run because the ball was dead after contact.
Burke got his reset and finished the inning by striking out Callahan. It was a moment that did more than preserve a 2-1 lead; it allowed the right-hander to finish six innings, something no White Sox starter had done since Burke himself reached that mark on Aug. 21. He yielded one run on five hits, walked three and struck out five.
The bullpen took it from there without allowing Detroit back into the game. Noah Schultz punched out four hitters across 1 2/3 innings, then Grant Taylor handled the final four outs for his 10th save.
Vargas adds another chapter to his season
Vargas gave Chicago an early jolt in the opening inning. He drew a walk from Detroit starter Jackson Jobe, stole second and came home on Munetaka Murakami’s base hit. Then, after the overturned call helped Burke escape the sixth, Vargas gave the White Sox breathing room with a solo homer in the bottom half.
The blast was his club-leading 33rd of the season and pushed his run total to 101. It also put him in a class by himself in franchise history: Vargas is now the first White Sox player to record at least 30 doubles, 30 home runs, 20 stolen bases and 100 runs in one season.
Only Luis Robert Jr. in 2023 and Magglio Ordonez in 2001 had previously paired 30 doubles, 30 homers and 20 steals for the White Sox. Vargas also became the first Chicago player to score 100 runs in a season since Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye did it in 2006.
At 79-76, the White Sox moved within a half-game of Cleveland in the American League Central, with the Guardians scheduled to play later Saturday. Chicago also held a 1 1/2-game cushion over Texas for the league’s third Wild Card berth. In a late-September race, one overturned call, one clean escape and one more Vargas homer can carry a little extra weight.
