ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Chicago White Sox secured a decisive 9-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, capitalizing on the Rays’ early fielding errors. The win took place in front of 23,559 spectators at Tropicana Field.

The game began with White Sox left fielder Sam Antonacci reaching first base due to an error by Ryan Vilade. This set the stage for the Sox to score twice in the first inning. They ultimately clinched the series, winning two of the three games against the AL East leaders, who currently hold a 65-46 record.

Miguel Vargas, infielder for the White Sox, expressed satisfaction with the victory, stating, “It’s always great to win these types of games.” The win helped the Sox, leading the American League Central at 59-52, maintain their three-game advantage over the Cleveland Guardians, who also won their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.

“To get two runs early is obviously a nice way to start the game, and really, because of those two errors, right?” said Sox manager Will Venable. “Those were two tough plays for them.”

Antonacci’s advance to third base was aided by a two-out double from Colson Montgomery. A grounder back to the mound by Andrew Benintendi resulted in another error after Tampa Bay pitcher Griffin Jax’s throw was late. This allowed Antonacci to score, putting the Sox ahead 2-0.

As the first inning progressed, more mistakes from the Rays came into play. Tristan Peters faced a wild pitch from Jax, leading to further complications for Tampa Bay. Benintendi’s clever baserunning caused uncertainty for Rays shortstop Ben Williamson, contributing to Montgomery reaching home.

Offensively, Benintendi continued to shine with a solo home run in the fourth inning. Everson Pereira, a late addition to the lineup, delivered a two-run double in the sixth inning off reliever Craig Kimbrel and a two-run homer in the ninth against Alex Cook.

Pereira’s unexpected performance came following the late exclusion of batter Braden Montgomery due to a skin infection. “I thought it was really cool today to see Pereira, who wasn’t even originally in the lineup,” Venable noted.

Pereira himself reflected on the challenges faced this season due to injuries and health issues. Through an interpreter, he stated, “It hasn’t been an easy year. A lot of ups and downs. But now I just focus on what I can do and all the things that we have ahead of us.”

Miguel Vargas contributed with a two-run homer in the ninth inning against reliever Chris Roycroft. Starting pitcher Anthony Kay performed exceptionally well, allowing seven hits over a career-high 6 1/3 innings, achieving three strikeouts.

Kay successfully navigated bases-loaded situations in the fourth and sixth innings, improving his personal record to 8-5. Venable commented on Kay’s performance, “Really great to see for a guy to work around some trouble there and really do a nice job.”

Having previously split games with the Yankees and now defeating the Rays, the Sox display strong form against top AL East teams. The Sox will head to Boston for a three-game series beginning Tuesday, buoyed by their current performance and the acquisition of pitcher Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners.

Miguel Vargas added, “I think we did a really good job to put the front office in that position. They can help us, too. It’s great. I think we are on the same page thinking about the World Series, that’s great for the organization and for the team.”