Jacob Gonzalez just wanted to keep the line moving.
The Chicago White Sox had gained some momentum in the seventh inning Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. They tied the score with a solo home run by Colson Montgomery. Chase Meidroth followed with a single.
Gonzalez was next. And the 2023 first-round draft pick came through with a single, the first hit of his major-league career.
“I didn’t really think about it until (first-base coach) José (Leger) said, ‘Congrats on your first hit,'” Gonzalez said. “I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s pretty cool.'”
Tristan Peters followed with an RBI single, giving the Sox the lead in an eventual 2-1 victory in front of 28,764 at Rate Field. The Sox (32-27) completed a three-game sweep and have won five straight games.
“It was contributions everywhere, which we’ve seen now for some time with these guys continuing to battle, continuing to fight,” Sox manager Will Venable said. “Everyone going out there and really excited to do their job. And put that together and you get a nice game.”
That included Gonzalez, who went 1-for-3 in his major-league debut.
“I thought the at-bats were really good,” Venable said. “Really good stuff from Jacob, defensively (at first base) as well.”
Gonzalez became the 11th Sox player to make his big-league debut this season. He joined the club from Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, his 24th birthday, when the Sox placed first baseman Munetaka Murakami on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain.
“I watched the whole game yesterday,” Gonzalez said. “I got to be there. It was nice just to watch and made it easier to come out and play today.”
The No. 15 pick in the 2023 draft out of Mississippi was leading all of minor-league baseball this season in RBIs (62) and was tied for first in home runs (19) at the time of his promotion.
“I wouldn’t consider myself a home run hitter,” he said. “I try to make hard contact and if the home runs come, they come. This offseason, I really worked on sliding my back elbow to drive the ball, not just to right (field) but everywhere. Also with (director of hitting Ryan) Fuller and (player development hitting coordinator) Sherman Johnson, we found a happy medium of what I want to do, what they want to do.
“It started feeling comfortable and it’s been working.”
Gonzalez received a nice ovation from the crowd when he stepped into the batter’s box for his first MLB at-bat during the second inning. He worked a 2-2 count while facing Keider Montero and then hit a long fly ball that curved just foul down the right-field line.
“I was just trying not to strike out right there and put something in play,” Gonzalez said.
The eight-pitch at-bat ended with Gonzalez flying out to center fielder Matt Vierling to end the inning. He kept Detroit’s outfield busy, flying out to right fielder Wenceel Pérez in the fifth.
The Sox as a team had just two hits through six innings against Montero and trailed 1-0.
“It’s one of those things where he was dealing, he was on his stuff,” Montgomery said. “But we’re a team, we’re not going to stop.”
Detroit went to their bullpen for the seventh, and with one out Montgomery homered against reliever Drew Anderson to tie the score.
“I was looking kind of in that area, not really just the changeup, but kind of my area that I’m looking at, but put a good swing on it,” Montgomery said.
Meidroth lined a single to left-center. Gonzalez followed with a base hit to left field.
“Did a nice job going the other way,” Venable said.
Peters did likewise, driving in Meidroth with a single to left field to put the Sox ahead 2-1.
The Sox shined defensively in the final two innings.
Left fielder Sam Antonacci made a nice running catch on a liner by Jahmai Jones for the final out of the eighth inning. And third baseman Miguel Vargas had to dive over the tarp and into the netting after catching Riley Greene’s foul pop-up for the first out of the ninth.
Reliever Tyler Davis entered and retired the next two batters to collect his first major-league save as the Sox completed a 6-1 homestand. They end May just one game behind the division-leading Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central standings.
“It looked like a lot of fun (watching while with Charlotte) and I got here and realized it is a lot of fun playing with these guys,” Gonzalez said. “Hopefully we keep playing good and winning and having some fun.”
