The White Sox and their brethren in the American League Central have been have a grand time slamming their counterparts in the NL.
The Sox came into Sunday night’s game against Houston with a 10-1 record in interleague play, having won eight straight games against Cincinnati, St. Louis and Houston. Detroit and Minnesota are each 10-2 vs. the NL.
Tadahito Iguchi got in on the slamming Sunday night, hitting the Sox’s third grand slam in three games against the Astros — a ninth-inning shot that sent the game into extra innings.
Houston took a 10-9 lead in the top of the 13th inning after Adam Everett tripled and scored on Willy Taveras’ single off Brandon McCarthy.
Iguchi also hit a three-run homer in the eighth as the Sox rallied from a 9-1 deficit.
Houston finally put up a good fight, taking the Sox into extra innings on a rainy night at U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday, the game sent into overtime on seven RBI in the eighth and ninth innings by Iguchi.
The grand slams in three straight games was a first for the franchise. Joe Crede hit one Friday and Scott Podsednik on Saturday.
After a day off, the Sox get to dig in against the dregs of the NL Central–Pittsburgh and the Cubs.
“We don’t want to [underestimate] two teams that are under .500 and lose five out of six,” said Paul Konerko, whose 222nd homer Sunday moved him past Harold Baines into second on the Sox’s all-time list. “You should always worry about the teams that aren’t the notable ones.”
“If anyone in the National League wants to switch places with us, I’m all for it,” Sox general manager Ken Williams said. “If you can win in this league, you’re doing something special.
“We’re used to playing in a division where everybody faces tough pitching. When we go to another division or league, it’s a step down from what we’ve seen. . . . It’s a little lesser competition.”
Sox starter Javier Vazquez had won four of his last five decisions but had trouble from the start Sunday, allowing two runs in the first inning and then four more in the fifth.
The big hit in the first was Preston Wilson’s two-run double, the big hits in the sixth were two-run homers by Mike Lamb and Lance Berkman, the latter coming after a two-out walk.
After Vazquez gave up another run in the seventh and allowed two more baserunners, Guillen had seen enough. The other two also scored off reliever Agustin Montero.
Unlike Game 3 in the World Series, Houston starter Roy Oswalt had a super Sunday, leaving with a 9-2 lead after seven innings. He slipped up in the third inning on a double by Rob Mackowiak and RBI single by Podsednik, but struck out Jim Thome with two runners on base.
But after Oswalt left, the Sox greeted reliever Russ Springer with three quick runs on singles by Alex Cintron and Podsednik and Iguchi’s first homer.
In the next inning, with Brad Lidge on the mound, Iguchi unloaded the bases after A.J. Pierzynski and Cintron singled and Podsednik walked.
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dvandyck@tribune.com
