White Sox' Home Dominance Draws High Praise From Dodgers' Dave Roberts
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The Chicago White Sox are back, but don't take my word for it.
On Friday night, the White Sox improved to a season-best six games over .500 (37-31) with a shockingly dominant 8-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Anthony Kay was able to go 5.0 innings deep while giving up two runs with seven strikeouts. Then, he passed the torch to a Sox bullpen that didn't allow a single hit.
Meanwhile, the Sox jumped all over Roki Sasaki and forced him out of the game after 4.1 innings of work. They tallied ten total runs and seven walks, scoring seven of their runs in an explosive fifth inning that featured five different players recording an RBI.
The victory marked the Sox' eighth straight at Rate Field, as well as their 19th in their last 22 at home. They are now 23-14 since May 1, which happens to be the third-best record in all of baseball, per Statmuse. The only teams with a better win percentage are Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
What to hear something even crazier? As Chuck Garfien kindly noted, the Sox didn't hit the 37-win threshold until September 24th during the 2024 season. They didn't hit it last year until after the All-Star break on July 23. In other words, we are talking about a potentially historic turnaround for this young group.
And that's exactly why the vibes on the South Side have completely changed.
Dave Roberts Praises White Sox After Dodgers Loss
Moving into the top of the AL Central, the White Sox have gained some real respect around the league. Dave Roberts was the latest to sing their praises, specifically when asked about the job Will Venable has done helping turn this organization around.
“It’s fun coming here. I remember a few years back, it was empty, and there was a lot of dismay here on the South Side," Roberts told reporters (h/t SportsNet LA). "Now, there is a lot of energy and excitement. They are in first place. It’s a young, kind of a tough [and] athletic team. They’re pitching well. Will is the perfect guy. I’m happy for him. Hopefully, we can win a series, though.”
Think about that: One of the best and most successful managers in baseball is tipping his hat to the Sox. And he didn't do it in some kind of "big brother" fashion. The Sox handed it to the Dodgers in the game, earning every bit of Roberts' praise.
It also sure feels notable that he made mention of the crowd. Slowly but surely, life is returning to the stands at Rate Field. The fans were absolutely electric after Braden Montgomery smashed a walk-off in his debut earlier this week. The clips went viral. And the 37,000+ in attendance last night were also impossible to ignore. According to Jeff Agrest of the Chicago Sun-Times, this marked the fourth sellout of the season.
Now, did the fact that the Dodgers were in town help bump up those numbers? Most certainly. But the more wins the White Sox steal over this kind of opponent, the less it will matter who is in the other dugout.
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Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
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