The White Sox and Guardians had a tense moment during their AL Central matchup. Things unraveled in the eighth inning when Chicago tried to bunt a runner over but took advantage of a passed ball to get him to second. Another defensive mistake on a pickoff attempt moved him to third with no outs. Cleveland’s pitcher James Karinchak struggled with control, walking one and throwing high fastballs, leading to the go-ahead run for the White Sox. A bunt attempt turned into another misplay, adding to the mess. Then things got dangerous. Karinchak threw a fastball up and in that hit José Abreu. The crowd was rattled. Tony La Russa stormed out, not to calm his player but to confront the catcher, Perez, for calling that pitch.
La Russa argued that with Karinchak’s wildness, calling for an inside fastball was reckless. He didn’t think it was intentional, just poorly managed. Tim Anderson added a little hop during the commotion and players from both teams exchanged words, though it never got out of hand. Abreu stayed calm, accepted apologies from Karinchak and Franmil Reyes, and stayed in the game. Karinchak was pulled after giving up multiple runs and losing control of the inning. It was a wild sequence fueled by bad defense, shaky pitching, and questionable game-calling. La Russa made his frustration clear, and it’s hard to blame him. If a guy can’t throw strikes, don’t call pitches that could hurt someone.