# White Sox let Cleveland thriller slip away > A ninth-inning walk-off turned a comeback win into a painful White Sox loss with first place on the line. - Title: White Sox let Cleveland thriller slip away · Chicago Sun-Times - Summary: A ninth-inning walk-off turned a comeback win into a painful White Sox loss with first place on the line. The White Sox did enough to win, but one pitch, one… - Keywords: white sox, guardians, cleveland, chicago, brayan rocchio, grant taylor, sam antonacci, will venable, davis martin, kyle teel, al central, walk-off loss - Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/09/15/white-sox-with-moments-to-second-guess-after-crushing-walk-off-loss-in-cleveland-sam-antonacci-grant-taylor-brayan-rocchio-will-venable-kyle-teel-davis-martin - Published: 2026-09-16T03:24:48.842+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: white sox, guardians, cleveland, chicago, brayan rocchio, grant taylor, sam antonacci, will venable, davis martin, kyle teel, al central, walk-off loss ## A brutal finish The White Sox were one inning from a comeback win in Cleveland. Instead, Brayan Rocchio’s walk-off double gave the Guardians a 7-6 win. > It sucks ## First place was waiting Chicago had a chance to clinch a key series and guarantee leaving Cleveland atop the AL Central. The loss pulled the Guardians within a half-game. ## Taylor had two strikes Grant Taylor got Rocchio down 0-2 with two breaking balls. Then he went to a 101 mph sinker above the zone. ## Rocchio found space Rocchio did not crush the pitch, but he lifted it deep toward the left-field corner. The ball stayed just beyond Sam Antonacci’s dive. ## Antonacci blamed himself Replay and tracking showed Antonacci looping inward before correcting his route. He was blunt about a missed chance in a huge spot. > Got to clean it up. It’s the big leagues. ## Venable saw more Manager Will Venable refused to pin the loss on Antonacci. He called it a tough play and pointed to the bigger sequence. > That’s not on Sammy; that’s a tough play ## The pitch stayed debated Venable questioned giving Rocchio a fastball after he had already hurt Taylor on that pitch this season. Rocchio was ready enough to survive it. > tried to sneak one by him ## Teel backed the call Catcher Kyle Teel defended the fastball. With two strikes and Taylor throwing 101, he felt the choice and location were sound. > I liked the pitch call. ## The ninth erased grit The ending wiped out Chicago’s fight back from a 3-0 deficit. The Sox had pressured Cleveland’s starter and struck hard against the bullpen. ## The opener got hit Chris Murphy, used as part of Chicago’s league-leading 31st opener game, allowed two early home runs. That put Davis Martin in a hole. ## Martin still regretted one Martin allowed two runs, one earned, over 5⅓ innings. In a one-run loss, his wild pickoff throw that let Rocchio score in the fifth lingered. ## Murakami’s slump showed Munetaka Murakami went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. In a game this tight, his empty night was hard to hide. > it’s not like moving him in the lineup is going to magically fix his swing ## Arms are taxed The next game brings Parker Messick and a shot at the AL Central lead. Chicago already used Taylor, Sean Newcomb, and Hagen Smith for multiple innings on back-to-back nights. ## No easy shrug Martin said the Sox should not pretend the loss is fine. His message was to feel it, accept it, then return hungry. > Feel it as long as you want to feel it and accept it. ## Key takeaway The White Sox did enough to win, but one pitch, one route, and several earlier mistakes left them chasing Cleveland again.