White Sox Runner Dodges Fumbled Tag at Plate to Score in Unbelievable Fashion

Chicago's catcher absolutely shouldn't have been sent from third, but he managed to avoid a tag and score.
Chicago White Sox catcher Matt Thaiss scores a run ahead of the throw to Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler.
Chicago White Sox catcher Matt Thaiss scores a run ahead of the throw to Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox looked like they squandered a prime scoring opportunity, when third base coach Justin Jirschele made the ill-advised decision to send Matt Thaiss—who was running from first base—home on a hard-hit double by Brooks Baldwin.

Instead, Thaiss used his hustle, luck and a bit of baserunning guile to tie the White Sox's game with the Detroit Tigers at 1 in the top of the second inning.

Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter quickly fielded Baldwin's hit as it caromed off the wall, throwing to cutoff man Trey Sweeney. He delivered a throw wide of the plate, but catcher Dillon Dingler had plenty of time to get back across home and apply the tag. The ball shook free as he went to throw down the tag, which Thaiss avoided, recovering to tag the plate and score.

It wasn't immediately clear how Thaiss scored, but a replay from the third baseline showed just how the wild bang-bang play went down.

In an AL Central division in which every team has a record of 2–4 or 2–5 entering Friday, runs and wins come at a premium.

The Tigers have since retaken a 3–1 lead, so the White Sox may need some more Thaiss magic down the stretch to steal a road afternoon win.


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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.