Rookie catcher Kyle Teel batted with the bases loaded, two outs and the Chicago White Sox down a run in the seventh inning Sunday against the San Francisco Giants.
He was looking for something hard from reliever Ryan Walker.
“I got something soft,” Teel said. “I just stayed through it and took a good swing.”
Teel lined a 1-0 slider to right field for a two-run double. The Sox tacked on two more runs in the inning on the way to a 5-2 victory in front of 20,225 at Rate Field.
“He took good swings all day,” manager Will Venable said of Teel, who had three hits. “It’s a tough pitcher. A really good at-bat by (Miguel) Vargas (walking to load the bases ahead of Teel). Good at-bats before Vargas. Then Kyle was ready to go.
“He got a pitch and didn’t miss it.”
The Sox (28-56) took two of three in the series while missing Luis Robert Jr. because of injury.
The center fielder went on the 10-day injured list Sunday morning with a left hamstring strain. The move is retroactive to Thursday. A corresponding roster move will be announced leading up to Tuesday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Chicago White Sox’s Kyle Teel runs after hitting a two-run double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Rate Field on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
“(Robert) felt a little bit better, but just wasn’t in a place where we thought he was going to progress,” Venable said. “Just to do the right thing by the player. We want to be cautious, put him on the IL. Still think it will be fairly quick, not overly concerned. Don’t want to push him and put him in a bad spot.”
Robert suffered the injury in the first inning of Wednesday’s 7-3 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Rate Field while trying to chase down a fly ball to right-center. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the first and hasn’t played since.
Robert, who has been mentioned in trade speculation, is slashing .185/.270/.313 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs in 73 games.
While the Sox were without Robert, they did get Jonathan Cannon back from the IL on Sunday. The right-hander allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks in three innings in his return. He had been out since June 3 with a lower back strain.
“Everything felt good,” Cannon said. “Back felt good. Thought the stuff was good. Have to be in and around the zone a little bit more, had to work a little harder than I would have liked to. Especially coming into a pitch count and everything. But overall, I thought it went pretty well.”
Cannon threw 41 strikes in the 69-pitch outing.
“Nice to have out there,” Venable said. “Glad that he’s healthy. Came out feeling good obviously. Struggled to command the baseball. But most important he is healthy and feels good and will continue to work and lengthen him out as we go.”
The Giants took a 2-1 lead in the fifth when Sox reliever Jordan Leasure walked Willy Adames with the bases loaded. Leasure avoided more damage with a popout and lineout.
Mike Tauchman — who had three hits — and Chase Meidroth began the seventh with consecutive singles. Austin Slater ran for Tauchman and he and Meidroth moved up a base when Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second.
Walker replaced Erik Miller and walked Vargas, bringing Teel to the plate with the bases loaded. Teel came through with the double, giving the Sox a 3-2 lead.
Walker got called for a balk, bringing Vargas home. And Lenyn Sosa drove in Teel with a single, extending the lead to 5-2.
“These guys continue to fight, put themselves in a good position,” Venable said. “After what I thought was a good showing early with quality at-bats, some good hard contact with no results, we continued to put good at-bats together and big inning there in the seventh.”
The Giants looked to respond in the eighth, loading the bases with one out. Mike Vasil entered for Tyler Gilbert and got Heliot Ramos to ground into an inning-ending double play.
“In those situations as well I know whose runners they are,” Vasil said. “It always feels good to pick a teammate up. To be able to come in there, get a double play on two pitches, don’t even work a long at-bat at all, it’s big.”
Vasil induced another double play in the ninth to earn his second save.
“We celebrate every win, no matter when they come,” Venable said. “Having the off day (on Monday) coming out of a win is great. It was a good team win. Got contributions all over the place.
“We are extremely proud of the group and excited to get out to L.A.”
Originally Published: June 29, 2025 at 2:29 PM CDT
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