The Cubs and White Sox wrapped up a tense crosstown matchup in Chicago with some late drama. In the top of the ninth, tied game, Cubs reliever Pedro Strop tried to work out of trouble. He got ahead in the count but left a breaking ball hanging for James McCann, who punched it into center. The next batter, Eloy Jiménez, kept his hot rookie season going. He turned on a fastball and crushed it over the ivy for his 12th homer, his first against the Cubs.
Strop looked frustrated, knowing he left a mistake pitch for McCann and then got burned again. As Jiménez rounded the bases, there was some chaos in the stands, with one fan dropping his phone trying to record it. The White Sox dugout loved it. Yoán Moncada and teammates greeted Jiménez at the plate with smiles and shoulder pats. Strop, meanwhile, wore the body language of a guy who just wanted the game to end. Even his teammate in the dugout looked annoyed, expecting to hear about the homer all the way home.
White Sox manager Rick Renteria came out, clearly enjoying the moment with his young slugger. Jiménez didn’t say much, but everyone else was talking for him. The win gave Jiménez another highlight in a breakout year and added another layer to the Cubs-White Sox rivalry.