Tristan Peters Grinds Out 18 Pitch Walk as White Sox Top Guardians

A Marathon Battle at the Plate

Tristan Peters wore down Cleveland starter Gavin Williams in an epic 18 pitch walk on Monday. The long battle came in the sixth inning of a scoreless contest and immediately sparked a six run burst for the Chicago White Sox in their 7-3 victory over the Guardians.

Williams threw a season high 113 pitches before getting pulled directly after the walk. Peters fouled off 12 pitches in the sequence, which was the longest plate appearance in the majors since 2020. Peters said after the game that it felt like he was standing at the plate for an hour.

Manager Will Venable noted that the dugout began buzzing once the at bat reached eight or nine pitches. Teammate Andrew Benintendi, who stood at second base during the sequence, joked that he got plenty of secondary lead practice watching the long plate appearance.

Breaking Open the Division Race

Chicago took instant advantage of the opening. Peters broke up a play on the bases by getting in the way of a throw from Nathaniel Lowe, taking a ball off his helmet while Benintendi came home to score the first run.

The White Sox then added four more hits in the frame, capped by Miguel Vargas hitting his 31st home run. Pitcher Sean Burke took the win following an opening stint by Sean Newcomb. Burke called the plate appearance by Peters the most impressive at bat he had seen this year.

The win resolved early frustration for Chicago, who started the game 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Cleveland entered the night trailing Chicago by just half a game in the division standings. The result pushed the White Sox ahead and clinched the head to head tiebreaker over the Guardians, as Chicago has now won seven of the 11 matchups between the clubs this season.

What it means for the next game

Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians (MLB, Tue, 15 Sep): Cleveland Guardians win 53%, Chicago White Sox win 47%; projected score Cleveland Guardians 4, Chicago White Sox 4. Our safest pick: White Sox +3.5.

Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians (MLB, Wed, 16 Sep): Cleveland Guardians win 47%, Chicago White Sox win 53%; projected score Cleveland Guardians 4, Chicago White Sox 5. Our safest pick: Guardians +2.5.