Scherzer Writes History as Rangers Sweep White Sox

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

July 25, 2024

Rangers 2, White Sox 1

ARLINGTON, Tex. (Jul 25) — The offense wasn’t quite as abundant for the Texas Rangers as it was on Wednesday, but they still managed to beat the Chicago White Sox, 2–1, on Thursday afternoon for their 51st win of the season. Right-hander Max Scherzer moved up on the all-time strikeouts list, and Marcus Semien hit a game-tying dinger in the third to aid the Rangers in their efforts to sweep the White Sox. This is the home stand that the Rangers needed. They went 5–2 over the seven-game stretch, running their current winning streak to five games.

From here the Rangers hit the road for the next six games, beginning with three against the Toronto Blue Jays starting on Friday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6:07 pm Central at Rogers Centre. Lefty Andrew Heaney (4–10, 3.60 ERA) will take the bump for the Rangers, while left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (4–9, 4.54 ERA) will get the ball for the Blue Jays. The White Sox, meanwhile, head back to the Windy City to take on the Seattle Mariners in a three-game series, beginning on Friday. First pitch of the series opener is scheduled for 7:10 pm Central at Guaranteed Rate Field. Righty George Kirby (7–7, 3.20 ERA) will toe the slab for the Mariners, while right-hander Drew Thorpe (3–1, 3.03 ERA) will make the start for the White Sox.

Semien Goes Deep

The White Sox got into the run column first in the top of the third against Scherzer. He issued a free pass to Brooks Baldwin to open the frame. Two batters later, Baldwin crossed the plate on a double to center by Korey Lee. The Rangers tied it up in the bottom of the third off White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon. Semien led off the inning with a solo shot to left, his 15th homer of the year.

The Rangers took a 2–1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Nathaniel Lowe opened the inning with a double to right. Robbie Grossman followed that up with a single to right, advancing Lowe to third. On deck was Leody Taveras, who hit into what was originally ruled a force play fielded by shortstop Nicky Lopez. The call at first was challenged by the Rangers. There was enough evidence to overturn the call, allowing Taveras to stay at first. Lopez tapped the second base bag with his left foot to get Grossman before making the throw to first. Lowe scored on the play.

What Went Right for the Rangers

The Rangers were able to get just enough offense to complete the four-game sweep in a well-pitched game by both teams. The home run by Semien was crucial as it tied the game, and provided momentum for the Rangers going forward. The pitching staff did very well in this one also.

Scherzer Moves Up a Spot

Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer earned his second win of the season, picking up his third quality start in seven outings in 2024. Scherzer’s record now sits at 2–3 with an ERA of 3.57. His line on the day was 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R-ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, 85 pitches/62 strikes. He recorded career strikeout No. 3,393 when he got Andrew Vaughn swinging in the first. Scherzer also got strikeout No. 3,394 when he got Eloy Jiménez looking in the second. This allowed Scherzer to tie and subsequently surpass Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros for sole possession of 10th place on the all-time list.

His season-high nine strikeouts on Thursday were his most since August 26, 2023 against the Minnesota Twins. He struck out 10 batters that day. Paired with Nathan Eovaldi’s 10-strikeout performance on Wednesday, this marks the first time for the Rangers to have consecutive starts of nine-plus strikeouts since 8/13-15/2023. Right-hander David Robertson picked up the rare two-inning save when he pitched both the eighth and the ninth innings. He was perfect, striking out two en route to his second save of the season. Jacob Latz and Jose Leclerc also tossed one scoreless inning apiece.

Loose Cannon

White Sox righty Jonathan Cannon suffered a tough-luck loss despite producing a quality start on Thursday. His final line was 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R-ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 95 pitches/59 strikes. Cannon exited after the sixth with his club trailing 2–1 and was assured of the loss as the White Sox were held scoreless over the game’s final six frames. He has posted a 3.65 ERA over his last nine games, seven of which were starts, dating back to the beginning of June to lower his season ERA from 7.24 to 4.43. His record for 2024 now sits at 1–5 with an ERA of 4.43.

Bochy’s Postgame Comments

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy reiterated how important this sweep was for the Rangers going into the final two months of the regular season. “It was a great series for us,” Bochy said. “We needed to win some games in this home stand…says a lot about these guys, their resilience. They did a terrific job in this series.”

Scherzer’s Postgame Comments

Moments after Bochy’s exit, Scherzer came in and gave his thoughts on the afternoon and his milestone. “It’s fun, especially when we win,” Scherzer said. “When you win, it’s a little bit easier to celebrate this and have fun with the guys. But when you’re talking about a milestone like this, it’s all about durability. This is all about being year-in year-out healthy. I know I’ve been shaking some injuries here as of late, but over the course of my career, I’ve been able to be healthy, be durable…and continue to get better every season. For me it’s kind of a mindset.”

“You get to this point, and it makes you want to keep pitching, and keep pitching well,” Scherzer said. “For me, this is all about the World Series, that’s what motivates me. My motivation is to win the World Series. That’s the only goal I have and really the only thing I play for.”