Witt Jr. Delivers Clutch Grand Slam, Royals Prevail 8-5 Over White Sox

A six-run rally in the eighth inning propels Kansas City to a series-opening victory in Chicago.

Jul 28, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) celebrates with teammates after hitting a grand slam against the Chicago White Sox during the eight inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Bobby Witt Jr. delivered a game-changing grand slam as the Kansas City Royals overcame a late deficit to defeat the Chicago White Sox, 8-5, on Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Witt’s game-changing grand slam in the top of the eighth inning shifted the Royals from a 4-5 deficit to an 8-5 lead, sealing the victory. The grand slam, which cleared the bases and brought in Maikel Garcia, Adam Frazier, and Michael Massey, was a towering shot to left field on a down-and-away slider from John Brebbia.

BOBBY WITT JR. GO AHEAD GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/0GmikwJors

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 30, 2024

On the mound, Royals relievers James McArthur, Chris Stratton, and Will Smith effectively quelled the White Sox's late rally attempts, despite some challenges from Angel Zerpa and a run allowed by Stratton.

The win comes as the Royals, who had been struggling recently, desperately needed a boost. Witt Jr. continues to strengthen his MVP candidacy, with his average leading the league at .347. His exceptional performance has been crucial, and the Royals will rely on him to maintain this level of play as they face off again tomorrow at 7:10 p.m.

Live Updates:

FINAL — Royals 8, White Sox 5.

Ninth Inning:

• In the bottom of the 9th inning, Corey Julks grounded out, with Bobby Witt Jr. making the play. Nicky Lopez followed with a groundout to pitcher James McArthur. Andrew Vaughn then grounded out, with Witt Jr. again making the throw to Pasquantino to end the inning. McArthur gets the save, Kansas City makes an impressive comeback. FINAL: Royals 8, White Sox 5.

• In the top of the ninth inning, Perez singled on a line drive to left. Renfroe walked, advancing Perez to 2nd base. Melendez grounded into a force out, with Baldwin throwing to shortstop Lopez. Perez moved to 3rd base, and Renfroe was out at 2nd. Melendez was safe at 1st. Melendez was later caught stealing 2nd base, with catcher Robinson throwing to Baldwin. Freddy Fermin lined out to right fielder Dominic Fletcher to end the inning.

Eighth Inning:

• In the bottom of the eighth, the White Sox struggled to respond. Benintendi lined out to second, followed by Baldwin grounding out to short. DeJong then lined out to center, as Royals reliever Will Smith, newly in the game, made quick work of the White Sox to keep their lead intact.

• In the top of the eighth inning, the Royals made a dramatic comeback. With Salvador Perez flying out to center, the rally began. Renfroe and Melendez hit back-to-back solo home runs, narrowing the White Sox lead to 5-3. Following a pitching change, Witt delivered a grand slam to left-center, driving in Garcia, Frazier, and Massey to put the Royals ahead 8-5. Impressive swing on a slider down and away. 98.8 MPH off of the bat. Pasquantino then flew out to center to end the inning. Six run eighth for Kansas City puts them in front. Royals 8, White Sox 5.

Seventh Inning:

• In the bottom of the seventh inning, the White Sox extended their lead. Robert struck out on a foul tip, and Sheets flew out to center. Jiménez popped out to first, but Vaughn then crushed a solo homer to left-center, adding to the White Sox's advantage. White Sox 5, Royals 2.

• In the top of the seventh inning, the Royals struggled against the White Sox bullpen. Hampson, pinch-hitting for Isbel, struck out swinging. Massey followed with a strikeout. Witt singled, but Pasquantino ended the inning by striking out swinging. Tanner Banks, now pitching for the White Sox, wrapped up the inning for Chicago.

Sixth Inning:

• In the bottom of the sixth inning, the White Sox took the lead with a series of key hits. Jiménez led off with a double to left, and Benintendi followed with a go-ahead double to right, scoring Jiménez. DeJong then added an RBI single to right, bringing in Benintendi. Chris Stratton came in to replace Zerpa as a result. Robinson's single to right put DeJong on third, but Lopez grounded into a double play to end the inning. With Stratton now pitching for the Royals, the White Sox have full control. White Sox 4, Royals 2.

