It was Jacob Gonzalez’s turn Saturday to lead the White Sox to a walk-off win — their seventh of the season — as Chicago edged Kansas City, 2-1.
Each final-inning, game-winning hit has been delivered by a different Sox player.
The ability to get the big hit to win a one-run game is one of the biggest factors to differentiate the 2026 team from the one that lost 102 games last season.
Now, manager Will Venable can wonder who will step up on Sunday when the White Sox attempt to end their six-game homestand with a sweep of the Royals. He’s grown accustomed to heroics from this offense — a mixture of youngsters and a pair of productive veterans who have turned the club into a must-see on the South Side.
“It’s special, and it seems fitting for our group,” Venable said. “We talk about it every night, we’re getting contributions throughout the lineup. It’s coming from everywhere.”
Last season — the club’s third consecutive 100-loss campaign — Chicago was a staggering 15-36 (.294) in one-run games. This season, the White Sox are 17-9 (.654) following the victory on Saturday.
Exactly halfway through the season, the White Sox are 43-38 and have a 28-13 home record. They are 7-2 against the Royals.
Left-hander Anthony Kay (6-2, 4.24) will make his fourth career start against the Royals — the most against any MLB team. In his career, the 31-year-old Kay has made just 60 appearances, with 21 starts.
He is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA against Kansas City in his career. He already has faced them twice this season, with the White Sox winning 2-0 on April 9 and 6-2 on May 14.
Between the two games, Kay has given up two runs on nine hits over 11 2/3 innings. He has walked four batters and struck out ten.
As for the Royals, right-hander Luinder Avila (3-3, 5.06) will make his third career and 2026 appearance against the White Sox and the first start. He has made two relief appearances over a three-game span in May, pitching 3 1/3 hitless innings with three walks and four strikeouts.
He has pitched in 15 games this season (six starts) and been far more effective in relief. As a starter, he is 3-2 with a 6.29 ERA. He has allowed 17 runs, given up four homers, walked 18 and struck out 23.
Kansas City was unable to find any offense in the first two games of the series and were outscored, 24-2. They have mustered 10 hits and struck out 19 times.
Rookie Carter Jensen singled Saturday to move his MLB-best hitting streak to 18 games.
The bottom of the ninth on Saturday saw Chicago’s Braden Montgomery lay down a bunt with two runners on. The throw went to third base to try to cut down Colson Montgomery, but the hard toss hit third baseman Nick Loftin in the groin, forcing him to leave the game.
That left the bases loaded for Chicago. Pinch hitter Junior Perez struck out, and Gonzalez followed with a single to left that Gold Glove-winning shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. could not come up with.
“It looked like it was fieldable,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro after the game. “The ball was hit pretty good, but Bobby makes that play sometimes. We lose the game there. He didn’t lose the game. … Clearly, Bobby makes miraculous plays for us all the time, so that’s not on him.”
–Field Level Media
