CHICAGO – The White Sox beating the Cincinnati Reds this week in Chicago? There isn’t a bigger sure thing in sports, right?
Come on. Is the pope Catholic?
More to the point, is the pope a White Sox fan from Chicago?
As if that kind of divine firepower doesn’t already suggest some kind of winged assist from above for the White Sox’s sudden ascent into playoff contention this year after averaging 108 losses the past three, the White Sox promotions department rubbed it in with the Reds’ arrival to town for a series.
They brought out a nun for the ceremonial first pitch of the series and gave away “pope hats” to fans who shrugged off inclement weather forecasts to produce only the ninth sellout of the season at the Sox ballpark with 38,000 Pope Leo impersonators wearing their new hats for the beer-boosted, fun-loving – if perhaps a tad sacrilegious – promotion.
But the Reds got the best of the pope-inspired White Sox, coming back from a four-run deficit to beat the Sox 5-4 in 10 innings.
Elly De La Cruz drove home the automatic runner with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th, and closer Emilio Pagán shut down the Sox in the bottom of the inning, including a 14-pitch at-bat against noted Sox Catholic Sam Antonacci – who chatted up the pitch-throwing nun during batting practice – for a strikeout that set the tone for the rest of the 10th.
“That was a lot of fun,” said Pagán, who drew some local social media attention for the game-ending matchup on a night dedicated to the pope.
“Pronounced the wrong way, it’s spelled pagan, yes,” he said with a smile. “But it’s Pagán. Don’t forget the accent.”
The Reds tied it with a three-run eighth highlighted by Tyler Stephenson’s two-run, two-out single.
Left-hander Nick Lodolo, the Reds lefty making in his first start since his latest trip to the injured list for a blister problem, gave up a home run to Brenton Doyle on his first pitch of the game, gave up another to Edgar Quero in the second and a third to Miguel Vargas leading off the fourth. All solo.
Lodolo, who threw 65 pitches in his last minor-league rehab start, got through the four innings on 70 in his return from the IL with five strikeouts, including a third strike to Colson Montgomery swinging at his new-grip breaking pitch.
Lodolo, who used to throw it with a grip that had his index finger on the smooth part of the ball, switched to using the seam in an effort to avoid the frequent blisters that have plagued him in recent years.
“You would almost think if you’re on the seam that would create more friction,” manager Terry Francona said. “But it’s allowing him what we hope is a better grip and this doesn’t creep up. We’ll see.”
Lodolo’s ensuing starts should start to tell that story better. But on this night it was at least good enough to keep the Reds within striking distance of out-dueling the pope.
Even on a night Sox starter Sean Burke squelched the Reds for seven innings before they rallied to snap a three-game losing streak. For heaven’s sake.
Francona, who said he thought Lodolo pitched “really well” in his return despite some hard contact, noticed the holy sea of pope hats staring back from everywhere he looked past the field.
Did he get one of the hats for himself?
“Nah,” he said. “I don’t want lightning to strike.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Holy Cow, Reds come back to beat pope-inspired White Sox in extras
Reporting by Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
