White Sox OF Mike Tauchman walks off Guardians with swinging bunt

It wasn’t pretty, but it was enough. Mike Tauchman delivered the most unconventional of walk-offs Friday night, guiding the Chicago White Sox to a 5-4 extra-inning win over the Cleveland Guardians with a broken-bat swinging bunt in the 11th inning. The infield single scored Colson Montgomery from third and salvaged a doubleheader split at Guaranteed Rate Field, where the Sox also unveiled a statue for franchise legend Mark Buehrle earlier in the day.

“It was kind of fitting, on a broken-bat dribbler there,” said manager Will Venable. “I thought we did a good job all day, continuing to put good at-bats out there. And they did a good job, too — it was a real battle.”

With runners on the corners and one out in the 11th, Tauchman barely got wood on a Kolby Allard pitch, sending a slow roller back to the mound. Allard bent down to glove it, but the ball slipped under his mitt, allowing Montgomery to dash home for the win. Allard dropped to one knee in frustration as the White Sox mobbed Tauchman near first base.

White Sox survive the rain, Guardians in Friday night win

White Sox OF Mike Tauchman walks off Guardians with swinging bunt — Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The win capped off a gritty performance from Chicago, who trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth before Josh Rojas lifted a game-tying sacrifice fly. Mike Vasil earned the win in relief, tossing three scoreless innings and escaping bases-loaded jams in both the 10th and 11th innings, all in rainy conditions.

“(It’s) taking a step back and just thinking about how it’s one pitch away,” Vasil said. “But also I have to trust my stuff and get back in the zone. Probably wouldn’t have slept tonight if I would have walked in a run.”

Lenyn Sosa powered the offense early with a pair of solo home runs in the first and fifth innings, his second multi-homer game of the season. He continues to emerge as a bright spot in an otherwise rocky campaign for the South Siders.

Jonathan Cannon gave the White Sox a solid start in Game 2, tossing five innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts. Cleveland’s José Ramírez provided the biggest blow for the Guardians, crushing a two-run homer in the middle innings.

The Guardians had their chances — a lot of them. They went just 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base in the nightcap. Cleveland’s Daniel Schneemann contributed a double and a diving catch, but also committed a throwing error that helped Chicago tie the game in the eighth.

Chicago’s win was just their first in five games against the Guardians this season. Still, it came with a side of emotional weight, as the organization honored Buehrle with a bronze statue on the right-field concourse.

“There was a different kind of energy around the stadium today,” Cannon said. “To be able to pull out a win tonight was awesome.”

The two clubs return to action Saturday, with Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee (4-9, 4.35 ERA) set to face Chicago’s Sean Burke (4-8, 4.40 ERA).