Watch: Chicago White Sox catcher fearlessly crashes into the fence to send DH Franmil Reyes back to the dugout
The Chicago White Sox narrowly escaped the Cleveland Guardians in their contest today. The Southsiders came away with a 2-1 victory and have split the four-game series with the Guardians at two wins apiece.
The fight for positioning in the American League Central remains tight between the two squads. The division-leading Minnesota Twins are just 4.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians and are just five games ahead of the Chicago White Sox. Needless to say, all the wins against divisional opposition count.
During the fourth inning of the game with a runner in scoring position, Cleveland's Franmil Reyes popped up a ball to foul territory. The ball was projected to land near the seats on the left side behind home plate, but Chicago catcher Seby Zabala had other ideas.
Now Seby flashes some leather! 😤 https://t.co/tQ4wgiBoCu
The 28-year-old catcher made an acrobatic grab to abruptly end the inning. Some fans at Progressive Field even cheered to show appreciation for the difficult play.
The White Sox rotation got the better of the Guardians' pitching crew this time around. Starter Lucas Giolito gave up a run, but the Chicago bullpen remained immaculate and gave up no further hits.
Cleveland's committee, which started with Aaron Civale, on the other hand, blinked first as reliever Sam Hentges gave up three runs to the Southsiders.
Chicago White Sox's inconsistent 2022 campaign
The Chicago White Sox are the defending American League Central champions. However, the team looks like a shell of its old self.
Given that the White Sox's major starts hit the shelf and some are just coming back, it's still baffling how'd they struggle so much this season.
Much of the team's struggles have been pinned on manager Tony La Russa. There have been rumblings in the Chicago dugout that there has been no sense of leadership in the club.
La Russa was already under fire just a few weeks ago after apparently telling his players to "slow it down." This basically means that the skipper doesn't want his players to hustle and put in a lot of effort in certain spots of the game.
In theory, this makes sense as the Southsiders have been plagued with injuries, and the risk is not worth the reward. However, La Russa has been criticized for being too conservative and not maximizing the full potential of his squad.
Time will tell if this approach will be the best for the Chicago White Sox in the long run. If not, the former three-time World Series-winning skipper will surely get the boot.