Andrew Vaughn drove in two runs, including the go-ahead score in the 10th inning, as the Chicago White Sox snapped a nine-game road losing streak with a 3-2 victory against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.
Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez homered with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the score at 2-2 and force extras.
Despite allowing Rodriguez’s homer, White Sox closer Michael Kopech (2-6) got the victory and Tanner Banks worked the 10th for his second save.
Mariners closer Andres Munoz (2-3) took the loss.
With Korey Lee the runner at second to start the 10th, Nicky Lopez grounded a one-out single to left with Lee advancing to third. Vaughn then hit a high chopper to third baseman Josh Rojas, who took the out at first base as Lee slid home safely.
Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. hit back-to-back homers in the third inning as the White Sox avoided a four-game sweep at T-Mobile Park and improved to 6-29 away.
Chicago’s Garrett Crochet pitched seven strong innings with a career-high 13 strikeouts. Crochet allowed one run on two hits and walked two.
Tyler Locklear hit his first major league homer for the Mariners, who had just three hits and struck out 19 times as their four-game winning streak came to an end.
The only hits Crochet allowed were a leadoff double off the base of the left-field wall by Victor Robles in the third inning and Locklear’s solo shot with one out in the fifth.
Locklear’s homer went off the end of the glove of leaping White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi and bounced twice on top of wall before disappearing onto the ramp leading to the Mariners’ bullpen.
The Mariners called up right-hander Emerson Hancock to start so they could push back ace Luis Castillo to face the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers on Friday night.
Hancock went seven innings and gave up two runs on six hits. The right-hander walked two and fanned one.
Hancock’s only mistakes came with two outs in the third inning, as Vaughn hit a first-pitch sinker just over the wall in right-center field and Robert followed by lacing a 1-1 sinker deep to center.
–Field Level Media