Anthony Kay just threw the best game of his career, and the White Sox finally have a reason to cheer in Tampa. A 9-1 rout, marking the first seventh-inning appearance of the year for the southpaw, now leaves Chicago leading the AL Central by three games. It was a masterclass in control that validates every dollar spent on his contract.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Kay faced a career-high 27 hitters and didn’t issue a single walk until the very last batter. According to South Side Sox, he completed a career-high 6 1/3 innings while blanking the American League leaders. He threw 60 of his 89 pitches for strikes, keeping his sweepers and sliders right on the plate. Tampa Bay managed to strand the bases loaded twice without scoring a run, proving they simply could not get good wood on anything with spin.
His ERA now sits at a solid 4.01 over 110 innings. That’s the most he’s thrown in America since 2019. While some stats suggest he has had a bit of luck, the investment looks safe. The White Sox signed him to a $5 million-per-year deal, and today’s performance shows that money was well worth it. He even flashed some leather to help himself out of tough jams, showing he can handle the pressure.
That leather helped.
Benintendi’s Magic Moment
The offense didn’t sit back either, punishing Tampa Bay for every mistake they made. On a back-foot breaking pitch that strayed too far toward the middle, Andrew Benintendi connected for his 12th home run. The most unforgettable moment arrived when Benintendi, using flag football tactics on a strange steal, maneuvered Colson Montgomery around the plate. It was a chaotic, fun moment that fit the vibe of a magical season.
South Side Sox noted that the 2026 White Sox have done many unlikely things, but rehabilitating Benintendi’s standing with the fans might be the biggest feat yet. Opposite Kay, Rays starter Griffin Jax had solid stuff and set down eight hitters on strikes. However, a pair of first-inning errors, one by Jax himself, led to unearned runs that doomed his team before fans even found their seats (a costly mistake for a rotation that needed stability).
This win keeps the momentum going as the team heads into the post-deadline stretch. If Kay can keep this command up, the rotation looks much less shaky. The fans are finally seeing the pitcher scouts envisioned when he was a first-round pick out of UConn a decade ago. The next start is set for Friday in Detroit.
