Tristan Thompson drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Chicago White Sox a 2-1 walk-off victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday afternoon at Rate Field in Chicago.
The win was Chicago's second consecutive walk-off victory against New York and their ninth of the season.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marked the first time the White Sox recorded back-to-back walk-off wins since June 3-4, 2023, against Detroit.
Strong pitching and missed chances
Chicago starter Sean Burke delivered a strong performance, striking out 10 batters over six scoreless innings.
Over his last seven outings, Burke has a 1.61 ERA across 44 2/3 innings, with 57 strikeouts and seven walks.
Despite securing the series win, the White Sox struggled with runners in scoring position.
They went 9 for 37 with runners in scoring position and left 26 runners stranded during the four-game set, including a 2-for-9 performance with 10 left on base Thursday.
The previous night, catcher Edgar Quero capped a wild 12-inning contest with a game-winning single, securing a 6-5 victory after six extra innings on Wednesday.
The series victory followed a busy sports weekend in Chicago.
The White Sox drew 30,029 fans for a Saturday game at Rate Field, while the Savannah Bananas played to a sold-out crowd at Wrigley Field and the WNBA hosted its All-Star Game at the United Center.
Boone recalls childhood mishap
Before the series, Yankees manager Aaron Boone reflected on his first visit to Wrigley Field as an 8-year-old in 1981.
He suffered a concussion after being struck by a fly ball during pregame practice while accompanying his father, Philadelphia Phillies catcher Bob Boone.
"It was a day game, obviously," Boone said.
He recalled getting hit while his brother Bret was hitting fly balls in the outfield before the game.
"I was out in the outfield probably, literally 20, 30 minutes before the game. Bret’s hitting fly balls with the fungo.
He hits one, I lose it in the sun, it hits me in the head. I’m down, out — literally out.
The Phillies, some of the bullpen guys are starting to come out. They think I’m messing around.
I wasn’t," Boone said.
Former Phillies player Keith Moreland carried the young Boone to the training room following the impact.
"I lost one in the sun, was down for the count as an 8-year-old and recovering in the training room 10 minutes before gametime," Boone said.
Following Thursday's contest, the Yankees remain in Chicago to begin a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field over the weekend.
