Wednesday afternoon was as close to a must-win game as you can get in July. The White Sox were trying to prevent a sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins and avoid falling 7 1/2 games back of first place.
Thanks to Eloy Jimenez and an all-around gutty effort from his White Sox teammates, they ensured that didn’t happen. The Twins lead 1-0, 3-1, 5-3, 6-5, and 8-6. Each time the White Sox offense battled back.
Eloy Jimenez and his bright red gloves made their first appearance in the Guaranteed Rate batters box since April 23rd. He made sure everyone in the stadium knew it. Jimenez left his fingerprints all over Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Twins, recording two hits, three RBIs, and a nifty defensive play in left field.
The 25-year-old had to undergo surgery for a hamstring injury behind his right knee on April 26th. It was a long road back to the White Sox lineup. Jiménez had his rehab assignment paused on multiple occasions. He appeared in 17 games with the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte as part of his rehab assignment. During that stint, he slashed .246/.318/.351 with two home runs in 63 plate appearances.
It was fair to expect a slow start from Jimenez as he eased his way back into the lineup. Before his injury, his power numbers were down across the board. But the Big Baby made sure to remind everyone just how much power he possesses.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, he launched a two-run homer into the left-field bullpen. Jimenz knew it had the distance off the bat; the only question would be if it would land fair. He anxiously watched it from the batter’s box as the ball curved around the foul pole before dropping his bat and taking off on a home run trot. It wasn’t his farthest home run, nor was it his hardest hit, but it was enough to tie the game at three runs apiece.
WELCOME BACK, ELOY!#ChangeTheGame | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/OqpeCLRWST
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 6, 2022
Then in the sixth inning, Jimenz got the job done with his glove. Luis Arraez sliced a ball down the line with two on and two outs in the sixth inning. Jimenz raced into foul territory and made the catch just before reaching the railing.
In the next inning, he tied the game once again with a sharp single to left field to score Luis Robert.
Jimenez’s return seemed to inspire the power to return to the White Sox bats.
In the sixth inning, Luis Robert ripped a line drive to left field that cleared the left-field fence and tied the game at five. Marking the first time, the White Sox’s young outfield core of Robert and Jimenez has homered in the same game since April 13th.
That ball got out in a hurry!#ChangeTheGame | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/pfMUBkqPoZ
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 6, 2022
But it was Andrew Vaughn who had the biggest blast of the game. After Matt Foster coughed up the lead in the eighth inning, it looked like the Twins had finally taken the lead for good. But with two outs, Vaughn unloaded on a knuckle curve for a game-tying two-run homer. It was a vindicating moment for Vaughn, who had been hitting the ball hard all series with nothing to show for it.
Going, going, Vaughn!#ChangeTheGame | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/ZprhTYcwe8
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 6, 2022
Liam Hendriks and Jose Ruiz combined to throw a scoreless ninth and tenth inning, setting the stage for Leury Garcia. Garcia slapped a game-winning walk-off single, scoring Adam Engel for the win.
Leury García recorded his fourth career game-ending hit and first since 9/12/21 vs. Boston. pic.twitter.com/go2LvGoISH
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 6, 2022
Getting Eloy Jimenez’s bat back in the lineup was clearly a breath of fresh air for the White Sox. They are 10-0 since the start of last season in games that Jimenez homers. They are also 40-11 when he homers overall.
Wednesday was a step in the right direction for a White Sox team that lacked power all season.
Maybe Jimenez’s presence is the spark plug our boys need! It’ll pay dividends if he can help keep them loose in the dugout as well. Also, his power can’t hurt.