• In the top of the sixth inning, the Royals were quickly dispatched by the White Sox. Melendez struck out swinging, followed by Fermin grounding out to third. Garcia ended the inning with a flyout to center.

Fifth Inning:

• In the bottom of the fifth inning, the White Sox tied the game 2-2. DeJong was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Robinson then grounded into a double play, but Lopez was hit by a pitch to put runners back on base. Robert followed with a single to right, scoring Lopez and advancing Vaughn to second. Vaughn walked, and Angel Zerpa came in for relief. Sheets struck out to end the inning, leaving the score tied. White Sox 2, Royals 2.

• In the top of the fifth inning, the Royals' offense was stymied. Witt singled to short, moving to second on Pasquantino's single to center. However, Perez's subsequent grounder resulted in a double play, with Pasquantino out at second and Perez out at first. Renfroe then grounded out to short, ending the inning.

Fourth Inning:

• In the bottom of the fourth inning, Marsh delivered an efficient 11-pitch performance to retire the White Sox in order. Jiménez flew out to center on the first pitch, Benintendi was called out on strikes, and Baldwin grounded out to first.

• In the top of the fourth inning, the Royals took the lead. Melendez started by lining out to left. Fermin then flew out to center. Garcia doubled to left and advanced to third on a throwing error. Isbel followed with a single to right, driving in Garcia to put the Royals up 2-1. The inning ended with Massey grounding out to first, leaving Isbel stranded at first. Royals 2, White Sox 1.

Third Inning:

• In the bottom of the third inning, the White Sox threatened but couldn't break the tie. Lopez started with a groundout to first. Vaughn was called out on strikes, followed by an injury delay. Robert then doubled to right, but Sheets grounded out to first, stranding Robert at second and keeping the game knotted at 1-1.

• In the top of the third inning, the Royals managed to tie the game against the White Sox. Massey started with a flyout to left. Witt then extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a ground-rule double to right-center. Pasquantino lined out sharply to center, advancing Witt to third. Perez followed with a single on a soft grounder to the catcher, scoring Witt and advancing to second on a throwing error. However, the inning ended when Renfroe struck out swinging after a seven-pitch battle. Royals 1, White Sox 1.

Second Inning:

• In the bottom of the second inning, Marsh made quick work of the White Sox lineup. Baldwin started by striking out swinging. DeJong then popped out to third. Finally, Robinson grounded out to second, completing a swift and scoreless inning for the Royals' defense.

• In the top of the second inning, the Kansas City Royals couldn't bring any runs home despite a promising start. Renfroe grounded out to short, advancing Melendez to first. Melendez then singled sharply to right, moving Fermin to second. Fermin followed with a single to center, pushing Melendez to third. However, Garcia's flyout to right and Isbel's groundout to second ended the inning, stranding both runners.

First Inning:

• In the bottom of the first inning, the Chicago White Sox jumped to an early lead against the Kansas City Royals. Nicky Lopez started with a single to center, but Andrew Vaughn grounded into a double play, swiftly reducing the threat. Luis Robert Jr. reignited the offense with a single and then stole second base, a call upheld after a Royals challenge. Gavin Sheets followed with a single to center, driving in Robert for the game's first run. Eloy Jiménez kept the momentum going with another sharp single to right, advancing Sheets to second. However, the inning ended when Andrew Benintendi flew out to center fielder Kyle Isbel. White Sox 1, Royals 0.

• In the top of the first inning, the Royals couldn't capitalize on Vinnie Pasquantino's sharp double to right field. Michael Massey started the inning with a pop-out to shortstop Nicky Lopez, followed by Bobby Witt Jr. popping out to second baseman Brooks Baldwin. With Pasquantino on second, Salvador Perez ended the inning with a flyout to left fielder Andrew Benintendi, leaving the Royals scoreless and missing an early opportunity.

Pregame:

• First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT

• Starting Lineup:

Opening up the road trip in the Windy City with Alec Marsh on the mound. pic.twitter.com/RfkrIL9bP3

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 29, 2024