The inaugural contest of the Crosstown Classic culminated in a heart-wrenching extra-innings defeat for the White Sox at the hands of the Cubs. Despite a fiercely contested and closely-fought game, a series of ill-advised challenges and defensive lapses ultimately sealed the fate of the South Siders, who succumbed to a 7-5 loss in the series opener.
The game began unfavorably for the White Sox, as they were quickly retired in order. The Cubs, conversely, seized an early lead with back-to-back home runs from Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki. Though the Cubs threatened further with consecutive singles, a precise throw from Pedro Ramírez to Brenton Doyle ended the first inning, limiting the damage.
Early in the third inning, a wasted challenge by the White Sox allowed Sam Antonacci to reach base after being hit by a pitch. However, Shōta Imanaga effectively neutralized the White Sox offense, retiring the next three batters. Luis Castillo, the White Sox pitcher, appeared to find his rhythm in the bottom of the third, receiving crucial defensive support to strand a solitary baserunner.
The White Sox registered their first hit in the fourth inning when Miguel Vargas singled, following a walk to Munetaka Murakami. Randal Grichuk then delivered a pivotal three-run homer, propelling the White Sox into a temporary lead.
The Cubs initiated the bottom of the fifth with a walk to Suzuki, a precursor to their offensive resurgence. Alex Bregman singled, and an Ian Happ groundout advanced Suzuki to third. Nico Hoerner's infield single brought Suzuki home, and a errant throw by Vargas allowed Happ to score, giving the Cubs a 4-3 advantage. Tyler Schweitzer replaced Castillo, successfully preventing further runs.
Schweitzer's command wavered in the sixth, but he managed to escape the inning unscathed after issuing a walk and a single. Ryan Rolison entered for the Cubs in the seventh, quickly securing two outs before a walk to Jake Rogers led to his replacement by Ryan Zeferjahn. Zeferjahn concluded the inning as Chase Meidroth grounded out. With two runners on, Rogers thwarted Bregman's attempt to steal home with a swift tag from Vargas.
The eighth inning saw Murakami draw a walk, and with one out, Andrew Benintendi emerged as a key player, smashing a two-run homer to put the White Sox ahead 5-4. Trevor Richards, who took over in the seventh, largely contained the Cubs, despite a double by PCA. Jordan Hicks then struck out Suzuki with a blazing 102-mph pitch to end the eighth.
Luisangel Acuña began the ninth with a walk, but a double play off Rogers' bat quickly yielded two outs for the White Sox. Meidroth, who had a challenging night, struck out swinging to end the inning. In the bottom of the ninth, Hicks issued consecutive walks, one of which was a contentious call, with the White Sox unable to challenge due to prior usage. Hoerner singled, and a bobble by Tristan Peters allowed Tyrone Taylor to score the tying run. The White Sox intentionally walked Pedro Ramírez to load the bases for Miguel Amaya, whom Hicks struck out. Vargas fielded a ground ball, sending the game into extra innings.
The tenth inning commenced with a familiar sight: a leadoff walk to Murakami. Two subsequent batters struck out. Braden Montgomery nearly suffered the same fate but successfully challenged a strike-three call, resulting in a walk that loaded the bases. However, a soft grounder from Peters to first base ended the inning without any runs being scored.
Hagen Smith took the mound for the White Sox in the bottom of the tenth, facing the top of the Cubs' batting order. His outing was brief, as Pete Crow-Armstrong sealed the Cubs' victory with a walk-off home run on the fourth pitch, bringing an end to the protracted contest.
