Torey Lovullo Addresses White Sox's Controversial Ninth-Inning Homer

A bizarre play from White Sox hitter Sam Antonacci rose some eyebrows.

Apr 13, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (17) walks on the field during a pitch change in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

In the ninth inning of the Arizona Diamondbacks' 11-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox, Chicago infielder Sam Antonacci hit an inside-the-park home run that, most likely, should not have counted.

Antonacci shot a ball down the left field line off right-hander Ryan Thompson. Arizona's ball person clearly made contact with it, which would have deadened the play. But the umpire, curiously, did not call interference, and the play was therefore ruled unreviewable.

Sam Antonacci inside-the-park home run

The ball boy made contact with the ball, but there was no call on the play so it wasn't reviewable. The D-backs had another ball boy make contact with a ball in play on Friday.pic.twitter.com/6z3sA1GayA

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) April 22, 2026

In the large-scale picture of a six-run loss, that play meant very little. It was already an 8-2 game, with comeback hopes hanging by a thread. But it did end up costing Thompson an earned run.

It also, technically, was the first home run of Antonacci's young career. The 23-year-old rookie is hitting .190/.320/.429 thus far this season.

Perhaps more than anything, the play was simply an insult added to the injury of an ugly loss. Manager Torey Lovullo addressed the odd play in his postgame press conference.

"I don't know exactly what happened. I saw it on the replay, because I don't have a great view from the dugout," Lovullo said. "It looked like there was contact. Because the umpire didn't call interference, and called it safe and clean, the play is unreviewable.

"The rule doesn't make sense to me, and I'm sure we'll get a nice explanation when I start asking some questions tomorrow. Unfortunately, it cost Ryan Thompson a couple runs, and that's not very good."

Diamondbacks suffer ugly loss to White Sox

Apr 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (right) with first base coach Dave McKay against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Diamondbacks' loss, of course, was more a product of their poor overall pitching and execution. Right-hander Merrill Kelly was blown up for eight earned runs over 4.1 innings, and without either of Arizona's long relievers — Andrew Hoffmann and Brandon Pfaadt — available, the D-backs were forced to patch together one-plus innings from multiple arms.

In total, Arizona surrendered six bases on balls to go along with an astounding 14 base hits by the White Sox.

"Overall, we've got to pitch better," the manager continued. "Too many walks, put the balls on the plate, one of our... main pillars, and fill up the zone with strikes.

"We gave up 20 baserunners, and that's not a recipe for a winning baseball game. So we'll tighten that down for tomorrow," Lovullo said.

The Diamondbacks will have a chance to even the series on Wednesday night against the aggressive White Sox. Arizona is in danger of losing its first series since leaving Dodger Stadium during opening week.