CHICAGO (AP) - The Chicago White Sox gave the home fans another dramatic victory Thursday night before thanking the fans for sticking with the young team for a long season on the south side.
Rob Brantly hit the game-tying home run in the eighth inning and Tim Anderson hustled home for the go-ahead run as the White Sox rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels, closing Guaranteed Rate Field for the winter with a second straight night of fireworks.
Anderson scored from first base on a single by Rymer Liriano, as the throw from left fielder Ben Revere went to second base and Anderson headed home, scoring easily on reliever Jesse Chavez (7-11).
“I was just watching (third base coach Nick Capra),” Anderson said. “I didn’t want to slow down because I didn’t want to go to extras. I kind of just kept running and Cappy kept waving me.”
The White Sox, who walked off Wednesday night with a home run by Nicky Delmonico in the 10th inning, won for the 12th time in 19 games.
After the game, first baseman Jose Abreu led the team back on to the field to thank the fans despite sitting in last place in the AL Central for most of the season until the late surge.
“It was kind of a spontaneous thing, following our fearless leader, Jose,” said Brantly, whose home run scored Avisail Garcia, who started the rally with a double. “It was a special thing for the crowd to embrace it and it felt good to say thank you to the fans for being there for us all year through the grind and everything.”
Carlos Perez homered for the Angels, who used seven pitchers and sat stars Mike Trout and Justin Upton one night after being eliminated from playoff contention.
Gregory Infante (2-1) earned the win in relief, throwing a scoreless eighth inning. Juan Minaya earned his eighth save with a perfect ninth inning for the White Sox.
Rookie right-hander Dylan Covey threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs and four hits for the White Sox.
Yolmer Sanchez had three hits and a two-run single in the fifth inning.
For the Angels, Eric Young Jr. drove in Kaleb Cowart with a ground-rule double in the fifth inning to open the scoring. The next batter was Perez, who hit his first home run of the season to make it 3-0.
Right-hander Bud Norris, the Angels’ closer earlier this season, started and threw three scoreless innings.
“I love starting. I’ve done it for a very long time. I can do both,” Norris said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen next year. I just want to be the best version whether that’s a back-end closer or a starter in the rotation.”
C.J. Cron added a sacrifice fly for the Angels.
THE OTHER SIDE
Angels manager Mike Scioscia did not pin blame on anyone following Anderson’s hustling play to score from first base for the winning run in the eighth inning.
“You throw the ball wherever the cutoff man is,” Scioscia said. “If the cutoff man made a mistake and lines up at second, you get it to him as quickly as you can. But (shortstop Cliff Pennington) was lined up right or should have been. That long, unprotected throw to the cutoff man got us tonight.”
Added Revere: “Usually, he (Anderson) goes to third there. I’m going to try to throw out the guy at second. They see me go to second, and the third base coach has him (Anderson) going home and he can run. I mean, you’re in a tough situation.”
NUMBERS GAME
The Angels need to win their final three games this weekend to clinch a .500-or-better record for the 13th time in 18 seasons under Scioscia.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: RHP Matt Shoemaker (strained right forearm) has been stretched out to 100 feet in his throwing regimen, Scioscia said. … LHP Andrew Heaney (inflamed left shoulder) will not pitch the rest of the season as a precautionary measure. He was set to pitch Thursday but was scratched earlier this week. Heaney underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2016 and started five games this season. “There’s no doubt that his elbow is fine,” Scioscia said. “He’s over the shoulder and the little discomfort he had. He already has shown what you’re looking for, so there’s really no need for him to go out there and just prove that he’s over that little shoulder discomfort.”
White Sox: Starter Carlos Rodon had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder and could miss the beginning of next season, general manager Rick Hahn said. Hahn said Thursday the left-hander should miss six to eight months after the surgery, which revealed significant bursitis, which was removed in Wednesday’s surgery. Rodon, 24, missed nearly the first three months of the season with shoulder and biceps problems and went 2-5 with a 4.15 ERA in 12 starts before returning to the disabled list on Sept. 8. “We’ll know more about the specifics of the timing when Carlos completes his rehab and begins throwing in spring training,” Hahn said.
UP NEXT
Angels: Los Angeles will return home to close the season with three games against Seattle. LHP Tyler Skaggs (2-6, 4.48 ERA) of the Angels will face LHP Marco Gonzales (1-1, 5.51).
White Sox: The White Sox will close the season with a weekend series at Cleveland, who will start RHP Trevor Bauer (16-9, 4.28). RHP Mike Pelfrey (3-11, 5.52) will start for the White Sox for the second time since Aug. 6.
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