CHICAGO – How much fun can a team sitting at 28-56 overall, where the 2025 White Sox currently reside, have during the course of a season?
Based on the raucous sounds of postgame celebration coming from the White Sox clubhouse after a 5-2 victory over the Giants at Rate Field on Sunday, the answer would be, “Quite a bit.”
“We celebrate every win,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “No matter when they come.”
“Winning is so fun,” catcher Kyle Teel said. “I love celebrating wins."
Teel, a 23-year-old rookie with 16 games of Major League experience, played a big role in this series-winning party Sunday.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning, and Chicago trailing by a 2-1 margin, Teel connected for a two-run double on a 1-0 slider from reliever Ryan Walker. The White Sox scored four in that frame after the two teams combined for eight total runs over the previous 24 innings combined, with Walker’s balk and Lenyn Sosa’s Major League-leading 16th hit on an 0-2 pitch accounting for the final two.
It was a good day as well behind the plate for Teel, who handled Jonathan Cannon’s return from the injured list to start the game, then five relievers. But when asked which accomplishment impressed him more, Teel smiled and went away from the individual recognition.
“I would say I'm just proud of how our team went out there and played today,” Teel said. “That's what matters.
“I’m just looking for a good pitch to hit, something over the plate,” added Teel of his game-winning double. “I was looking for something hard, I got something soft. I just stayed through it and took a good swing."
Cannon allowed one run on three hits and three walks over three innings, striking out four. He left after 69 pitches (41 strikes), being on some restrictions despite feeling healthy.
Cannon’s postgame assessment of his once balky back that sent him to the 15-day injured list was as positive as his overall work. He also pitched through a high heat index, not to mention a weird 25-minute rain shower both teams played through at the outset.
“Body felt really good. Obviously some conditions there in the first two innings, a little slick out there,” Cannon said. “But everything felt good. 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, especially coming into a pitch count and everything. Overall, I thought it went pretty well.”
“Most importantly, he is healthy and feels good,” Venable said. “We will continue to work and lengthen him out as we go.”
This win didn’t exactly finish off smoothly. Not for a team with a 5-20 record in games decided by one run and 4-12 in games decided by two. The Giants loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, sending Mike Vasil to the mound.
Vasil has started, pitched bulk innings after an opener and even closed with one save to his credit this season. On this occasion, he needed two pitches to induce an inning-ending double play from Heliot Ramos and then pitched around a one-out walk in the ninth to punctuate save No. 2 with a game-ending double-play grounder from Mike Yastrzemski.
“Obviously adrenaline, but another thing, too, is coming in for a series win opportunity as well is pretty big,” Vasil said. “Knew what I had to do, get as many outs as possible.
“Any time you're put in that spot, it feels good. But also as a whole, the pitching staff today, what we did over the series is really, really impressive. All the time that we put in with reports and working on our craft, executing pitches was great."
As Vasil was talking to the media, pitching coach Ethan Katz walked by the scrum and shouted out “Batman.” Of course, a follow-up question or two had to be asked about that comment, and the engaging Vasil obliged with an explanation.
“There's a mask back there. I just sometimes refer to myself as Batman. So, yeah,” a smiling Vasil said. “I don't bring it to the bullpen, but I bring it everywhere on the road and everywhere. The mask stays with me."
No cape or full costume exists for Vasil. At least, not yet.
“Maybe some day I'll walk in here fully dressed as Batman,” Vasil said.
Ah, you can’t beat fun at the old ballpark, especially when you are celebrating victories.
"A lot of confidence going on in the clubhouse,” Teel said. “Since I've been here, I've seen that. We have a gritty team."