Yasmani Grandal of Cuba hit a gold single in the 10th that gave the Bigfoot an 8-7 victory over the Rays on Wednesday and also a 43-25 record before action Thursday.
However, don’t think the Chicago South club players or their manager, Tony La Russa, saw this encounter with a postseason vibe or anything like that – especially when this squad is aiming to go far in October.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Grandal said when asked what the value was of taking this series over the team that had the best record in the majors before coming to Chicago. “The best team in all of baseball is the one that wins the last game of the year. The season is still long. We just have to keep playing ”.
The White Sox have achieved this success by standing up at home, where they improved to 27-12. Plus, they did it against the Rays who are 24-12 on the road. The Hulks have also not lost back-to-back games at Guaranteed Rate Field this season.
They also did it with a deep lineup, which has had input from catcher Zack Collins, outfielder Andrew Vaughn and shortstop Tim Anderson at leadoff. Anderson has hit a total of 10 hits in a stretch of four straight games with at least two hits.
“This is not a 25 or 26 player roster. It’s a 40-player roster, ”added Grandal. “In order for us to get where we want to go and achieve our goals, we must all contribute. If you look at the good teams, they each have guys who help win off the bench and are doing their job. If we continue like this, we will be quite successful ”.
The White Sox have seen good results, with many more to achieve.
“A team like Tampa Bay is very impressive, because it fights for nine innings,” La Russa said. “But that’s what we have in common with them.”
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