The Chicago White Sox got the monkey off their (camel) back by beating the Seattle Mariners 10-1 at Camelback Ranch Monday afternoon. The thrashing gave the White Sox their first win of spring training action in 2023.
The start of the game wasn’t too promising for the South Siders, as Seattle struck first on an Evan White solo home run in the top of the second inning. It was the third straight game since the beginning of spring training that Chicago had allowed the first run of the ballgame. Unlike the previous two instances however, the White Sox would strike back with a vengeance.
All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson tied the game with a double in the third inning, then the boys in black took a 3-1 lead in the fourth. From there, the Pale Hose never looked back. The sixth inning featured the biggest highlight of the game, a Jake Burger two-run homer that hit off the batter’s eye in center field. It was Burger’s second home run of spring training.
The White Sox would continue their onslaught in the seventh and eighth innings, adding five more runs to reach the final score. While Chicago’s hitting will rightfully receive a lot of praise, the pitching was also on point. Aside from the one Mariners home run, the White Sox pitchers shut down Seattle’s batters. Sean Burke, Matt Foster, Nicholas Avila and Samuel Peralta all gave up no hits and no runs in their appearances.
The game featured the White Sox debut of Andrew Benintendi, who signed a five-year, $75 million deal to come to the South Side in the offseason. Benintendi struck out in his only plate appearance.
Chicago also got its first win ever in the Pedro Grifol era. Grifol was hired by the White Sox to be their new manager in November of 2022. The native of Miami, Florida previously served as a coach for the Kansas City Royals for nearly a decade.
The White Sox will look to use their newfound momentum to take down the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. The D-Backs also won on Monday, defeating the split-squad Cubs 3-0 on an Emmanuel Rivera walk-off home run. The Mariners will look to bounce back on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians, who beat the other group of Cubs on Monday.
White Sox defeat Mariners 10-1 for first spring training victory
