TAMPA, Fla. –– For a rebuilding White Sox organization, glimpses of what future success could look like are beginning to come into focus.

An 11-9 win over the Rays on Wednesday only improves the White Sox record to 37-66, but the 2025 season was never only about the record. Developing young talent and identifying long-term contributors are perhaps more important factors, and the series-clinching victory at George M. Steinbrenner Field came with notable moments during that process.

Shortstop Colson Montgomery and fellow rookie catcher Kyle Teel were prime examples. Montgomery, the team’s 2021 first-round pick, totaled in a team-high five RBI and hit his second home run in as many nights. Teel, acquired in the blockbuster Garrett Crochet trade, notched a career-high four hits, including his first-career home run, and was part of a key defensive play to save a run.

Altogether, it’s a win first-year manager Will Venable will certainly remember.

“That was an incredible effort by the guys,” Venable said. “One of the best wins of the year by far, to come back twice, answer twice, was incredible. One of those games that really encompass what this group has built together and their willingness to continue to fight. Today was just a great example of that.”

The White Sox fell into an early 4-0 hole in the first inning, as Jonathan Cannon gave up a pair of two-run home runs to Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero. But he kept the game within reach with three straight shutout innings to follow.

Cannon finished with five earned runs in 4.1 innings but a career-high nine strikeouts, which made for a mixed reaction postgame.

“Pretty cool I struck out nine, but, like, a lot less cool that I gave up five or six runs,” Cannon said. “I really think that it was kind of the in-game adjustments we were able to make. 
Using the four-seam more, which I haven’t used a ton this year, and seeing the success with it and just kind of riding it out. But yeah, I mean, this game is a game where you constantly have to adjust, and so that’s what we had to do here today and look to continue to build off that moving forward.”

Teel helped the White Sox build an immediate rally in the second inning. After a Miguel Vargas single, Teel lined a cutter up the middle off Rays starter Taj Bradley. And all of a sudden, it was a tie game after a single by Luis Robert Jr. and a three-run home run by Colson Montgomery, the second of his career.

Montgomery has been a big part of a White Sox offense that has scored an MLB-high 49 runs in six games since the All-Star break, and credited his success to those around him. Teel hit the ball even harder in his second at-bat in the third with a 106.9 exit velocity –– his second-hardest hit ball of the season –– Lowe robbed him of a hit with a spectacular diving catch in right field.

“It’s like some of the guys say – hitting is contagious,” Montgomery said. “And I feel like since coming out of the break and a little before the break, you could tell we kind of got things going and I felt like nobody could stop us.”

The Rays broke the tie with two runs in the fifth, thanks to an RBI single from Josh Lowe and a fielding error by White Sox left fielder Brooks Baldwin. Tampa appeared to have added another run as Junior Caminero ran home on a wild pitch by Brandon Eisert, but he was ruled out after review.

Teel made an athletic play to corral the ball all the way near the batter’s box, slide and throw home all in one motion to record the rally-ending out. Eisert tagged out Caminero while crashing to the ground but hanging onto the ball.

“It just goes to show [Eisert] is putting his body on the line, going to make that tag,” Teel said. “That wasn’t an easy play, and I thought it was a great tag.”

Coincidentally, it was Teel’s turn to hit in the very next at-bat. After catching his breath from the impressive defensive play, he turned on a 97.8 mph fastball on the inner half and drove it 336 feet over the right field fence for his first-career home run, cutting the deficit to 6-5 with the solo shot.

A little kid named Levi made a running catch on the home run ball, and after the game Teel gave him a signed bat, a signed ball and a picture together in exchange.

“Shout out to Levi. Good ballplayer,” Teel said. “… He’s the man. I appreciate him giving up that ball.”

Teel drove in another run on a single in the eighth, the first of six White Sox runs scored in the game-changing inning. Robert followed with a walk, and Montgomery gave the White Sox an 8-7 lead with a double off the right center field wall.

He blasted a sinker over the heart of the plate from Kevin Kelly with a 112.2 mph exit velocity –– the second-hardest hit ball of the entire White Sox season. Fellow rookie Chase Meidroth capped off the inning with an RBI single, giving the White Sox an 11-7 lead.

“It’s really cool and we need that slug,” Venable said. “To have those guys that are going to be out there, in the middle of the lineup. It’s nice to see them add power to their game. We’ve seen them control the zone, start to figure out how to pull the ball in the air there. Just really good stuff from both of them.”

The Rays got two runs back in the eighth, which were earned to Steven Wilson’s line and made the White Sox big eighth inning even more crucial. Dan Altavilla pitched through trouble in the ninth inning, too. He made an errant throw to first base on a ground ball, but Meidroth collected it near the wall and threw to Miguel Vargas, who tagged out Jake Mangum attempting to get back to the base.

Mangum was originally called safe, but it was overturned after review. That marked Venable’s second successful challenge of the night and avoided the Rays putting a runner on first base to lead off the inning. The Rays still managed to get runners on the corners, but Altavilla secured his second save of the season with a fly out by Simpson to end the game.

The White Sox are 5-1 since the All-Star break and have won both series of a road trip for the first time since Sept. 5-11, 2022 against the Athletics and Mariners. Venable is intrigued by the results, and also senses a cohesive team coming together.

“Just the group, they’re playing well, complementing each other, they trust each other,” Venable said. “They’ve created something real, they feel extremely confident and are going out there and doing their job and they want to do it for each other. A group that’s jelling right now and playing extremely well.”