The White Sox trailed the Royals 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth with no outs when Tim Anderson kicked things off with a ground-rule double. Adam Eaton tried to bunt and fouled one off his face, got back up, and got the bunt down on the next pitch, moving Anderson to third. Yoán Moncada then drove in the tying run. José Abreu came up with a chance to play hero. He battled back from an 0-2 count, took a curveball off the arm, and fired up the dugout.
Yermín Mercedes stepped in with two outs and hit a soft floater into right. Whit Merrifield charged and made a strong throw home to gun down Moncada trying to score. That could’ve ended the rally, but Abreu smartly kept running and raced home on a wild pitch. He slid in close and the umpire called him safe. The Royals challenged the call. On replay, it looked like the tag missed Abreu’s jersey by inches. The call stood, game tied.
Abreu burst into celebration, jumping and spinning like a kid. Tony La Russa came out for a high five but pulled Abreu in for a hug instead. Then the dugout erupted. Bumping hips, shoving teammates, the White Sox let loose after one of their wildest finishes of the year.