05-07-2025, 06:35 AM
KANSAS CITY — For 6.8 seconds, Chase Meidroth tracked a towering pop fly from Drew Waters in the ninth inning of a one-run game. The ball arced sky-high—so high it cleared the press box—before descending into disaster.
Meidroth got under it. Almost.
The ball clipped off his glove, bounced off his head, and rolled into right field. Even then, there was a chance to salvage the play—Michael A. Taylor fielded the ball cleanly and had time to gun down the runner going to second. But his throw soared over a leaping Jacob Amaya.
Two batters later, Amaya made a highlight-reel diving stop on a hard-hit grounder but couldn’t transfer cleanly to Meidroth to start what could have been a game-ending double play.
Instead, the Royals tied the game.
Then Bobby Witt Jr. walked it off.
Royals 4, White Sox 3. Another crushing late loss. Another learning moment for a young team that keeps finding new ways to come apart at the seams.
“I just missed it,” said Meidroth afterward, clearly shaken. “It’s a ball that’s got to be caught. It’s a tough one. It’s one that’s got to be won.”
Meidroth, just 15 games into his big-league career, knows as well as anyone how small moments can define close games—and how those moments have not gone Chicago’s way.
The White Sox (10-26) are now 2-14 in games decided by two runs or fewer, and 1-for-5 in save chances. They’ve lost 14 games in which they held a lead and have now dropped a club-record ninth straight game at Kauffman Stadium.
Mistakes Erase Strong Efforts
Tuesday’s defeat overshadowed a brilliant start from Sean Burke, who delivered a career-high 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He used just 78 pitches to get 19 outs and didn’t throw more than 10 pitches in a frame until the sixth. It was Burke’s second straight quality start—an encouraging sign for a rotation that’s lacked consistency.
Brooks Baldwin also flashed the leather in left field, throwing out Vinnie Pasquantino at second as he tried to stretch a single into a double.
But the White Sox’s 27th error of the season (second-most in MLB behind only Boston) again loomed large, derailing what had been a fundamentally solid performance for eight innings.
“There were outs to be had, and we’ve got to do a better job converting those into outs,” said manager Will Venable. “These guys have done a great job defensively overall, but yeah, really good game until then.”
Still Believing in Meidroth
While the ending stings, the White Sox remain confident in Meidroth, their No. 8 prospect who came over from Boston in the Garrett Crochet deal. Despite the error, he’s impressed with a .396 OBP entering the game and the type of energy the team wants to build around.
“This guy is a gamer,” said Venable. “He’s going to turn the page and go out there tomorrow and give us everything he’s got. We’ll talk to him, make sure he’s in a good spot—but he’ll be fine.”
Even Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. noted the unusual nature of the play: “You play baseball long enough, you see something new every night. That was one of them.”
A Season in One Play
The pop-up off Meidroth’s head—awkward, unlucky, chaotic—feels symbolic of where the 2025 White Sox are. Good effort, bad break, worse result. A team playing hard, sometimes playing well, but not yet playing winning baseball.
They’ve now lost three straight after briefly showing signs of life. They’re still looking for identity. Still looking for answers. Still learning, one painful bounce at a time.
https://www.chicagowhitesoxapparel.com
Meidroth got under it. Almost.
The ball clipped off his glove, bounced off his head, and rolled into right field. Even then, there was a chance to salvage the play—Michael A. Taylor fielded the ball cleanly and had time to gun down the runner going to second. But his throw soared over a leaping Jacob Amaya.
Two batters later, Amaya made a highlight-reel diving stop on a hard-hit grounder but couldn’t transfer cleanly to Meidroth to start what could have been a game-ending double play.
Instead, the Royals tied the game.
Then Bobby Witt Jr. walked it off.
Royals 4, White Sox 3. Another crushing late loss. Another learning moment for a young team that keeps finding new ways to come apart at the seams.
“I just missed it,” said Meidroth afterward, clearly shaken. “It’s a ball that’s got to be caught. It’s a tough one. It’s one that’s got to be won.”
Meidroth, just 15 games into his big-league career, knows as well as anyone how small moments can define close games—and how those moments have not gone Chicago’s way.
The White Sox (10-26) are now 2-14 in games decided by two runs or fewer, and 1-for-5 in save chances. They’ve lost 14 games in which they held a lead and have now dropped a club-record ninth straight game at Kauffman Stadium.
Mistakes Erase Strong Efforts
Tuesday’s defeat overshadowed a brilliant start from Sean Burke, who delivered a career-high 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He used just 78 pitches to get 19 outs and didn’t throw more than 10 pitches in a frame until the sixth. It was Burke’s second straight quality start—an encouraging sign for a rotation that’s lacked consistency.
Brooks Baldwin also flashed the leather in left field, throwing out Vinnie Pasquantino at second as he tried to stretch a single into a double.
But the White Sox’s 27th error of the season (second-most in MLB behind only Boston) again loomed large, derailing what had been a fundamentally solid performance for eight innings.
“There were outs to be had, and we’ve got to do a better job converting those into outs,” said manager Will Venable. “These guys have done a great job defensively overall, but yeah, really good game until then.”
Still Believing in Meidroth
While the ending stings, the White Sox remain confident in Meidroth, their No. 8 prospect who came over from Boston in the Garrett Crochet deal. Despite the error, he’s impressed with a .396 OBP entering the game and the type of energy the team wants to build around.
“This guy is a gamer,” said Venable. “He’s going to turn the page and go out there tomorrow and give us everything he’s got. We’ll talk to him, make sure he’s in a good spot—but he’ll be fine.”
Even Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. noted the unusual nature of the play: “You play baseball long enough, you see something new every night. That was one of them.”
A Season in One Play
The pop-up off Meidroth’s head—awkward, unlucky, chaotic—feels symbolic of where the 2025 White Sox are. Good effort, bad break, worse result. A team playing hard, sometimes playing well, but not yet playing winning baseball.
They’ve now lost three straight after briefly showing signs of life. They’re still looking for identity. Still looking for answers. Still learning, one painful bounce at a time.
https://www.chicagowhitesoxapparel.com