Smash Burger! Three-run homer lifts White Sox

CHICAGO -- White Sox designated hitter Jake Burger has never hit a home run on a slower pitch then the 67-mph slider he connected on against Rich Hill during a 3-1 victory over Boston Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

In reality, Burger probably never will again. But Burger’s ability to come through against the crafty veteran southpaw turned a 1-0 deficit in the fifth inning into a 3-1 lead and helped move the White Sox back above .500 at 22-21.

Call it a Smash Burger. No extra cheese was needed on this 444-footer with a 110-mph exit velocity, per Statcast.

“I don’t know how I hit it so hard, either. It is what it is. It felt good, for sure,” Burger said. “I’m fortunate to have guys like [Yasmani] Grandal, [AJ] Pollock that have played with him and against him a ton. Kind of giving me an approach in that way. It’s good having those guys in the clubhouse telling you how he’s going to attack you and come after you.”

“Timing was right,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “Huge, huge hit.”

Burger had the rare opportunity this season of playing in the Triple-A Charlotte season opener and then starting for the White Sox for their opener when Yoán Moncada went on the injured list with a strained right oblique. He returned to the White Sox for a second time from the Knights when center fielder Luis Robert was placed on the COVID-19 IL before the start of this Boston series on Tuesday.

General manager Rick Hahn and executive vice president Ken Williams presented a few different options to replace Robert, per La Russa’s postgame comments. But La Russa talked to Chris Johnson, Charlotte’s hitting coach, and found out Burger really was starting to look like himself.

“From the aspect of moving your stuff around, and never really having a home base, that’s really the tough side,” Burger said. “But I want to play baseball and I want to compete, no matter where I’m at. It’s kind of how I take it.”

“I’ve experienced a little bit of the up and down grind and it’s not pleasant, but he keeps proving time and time again that he’s very effective at this level,” said White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, who grinded through six innings with seven strikeouts to earn the victory. “Huge home run to give us the lead there. He’s been a wonderful teammate, he works his [butt] off so I look forward to seeing him contribute more.”

This was Burger's first home run since April 27 against the Royals. All three of his home runs this season have come at home, and it was his first career go-ahead homer, as well his first with runners on base and first with a two-strike count.

On the pitch before Burger connected for the second-longest home run hit by a White Sox player this year, he swung and missed at a 69.7 mph slider. But he was ready for Hill’s 0-2 offering.

“It was definitely reactionary. Rich was throwing well all night,” Burger said. “The pitch before that was very similar, and I swung over it. Fortunately he came back with it, and I got one over the plate that was a little higher than the one previous.

“These past two weeks in Charlotte were good for me. In terms of just relaxing a little bit and not doing too much. I think I get a tendency, a habit, to try to get ahead every single at-bat instead of taking it pitch by pitch and being able to control my emotion and not overawing.”

Fame was fleeting for Burger postgame, as he was humorously encouraged by teammate Gavin Sheets to be quick with his interview as Sheets was his ride home. But after missing three seasons with two Achilles ruptures and because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Burger is having fun.

“Obviously, I hate referencing back to the three years I missed, but I was sitting on the couch for 2 1/2 of those years,” Burger said. “I’m going to put my best foot forward, no matter where I’m at. Take every day as a blessing.”