ARLINGTON -- By the end of the White Sox seesawing 5-4 loss in 11 innings on Saturday to the Rangers at Globe Life Field, Chicago's bench was empty, the bullpen was down to one pitcher and manager Will Venable’s lineup card was filled with revisions.
Also, by that point, his pitcher was a hitter.
“We did everything we could,” Venable said. “[If] you get into extra innings, you’re in a tough spot, which we understood when we emptied the tank there. But ... we’re trying to get there. We were fine with all the moves we had to do.”
Even though the White Sox eventually came up empty, they showed grit in a fierce, but ultimately futile battle. They fought off Rangers ace Jacob deGrom, holding onto a 2-1 lead when he departed after six innings. They fell behind, 3-2, in the seventh inning, but tied the game in the top of the eighth. Then, after falling back behind again, 4-3, in the bottom half of the inning, they tied the game again in the ninth.
Adolis García notched a walk-off single in the 11th off reliever Tyler Alexander -- who logged an at-bat in the 10th inning -- but it was not a deflating loss for Venable and the Sox.
“That effort right there was unbelievable -- just a credit to all our guys,” Venable said. “Everyone earned their money today.”
Alexander took a hard-luck loss in three-plus innings, with the last two full innings beginning with an automatic runner on second base. He threw 56 pitches, issued three walks -- two intentionally -- struck out three and allowed only one hit, García’s winner.
Venable made so many moves -- many of which paid dividends and extended the game -- that he ended up sending Alexander to the plate to hit in the 10th, marking the first time a White Sox regular pitcher had recorded a plate appearance since 2021, the last season without a universal DH in MLB.
Alexander borrowed a bat, batting gloves, a helmet and, in his words, “I don’t know whose elbow thing.” He committed a pitch clock violation for the first strike, took strike two, fouled the next pitch off and then grounded out to first base.
“That was interesting,” Alexander said. “I expected to pitch at some point [Saturday] -- I didn’t expect to hit.”
Despite making the third out of the inning, by rule, Alexander wasn’t required to be Chicago’s automatic runner in the 11th.
“Probably a good thing,” Alexander said. “I’m not saying I’m slow, but the experience on the basepaths isn’t there.”
Alexander had to hit after all four Chicago bench players entered the game beginning in the eighth inning. Brooks Baldwin pinch-ran for Edgar Quero after his leadoff single. Then Austin Slater pinch-hit for Josh Rojas, grounding out but moving Baldwin to second. Baldwin then scored on Mike Tauchman’s single, tying the game at 3.
Venable wasn’t done with the substitutions. After the Rangers quickly retook the lead, the skipper had to surrender his designated hitter so Kyle Teel could move to catcher, eventually setting up Alexander’s unusual at-bat.
The White Sox used seven pitchers, allowed 20 baserunners and still took the Rangers to extra innings.
“We fought all the way through,” White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi said. “I mean, Tyler Alexander did a hell of a job. ... So it’s a loss, but deep down, it kind of feels like it isn't.”
After chasing deGrom, Chicago squandered a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when Grant Taylor’s wild pitch allowed Corey Seager to score from third. The White Sox promptly tied the game at 3 in the eighth, only to let Josh Smith score from second on a throwing error by shortstop Chase Meidroth to fall behind again in the bottom half. And then pinch-hitter Michael A. Taylor doubled home another tying run in the ninth.
White Sox starter Mike Vasil tossed four innings and left with the lead. Meidroth and Miguel Vargas singled and doubled, then scored on Teel’s sacrifice fly and Luis Robert Jr.’s single.
“We really did leave it all out there against a very good team, going up against one of the very best pitchers on planet Earth,” Vasil said. “So, I think to be able to do that on the road, compete and be able to constantly stay in games and give ourselves a chance to win -- eventually things will go our way.”