It's only Spring Training, but the White Sox have already played their crosstown rival Cubs twice, and both matchups have gone the South-Siders way. Normally, fans can ignore any spring training result because the success often doesn't carry over to the regular season for a multitude of reasons, but both White Sox victories have come with impressive feats against big league regulars, and it gives White Sox fans some encouraging signs.
This past Sunday, the White Sox did something few lineups have managed to do this spring by getting to Cubs left Shota Imanaga early. In just a three inning outing, Imanaga allowed four hits and let up three earned runs. All three of those earned runs came on solo home runs.
Edgar Quero continued his excellent spring by adding the first home run of the day to his stat sheet. Outfielder Brooks Montgomery followed Quero with another solo home run in the second, and outfielder Austin Hays added his name to the list a solo shot of his own in the third. The power surge gave Chicago an early cushion and forced Imanaga to pitch from behind for most of his abbreviated outing. Imanaga's velocity was sitting better than it did at times last season, but that didn't stop the White Sox from having success.
The first White Sox home run of Spring Training belongs to Austin Hays! pic.twitter.com/38WVCfaSyy
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) February 20, 2026
Several White Sox hitters look primed for a big season
The first matchup, coming in the spring opener for both teams, saw the White Sox tag Cubs starter Jameson Taillon for four earned runs in 1.2 innings. Austin Hays and Sam Antonacci both took Taillon deep in that game, and the White Sox won easily by a score of 8-1. Overall, in two matchups against the Cubs, the White Sox have outscored their crosstown rivals 13-2 and looked like the more dominant team.
For the White Sox, these results matter less than the overall picture. Edgar Quero continues to look comfortable against big league velocity, Brooks Montgomery has flashed legitimate pull side power and Austin Hays delivered the loudest swing of the day with a 425 foot drive to center. Those are promising signs for the season to come.
The pitch sequences against Shota Imanaga mattered as much as the power. Quero jumped on a four seam fastball in the first. Montgomery stayed back on a sweeper in the second. Hays handled a splitter in the third. Different pitches, different approaches, same result. That is not one mistake getting punished. That's a lineup seeing the ball well across multiple looks. Sam Antonacci hit just five home runs last season but seems to have found his power stroke this spring.
It's early March, and nobody is carving anything into stone, but two solid wins against a much stronger roster is certainly something that gets the attention of fans. White Sox players have echoed the sentiment all spring that they believe a big step forward is coming, and wins like the two against the Cubs certainly make it easy to see why.