White Sox rally late to clinch first series win in Toronto since 2019

After entering the series with an eight-game losing streak and one of the league’s worst road records, the Chicago White Sox delivered a much-needed breakthrough, powered by grit, late-inning execution, and an emotional lift from Miguel Vargas, to secure a rare road series win in Toronto.

The White Sox closed out a series win over the weekend with a rare late-inning comeback, rallying past the Blue Jays 4-2 on Sunday. It's Chicago's first series victory at Rogers Centre since 2019.

Entering the day 0-38 when trailing after seven innings, Chicago flipped the script behind clutch hitting from Miguel Vargas and a lockdown finish by the bullpen.

White Sox strike early to snap skid in opener

The White Sox opened the series with a statement, jumping on Toronto early and cruising to a 7-1 victory that snapped an eight-game losing streak.

Andrew Benintendi wasted no time, launching a two-run homer in the first inning. Luis Robert Jr. followed in the third with a 441-foot blast, showing glimpses of his All-Star upside, an impact performance that could draw interest from contenders as the trade deadline approaches.

With Davis Martin placed on the 15-day IL due to a right forearm strain, the Sox leaned on a bullpen day for some quality innings. Grant Taylor served as the opener in his first career MLB start and delivered a clean first inning while striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to punctuate a perfect frame.

Tyler Alexander followed Taylor and tossed four scoreless innings of his own. He worked efficiently through the lineup until the fifth, when three early singles loaded the bases with one out. The veteran lefty escaped trouble by inducing a double play, keeping the White Sox comfortably in control.

Wikelman González made his MLB debut with a sharp seventh inning, retiring the side in order. He returned for the eighth but ran into some trouble, allowing a run to score after a heads-up baserunning play and a single by Bo Bichette. All in all, it was a solid debut for González, who made a good impression in his two innings of work.

Berríos dominated to even the series

Saturday’s game was a reversal of the series opener. The White Sox offense was held in check and Toronto took control early.

The White Sox were stifled by José Berríos, who delivered one of his best outings of the season by limiting Chicago to just two hits. Ryan Noda opened the game with a single, but the bats went quiet until Miguel Vargas ripped a triple to right in the sixth inning.

On the mound, Aaron Civale got knocked around early. Civale gave up a leadoff homer to Bo Bichette, and was tagged for three more runs in the second as Toronto strung together a series of sharp singles.

Despite the rocky beginning, Civale recovered well, ultimately pitching through seven innings to preserve the bullpen.

Vargas later showed his hustle by scoring the team’s only run on a contact play, beating a rushed throw home from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. despite the score being lopsided.

In the eighth, left-handed pitcher Jake Palisch made his MLB debut and was immediately tested, a deflection off third base extended the first at-bat, followed by an infield hit, and both runners came around on a double down the line.

It was an overall bumpy debut for Palisch in his first taste of the big leagues. He was ultimately sent to Triple-A after one game in the Major Leagues.

Vargas sparks rally as White Sox clinch series in Toronto

Adrian Houser returned from paternity leave and delivered 6.1 innings of two-run ball on Sunday, keeping the White Sox within reach.

Chicago's bullpen held firm, with Jordan Leasure and Brandon Eisert both turning in clean outings—Eisert needing just three grounders to breeze through a perfect eighth.

The turning point of the game came in the top of the eighth. The White Sox loaded the bases with two outs. A slow roller off Andrew Benintendi’s bat was mishandled by Jeff Hoffman, allowing the tying run to score. 

Miguel Vargas then stepped in, quickly falling behind 0-2 before grinding through a high-stakes at-bat and dropping in a go-ahead, two-run double to left. Vargas was clearly fired up after coming through and capping off what had already been a standout day.

Vargas had made a fielding mistake on a pickoff attempt that fortunately didn’t cost the Sox any runs, and in the ninth, he ended the game by starting a nice 3-6-3 double play to seal the win—punctuating it with a fist pump and yell that matched the energy he'd shown all series long.

It was a passionate, all-around performance from Miguel Vargas that fueled Chicago’s comeback and series victory.

That double play helped rookie Grant Taylor settle in during the first save opportunity of his young career. Taylor attacked Addison Barger, who fouled off a 100.4 mph fastball before swinging through a 101.8 mph heater. With two strikes, Taylor overthrew a pair of high fastballs—one topping out at 102.2 mph—trying to finish the at-bat with pure heat.

After stepping off and resetting, Taylor executed a well-placed 96.6 mph cutter at the top of the zone, getting the game-ending swing-and-miss. It was a poised and mature finish, especially considering Taylor had opened the series on Friday in his first career MLB start.

Just two days later, he returned to the mound and earned his first career save, showcasing the kind of high-leverage upside the White Sox hoped for when calling him up.