SEATTLE -- It came after the big blows had been dealt, most landing against the White Sox. It didn’t swing the game -- an 8-3 loss to the Mariners -- and it didn’t negate the tough moments that had come earlier.
But with one swing of the bat, Luis Robert Jr. made Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park a historic one for the White Sox, crushing his 100th career home run out to right field.
“It definitely means a lot,” Robert said through an interpreter. “Because of injuries and all that stuff, it wasn’t as fast as I wanted. But it’s always special to have that mark.”
Robert hit triple-digits on an 0-1 fastball from Seattle’s Jackson Kowar over the heart of the plate that came in at 97.6 mph and left his bat at 100.6 mph. It bounced off a railing and back into the outfield, and while Seattle right fielder Dominic Canzone tossed the ball back into the crowd, the White Sox quickly recovered it for their 28-year-old star.
He became the 23rd player in franchise history to reach 100 career home runs with the White Sox. Next on the franchise leaderboard are Adam Dunn and Ray Durham, who each slugged 106 homers with the South Siders.
“That’s a big number,” manager Will Venable said. “You’ve got to stick around and do a lot of good things to get 100 homers in this league. Certainly, Luis has. That’s great to see, especially in the context of this last stretch for him.”
Robert, who went into the All-Star break sitting on a .190/.275/.325 slash line, has come out of the break on a heater, hitting .383 with a 1.018 OPS since the second half began.
For the first two weeks of that range, he did so while rumors once again swirled regarding his future with the White Sox. For the second straight year, Robert was considered a prime candidate to be moved at the Trade Deadline. But for the second straight year, Chicago held on to him, and now, he’s helping to lead the charge for a team that -- while still in the cellar of the American League -- is swinging the bats as well as any in baseball.
“When he stayed here post-Deadline, there was kind of a sigh of relief from everybody. Because he is the heartbeat of our outfield, of our defense, of our lineup,” said Tuesday’s starter, Davis Martin. “He’s had some insane moments in a White Sox uniform, and there’s a lot of respect for what he does on the field and what he brings to the table every day.”
He now has 12 homers on the season, two away from his total from last year with nearly two months to play.
While Robert came into the day having gone 4-for-11 in Chicago’s first series after the Deadline, he had gone homerless in those three games. Perhaps all he needed to do to get over the triple-digit hump was come to the Pacific Northwest; dating back to the beginning of last season, Robert has gone 4-for-16 at T-Mobile Park, but all four of his hits have found the seats.
Before the White Sox dugout could finish congratulating Robert, Colson Montgomery also went deep to go back-to-back and continue his own torrid streak. The homer was Montgomery’s eighth in his past 12 games; in that span, Chicago’s No. 4 prospect has a 1.021 OPS. He already has the most homers by a White Sox rookie since Jake Burger in 2022.
Lenyn Sosa also went deep in the first inning, giving the White Sox 31 homers since the All-Star break -- tied for second with the A’s. As a team, Chicago has jumped out to an .827 OPS in the second half, after finishing the first half dead last in the sport at .638.
A whole lot of that -- even beyond Robert’s personal numbers -- has to do with the six-year veteran who’s battled through injuries, stayed put at multiple Deadlines and just hit one of what could be a few personal milestones in the final months of this season.
“As a guy who’s been around and seen him since 2022, to see the vocal side start coming around a little more, and his personality start leaking out a little more, it just makes us love him even more,” Martin said. “He’s great. I think it’s phenomenal. A hundred career home runs is awesome and he’s got so much left in the tank. It’s going to be fun to watch.”