CHICAGO -- Cheryl Elko received two Mother’s Day gifts she might have hoped for, but didn’t truly expect prior to a 4-2 White Sox victory over the Marlins on Sunday afternoon at Rate Field.
Her son, Tim, probably had flowers and candy, maybe even a nice dinner in Chicago, on that gift agenda. But after connecting for his first Major League hit, which also happened to be his first Major League homer, in the sixth off Marlins starter -- and former NL Cy Young Award winner -- Sandy Alcantara, Elko presented the retrieved baseball and the bat to his mom.
The name “Cheryl” was on Elko’s special pink Mother’s Day bat used during the White Sox second straight series win at home. As Elko crossed home plate following the three-run blast to left, scoring Matt Thaiss and Joshua Palacios, he pointed to his family sitting up a few rows in the stands.
“For them to be here, just be in this moment with me, it's an amazing feeling,” Elko said. “It meant everything. I was hoping to notch that first hit yesterday, but I was able to get it today."
“His first hit went way further than my [first] hit,” said a smiling Thaiss of Elko’s home run. “It's really awesome. I'm happy for Tim. He's had a big smile on his face ever since he got here. It's always exciting to see and it's a big reason why we won the game today.”
After hitting into a double play to end the second and striking out on three straight sinkers in the fourth, Elko’s big league start dropped to 0-for-5 in two games since arriving from Triple-A Charlotte. In the sixth, Elko connected on a 1-0 hanging curve from Alcantara for the three-run homer, which traveled a Statcast-projected 381 feet and had an exit velocity of 101.4 mph, per Statcast.
Elko was the first White Sox player since Braden Shewmake to hit a homer for his first career hit, with Shewmake connecting on March 30, 2024 off the first pitch he saw from Detroit’s Kenta Maeda. Adding a player with Elko’s raw power can change the game instantly.
“I don't expect anything less from him,” said right-hander Sean Burke, who walked five and struck out two over four innings and 91 pitches but allowed just one run. “He's that kind of guy. He's done that every step of the way. It's really cool to see. I'm happy to be a part of his journey and see him come up through the Minors and be here and continue being who he is."
“It was the right call, just missed the location, trying to go for a strike but down in the zone,” Alcantara said. “But I just leave it right there. When you leave your pitches right there, they take advantage.”
White Sox fireworks weren’t just reserved for Elko on Sunday. Home-plate umpire Bill Miller ejected hitting coach Marcus Thames and manager Will Venable in the fifth inning after a 1-1 pitch to Chase Meidroth was ruled a strike. It was Venable’s first ejection as a manager and second overall, getting ejected just once as a player for arguing balls and strikes, while it was Thames’ sixth ejection as a coach and seventh overall.
Thames was the first to be tossed from the game. Venable was quick to follow when he came out to defend his players and his coach.
“Everyone was under control. And Marcus is just fighting for the guys there too. It kind of all happened fast,” Venable said. “It was just one of those things where the frustration was building for some of the guys. It was an emotional moment for a second. It happens.”
"Marcus lost his cool a little bit and it was nice to see Will go out there and have Chase's back. It's good,” Thaiss said. “It was awesome.”
Sunday’s victory ended a stretch of 26 games in 27 days for the White Sox, including a three-city trip to Boston, Minneapolis and Sacramento covering 5,302 air miles. They finished with an 8-18 ledger, playing good baseball at times but unable to consistently finish off victory possibilities.
Adding Elko’s power could make a difference in those close games. For one game, it certainly made for a nice Mother’s Day gift for Cheryl Elko.
“It'll probably be up there,” said Elko, who smiled when adding he would be getting his mom other Mother’s Day gifts. “It's not worth any money, which helps the wallet, but it's a cool moment for sure.
“I want to come here and help us win games and do whatever I can to do that. I was able to contribute today and check a few other boxes, too, which felt great.”