White Sox win a thriller after home-plate collision violation

CHICAGO -- A smiling Elvis Andrus walked out of the White Sox clubhouse following his team’s 7-6 comeback victory over the Rangers Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field and briefly stopped to watch the NBC Sports Chicago postgame coverage playing on a television hanging just a few feet away.

It just happened to be featuring the disputed play at the plate during a three-run White Sox eighth inning, with Andrus in the middle of it all. He was originally ruled out by home-plate umpire D.J. Reyburn attempting to score the go-ahead run from second on Zach Remillard’s single to left. The initial out call was subsequently overturned after a replay review ruled Andrus safe, as it was determined Texas catcher Jonah Heim violated the home-plate collision rule.

The White Sox had challenged both the out call and the home-plate collision rule, but the final verdict -- Heim determined to have impeded Andrus' path to the plate -- wasn't audible at the ballpark, as the crowd went crazy with noise and excitement upon hearing the word “overturned.”

MLB rule 6.01(i)(2) on collisions at home plate reads:

“Unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the catcher without possession of the ball blocks the pathway of the runner, the umpire shall call or signal the runner safe. Notwithstanding the above, it shall not be considered a violation of this Rule 6.01(i)(2) if the catcher blocks the pathway of the runner in a legitimate attempt to field the throw.”

“At the beginning I was very upset. Usually, I always kind of score on those plays,” Andrus said. “I was really sad when he did not call [me] safe. But then when they switched that call, everybody saw, I started jumping like a little kid in the dugout and everybody was the same way.

“I feel games like this are what you need as a team, to kind of spark the energy. Sometimes when you’re not winning it goes away. Hopefully we can let this game tonight help us moving forward and get back on a winning streak.”

The Rangers were told that the call was overturned because Heim’s initial positioning was ruled illegal and his subsequent actions hindered Andrus’ path to the plate.

“I set up like we're taught to set up on the corner of the plate,” Heim said. “The ball took me up the line. I even backed up a little bit. He had all the whole front of the plate to slide into, so I'm not really sure what else I needed to do there. It's unfortunate that that's the decision they're making in that kind of situation, or we [would have been] going in the ninth inning, tie game. It’s upsetting. It seems like they want me to try and not catch the ball and not tag the guy out.”

Games like Tuesday's add to an already strange season for the White Sox. They lost 10 in a row during April and had a 7-21 record at one point, something that would bury most teams. But Chicago resides in the American League Central, where its 32-43 record leaves the club just 4 1/2 games out of first. The division-leading Twins have a 36-38 record, good enough for a one-game lead over the Guardians.

“Very happy that it’s that way,” said Andrus of the AL Central. “That’s something we talk about and I try to transmit to the guys: In baseball you have to be able to have a short memory.

“You cannot stick to the past. Stick to the last week, the last day. For us it’s looking ahead. As long as we believe, we know we have the talent to do it. It’s about sticking as a team and pulling the right way.”

White Sox leads of 2-0 and 4-2 both evaporated on Tuesday, despite starter Dylan Cease striking out nine over six innings and recording 24 swings and misses, per Statcast.

Eloy Jiménez also launched a two-run homer in the first off Nathan Eovaldi, ending Chicago's string of nine consecutive solo homers.

Corey Seager’s two-run double off Aaron Bummer in the eighth gave the Rangers' slugger five RBIs and scored two for a 6-4 Rangers’ advantage.

Andrus tied the game in the bottom half of the frame, as his grounder off Grant Anderson with runners on second and third and two outs through a large opening between first and second brought home Luis Robert Jr. and pinch-runner José Rodríguez, who was making his Major League debut.

Andrus had two hits, including his 98th career homer, with 76 of them coming during his 12 seasons with the Rangers.

“We always know he’s a super clutch defender, super smooth out there,” Cease said. “And any time he comes through offensively, it feels like we win.”

“He’s been there,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “He knows where we’re at and where we have to go and he’s not at all shy about reminding everybody this is what we have to do.”

The late three-run rally turned another likely step further below .500 for the White Sox on its head, with the club instead taking another step closer to the top of the division. There’s still a lot of work left for the White Sox to do, especially for a squad not playing as consistently as it would like.

They helped themselves on Tuesday and got a little help through replay to even their record at 11-11 in one-run games. Momentum seems to change by the inning for the White Sox, let alone the game or series.

“I’m glad it went our way,” said a smiling Cease of the overturned call at the plate.

“At the end of the day, they enforce the rules and we play the game,” Remillard said. “It went our way, and now we can enjoy it.”