[XxVols98xX]

White Sox sweep the Rays in Chicago — three games, three different kinds of chaos (and a whole lot of grit)

Coming in, this felt like it could get ugly: Tampa Bay rolled into Rate Field at 79–64, fighting for October, while the Sox were sitting at 62–82 just trying to stack good days. Instead, the South Side flipped the script and took all three — a sweep that pushes your club to 65–82 and hands the Rays three straight dents (79–67).

It wasn’t a “bash your brains in” sweep, either. This one was built the fun way: late-inning drama, big swings in tight spots, and pitching that refused to crack.

Game 1 (Sept. 9): White Sox 2, Rays 1 — walk-off vibes at Rate Field

This one was tense basically from the second inning on.

Tampa struck first, piecing together traffic and grabbing a 1–0 lead, but the Sox answered right back with small-ball energy: a couple of key knocks and a sac fly to square it at 1–1.

And then it turned into a grind. Taj Bradley was nasty for most of the night, and the Sox had to earn every inch. But in the bottom of the 9th, Tirso Ornelas lit the fuse — ripping a leadoff double, then going full menace on the bases to put himself 90 feet away.

That set the stage for the moment: Lenyn Sosa comes up as a pinch hitter and ends it with the walk-off single. 2–1 Sox, crowd happy, Rays annoyed, and the Sox bullpen/late-game execution gets the gold star.

Tone-setter: Ornelas creating the winning run with pure pressure, and Sosa delivering the final punch.

Game 2 (Sept. 10): White Sox 6, Rays 3 — early fireworks, then the bullpen slams the door

If Game 1 was a slow burn, Game 2 came out swinging.

The Sox jumped out early — including a Lenyn Sosa two-run homer in the first — and kept adding on with pressure baseball (walks, stolen bases, balls put in play). The lead grew to 4–0, and it felt like the Sox were about to cruise.

Then Tampa reminded everyone why they’re in the playoff picture: a three-run shot by Danny Jansen made it a game in a hurry.

But here’s the difference in this series: every time the Rays leaned in, the Sox leaned back harder.

The Sox answered with another run, and then the pitching finished the job — especially Brandon Eisert, who was flat-out electric out of the pen (a pile of strikeouts, no breathing room). And once it got to the ninth, Grant Taylor handled business to lock down the save.

Swing of the game: Tampa’s 3-run blast made it spicy — the Sox response + the bullpen made it over.

Game 3 (Sept. 11): White Sox 1, Rays 0 — Cannon outduels McClanahan in a straight-up thriller

This was the “baseball sickos” special — two legit starters throwing darts and daring somebody to blink.

Jonathan Cannon was unbelievable: 8 shutout innings, no free passes, and he kept Tampa living in that miserable zone where they’re constantly one hit away… and never get it.

Across from him, Shane McClanahan was just as sharp — which is why the game came down to one swing:

Bottom of the 5th, Luis Robert Jr. launches a solo homer (absolute no-doubt energy), and suddenly that was the whole game. Tampa had chances — including a huge midgame jam where Cannon had to navigate serious traffic — but the Sox pitching never gave up the back-breaker.

Then Taylor hit the ninth and finished the sweep like a closer who knew the moment.

Headline moment: Robert’s homer, Cannon’s escape artistry, and the staff completing a shutout of a playoff contender.

Series takeaways

You won this series on the mound. Holding a lineup like Tampa to 4 total runs in three games is loud, no matter what the standings say.

Late-game execution was the separator. The Rays had more than enough opportunities — the Sox just consistently made the “next pitch” and the “next play.”

Sosa was the heartbeat of the series. Big homer, huge at-bats, and the walk-off in Game 1 — he felt like the guy Tampa couldn’t get away from.

Cannon’s Game 3 was a statement. Eight scoreless against that lineup in that kind of game? That’s the kind of start that sticks in your head.

If you want, tell me how you want to title these recaps (straight newsy, spicy/funny, or “forum-post hype”), and I’ll format the next one exactly the same every time.