Royals vs White Sox Recap: 22-1 Drilled by Sox, Royals Rally Hard

The Kansas City Royals rolled into Chicago on Friday night looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The White Sox sat at 41-38, hungry to stay hot at home where they'd won 26 of their last 39 games. The Royals were 34-48 overall and struggling on the road. From the first pitch, Chicago's bats came alive. David Sandlin took the mound for the White Sox and kept Kansas City's hitters quiet early. But the White Sox didn't wait long to strike. In the bottom of the third inning, the home team's lineup exploded. Miguel Vargas ripped a three-run homer to left field off Royals starter Mitch Spence. The ball sailed 372 feet and the crowd roared. Then the hits kept coming. Chase Meidroth singled. Tristan Peters drove in two more runs with a clutch hit. Jacob Gonzalez followed with a two-run homer that blasted 349 feet to right. Before the inning ended, Vargas doubled again. The White Sox had already scored 9 runs. Kansas City looked helpless.

The damage didn't stop in the third. In the fourth inning, Bobby Witt Jr. scored on a double play, giving Kansas City their first run. That made it 1-10. But Chicago answered right back. Andrew Benintendi launched a solo home run to right field. The White Sox were relentless. In the fifth inning, Kyle Teel smashed a two-run homer that traveled 399 feet to right-center. That brought the score to 1-13. Then in the sixth, Tristan Peters crushed a grand slam to right-center—a massive 364-foot shot that scored four runs in one swing. Chicago led 1-17. By this point, the game was completely out of reach. The Royals' pitchers couldn't find their rhythm. Kansas City's offense couldn't match the White Sox's power. Mitch Spence had been knocked out early. Relief pitcher after relief pitcher came in, but nothing stopped Chicago's bats from singing.

The seventh inning brought more of the same pain for Kansas City. The White Sox kept attacking. Chase Meidroth singled to center, bringing in another run. Jacob Gonzalez followed with an infield single to third that scored two more runners. Then Miguel Vargas grounded into a fielder's choice that pushed another run across. Kyle Teel capped it off with a single to right that scored one more. By the time the inning ended, the score sat at 1-22. Kansas City had no answer. Their pitching staff couldn't stop the onslaught. The Royals finished the game at 34-48, falling further behind in the standings. The White Sox improved to 41-38 and showed why playing at home gives them such a strong advantage. Chicago's lineup had 23 total hits and scored 22 runs. This was a complete dismantling. The game ended as a blowout victory for the White Sox at home.