BOSTON -- There were a few extra minutes built in between the end of a come-from-behind 8-4 victory for the White Sox over the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park and the beginning of starting pitcher Sean Burke's postgame session with the media.
But the right-handed Burke couldn¡¯t be criticized for taking time on the field, with around 75 family members and friends making the trip to see the Sutton, Mass., native during his first start at Fenway.
It has been a special weekend for Burke, as well as Sean Smith (Danvers), Mike Vasil (Wellesley) and Jared Shuster (born in New Bedford, Mass.), who all grew up around Boston and returned to pitch at the home of the Red Sox.
Sunday¡¯s action was made a little more special when Burke bounced back from a three-run first inning -- all of which were unearned ¨C and gave the White Sox (5-16) a chance to rally via three runs in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to end a six-game losing streak. Chicago also won for the first time on the road this season after starting 0-8.
¡°These guys have been working so hard,¡± White Sox manager Will Venable said. ¡°We talked about it, the game -- sometimes it doesn¡¯t reward you and you have to just keep going. And that¡¯s the mindset these guys have. That¡¯s something everyone in the building is embracing, and it¡¯s nice for it to pay off today.¡±
¡°It was awesome,¡± said Burke, who yielded four runs (one earned) over five innings and 94 pitches (54 strikes), striking out five. ¡°Just to see where the offense didn¡¯t really give up.¡±
Trailing 4-2 in the seventh, the South Siders rallied for three runs against reliever Zack Kelly (1-1), punctuated by pinch-hitter Edgar Quero's two-run single off Justin Wilson. Quero -- Chicago's No. 6 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 62 prospect, who joined the team from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday -- picked up his first career RBIs and finished the moment with a fist pump at first.
Quero earned rave reviews for his diligent work to improve behind the plate, including his catching setup, helping to earn him this promotion. In just 11 at-bats, Quero has shown an impressive plate approach, playing from foul line to foul line and not trying to do too much with each pitch.
¡°See the ball, hit the ball. Take good pitches and swing at good pitches,¡± Quero said. ¡°That means a lot, because the game was on the line. We were losing and I got a base hit, so two RBIs, it¡¯s a good moment.¡±
¡°He controls the at-bat, uses the whole field. Doesn¡¯t speed up on him. He¡¯s been huge,¡± said Venable of Quero. ¡°That¡¯s who he is. He¡¯s comfortable on a Major League field. He¡¯s a really good baseball player, and he knows it.¡±
Venable compared Quero¡¯s composure to Chase Meidroth, the White Sox No. 8 prospect who joined the team on April 11. The infielder was only able to play defense late Sunday due to right thumb inflammation, because he literally couldn¡¯t swing the bat, according to Venable.
If that situation continues, the White Sox could make a roster move with seven games to play in the next seven days. Venable didn¡¯t want to speculate, but he acknowledged the possibility.
Matt Thaiss homered in the first inning for the White Sox, driving out a first pitch from Tanner Houck that carried over the right-field fence, and earned a third RBI the hard way by being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth. Brandon Eisert, who worked 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, picked up his first career victory, while Andrew Vaughn homered in the eighth off Liam Hendriks, who appeared in a game for the first time since June 9, 2023.
Hendriks¡¯ locker was next to Vaughn at the home clubhouse at Rate Field when they were teammates with the White Sox from 2021-23. Vaughn also was one of Hendriks¡¯ many staunch supporters during his successful battle against cancer. Luis Robert Jr., another teammate of Hendriks, scored ahead of Vaughn after singling and stealing second.
Connections existed all across the field this weekend for the White Sox, who have more native Bostonians than the Red Sox. Burke¡¯s maternal grandmother, Pam, was in attendance, and she was the one who originally instilled his love of baseball.
¡°She would babysit me, prop me up on the couch, roll baseballs to me and I would roll them back,¡± said a smiling Burke. ¡°It¡¯s just been super cool, surreal. It¡¯s a dream come true to be able to come back and play here.¡±