It all started on a hot humid night in Chicago. Thirty-three thousand fans in attendance, who most left before history was made. The Chicago White Sox have had a season of disappointment for the players and their fans. On a year when they were suppose to compete for the American League Central, the White Sox stood at a measly 60-81 going into the game. Approximately twenty-two games behind the American League Central leader the Cleveland Indians.
Well, tonight was a night to remember, no matter what teams were playing, because it was a night of history. Tonight was the night that for the first time in history, two teams scored 6 runs in 9th inning.
Javier Vasquez was on the mound for the White Sox and Carlos Silva for Minnesota. Both pitchers have had their ups and downs for the season. In the top of the first, Minnesota started the game with three consecutive hits and a fielders choice to lead the White Sox 2-0. In the bottom of the first inning, the White Sox gained one run back with a Jim Thome run scoring single that scored Jerry Owens.
Now to jump to the bottom of the third inning, the White Sox took the lead on a towering home run by Juan Uribe that scored the Darrin Erstad. The Sox lead did not last very long though. In the very next innning Minnesota came back with two runs of their own to take a 4-3 lead after three and a half innings. The bats went silent for both teams until the bottom of the seventh inning when pinch hitter Alex Cintron came to bat for Alex Gonzalez. Cintron took a 2-1 pitch and sent it over the right field fence to tie the game at 4-4. Both teams go one, two, three in the 8th innning.
Mike Mcdougal came in for the White Sox to start the top of the ninth inning, but he did he know he was about to make history. Mcdougal allowed a single and then a sacrifice bunt and then was relieved by Mike Myers. Myers allowed a single to his first batter. His next batter hits a lazy ground ball to the third baseman but he threw it away, allowing two runs to score. The next batter came up and got another single, scoring another run for Minnesota to put them up 7-4. The following batter came to the plate and hit the ball four hundred feet over the left field wall for a three run homer. The score is now 10-4 and of the 33,000 fans that were once at the game, there are only half of that, if that. The Sox finally get out of the inning with a strikeout. All of these runs were unearned.
This is how the White Sox season has gone for the most part so far. With more then half the crowd gone, the White Sox came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. Danny Richar starts the Sox out with a single to right field bring up Alex Cintron who also gets a single but to left field. Luis Terrero pinch hits for Jerry Owens. Terrero hits a soft dribbler to the shortstop, who does not have a play and can only give the ball to the pitcher. With bases loaded, Josh Fields steps to the plate and blastes a shot to the right field gap scoring two runs and leaving runs on second and third with nobody out. With the score 10-6, Jim Thome steps up to the plate and hits a 430 foot home run over the centerfield fence to make it a 10-9 ballgame with still no one out. Paul Konerko came to the plate next and walked on four pitches. With Konerko having horrible speed on the basepaths, the White Sox fastest player Scott Podsednik ran for him. Podsednik steals second on the first pitch and then advances to third on a wild pitch. With a runner on third base and no one out, A.J. Pierzynski struck out swinging for the first out of the inning. Darrin Erstad came to the plate next and hit a ground rule double that scored Podsednik from third. This tied the game 10-10.
This was the first time in Major League Baseball history that two teams scored six runs in the ninth inning. The next two White Sox batters were retired. The White Sox ended up winning the game in the bottom of the 13th innning on an A.J. Pierzynski run scoring single. White Sox Win 11-10!!
Well, tonight was a night to remember, no matter what teams were playing, because it was a night of history. Tonight was the night that for the first time in history, two teams scored 6 runs in 9th inning.
Javier Vasquez was on the mound for the White Sox and Carlos Silva for Minnesota. Both pitchers have had their ups and downs for the season. In the top of the first, Minnesota started the game with three consecutive hits and a fielders choice to lead the White Sox 2-0. In the bottom of the first inning, the White Sox gained one run back with a Jim Thome run scoring single that scored Jerry Owens.
Now to jump to the bottom of the third inning, the White Sox took the lead on a towering home run by Juan Uribe that scored the Darrin Erstad. The Sox lead did not last very long though. In the very next innning Minnesota came back with two runs of their own to take a 4-3 lead after three and a half innings. The bats went silent for both teams until the bottom of the seventh inning when pinch hitter Alex Cintron came to bat for Alex Gonzalez. Cintron took a 2-1 pitch and sent it over the right field fence to tie the game at 4-4. Both teams go one, two, three in the 8th innning.
Mike Mcdougal came in for the White Sox to start the top of the ninth inning, but he did he know he was about to make history. Mcdougal allowed a single and then a sacrifice bunt and then was relieved by Mike Myers. Myers allowed a single to his first batter. His next batter hits a lazy ground ball to the third baseman but he threw it away, allowing two runs to score. The next batter came up and got another single, scoring another run for Minnesota to put them up 7-4. The following batter came to the plate and hit the ball four hundred feet over the left field wall for a three run homer. The score is now 10-4 and of the 33,000 fans that were once at the game, there are only half of that, if that. The Sox finally get out of the inning with a strikeout. All of these runs were unearned.
This is how the White Sox season has gone for the most part so far. With more then half the crowd gone, the White Sox came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. Danny Richar starts the Sox out with a single to right field bring up Alex Cintron who also gets a single but to left field. Luis Terrero pinch hits for Jerry Owens. Terrero hits a soft dribbler to the shortstop, who does not have a play and can only give the ball to the pitcher. With bases loaded, Josh Fields steps to the plate and blastes a shot to the right field gap scoring two runs and leaving runs on second and third with nobody out. With the score 10-6, Jim Thome steps up to the plate and hits a 430 foot home run over the centerfield fence to make it a 10-9 ballgame with still no one out. Paul Konerko came to the plate next and walked on four pitches. With Konerko having horrible speed on the basepaths, the White Sox fastest player Scott Podsednik ran for him. Podsednik steals second on the first pitch and then advances to third on a wild pitch. With a runner on third base and no one out, A.J. Pierzynski struck out swinging for the first out of the inning. Darrin Erstad came to the plate next and hit a ground rule double that scored Podsednik from third. This tied the game 10-10.
This was the first time in Major League Baseball history that two teams scored six runs in the ninth inning. The next two White Sox batters were retired. The White Sox ended up winning the game in the bottom of the 13th innning on an A.J. Pierzynski run scoring single. White Sox Win 11-10!!
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