The Cleveland Guardians edged the Chicago White Sox 4-3 in a 10-inning contest Friday night at Progressive Field, claiming sole possession of the American League Central lead.
A nearly two-hour rain delay altered the game's momentum, forcing White Sox starter Anthony Kay out after four innings.
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Chicago fell one game behind Cleveland, suffering their third straight loss and dropping their road record to 17-28.
Vargas Homers in Rain
Miguel Vargas hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning off Guardians starter Gavin Williams, becoming the third White Sox player to reach 20 homers this season.
Vargas worked a 10-pitch at-bat before connecting, with rain falling steadily just before umpires called for the tarp.
"It's not the way we want to come here and start the series," Vargas said. "Sometimes that's how baseball works."
He expressed hope for the team's resilience: "Not the result we want, but hopefully we get back."
After the delay, Cleveland rallied against the Chicago bullpen using small ball, eventually securing a walk-off single from Kahlil Watson.
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White Sox manager Will Venable emphasized the need for more offense: "That's a tough one. You have to find a way to score more runs."
Venable praised Vargas's home run as "one of the best at-bats of the year."
He also provided a health update on Munetaka Murakami, who ran bases before the game: "Really positive. It was a really good day, probably his best day yet."
Williams reflected on Vargas's at-bat: "He's a good hitter.
He's seen about everything I could throw at him, and he got the pitch he was looking for."
Kay discussed his outing and the stoppage: "Just looking for a strike. I was trying to drive the runner home."
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He added: "We've got another one tomorrow. We're going to bounce back and go right after them."
