Rhys Hoskins has been around the game long enough to know that games like Monday’s walk-off loss carry weight beyond the final score, especially against a team fighting for the same division title. Chicago’s 6-5 win pulled the White Sox into a first-place tie with Cleveland, a result that came down to the wire after both teams traded leads through the late innings. Asked about the value of playing close games against a direct rival, Hoskins offered some perspective on what these contests mean for a club preparing for a long stretch of important baseball ahead.
“Of course, we play close games, but it’s just a little different when you play somebody that’s either in first place or trying to chase you down in first place, or really just in your division. Obviously we want to come out in the win column, but these are the types of games that prepare a group for the ones that you want to play,” Hoskins said.
Hoskins’ comments came after a game that swung several times in the final innings. Cleveland trailed 3-0 entering the seventh before scoring 3 runs to tie it. Chicago answered in the bottom half of the inning by scoring a run, putting the White Sox back in front before Cleveland rallied again in the ninth to briefly take a 5-4 lead.
The finish belonged to Chicago, as they completed their sixth walk-off win of the season, a total tied for the most in the majors.
Cleveland and Chicago now sit deadlocked atop the AL Central standings, a development that has made every remaining matchup between the two clubs carry extra significance. The Guardians will turn to Parker Messick on Tuesday as they look to even the series against Chicago’s Sean Burke.
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