Five years have passed, but the memory of July 31, 2021, still feels like a fever dream for White Sox fans. Seby Zavala hit three home runs in one game, a feat so rare it defies all logic. According to South Side Sox, this performance was the most out-of-the-blue display anyone had ever seen. It was not a fluke; it was a night where a player with almost no track record suddenly became the star of the show.
The Stats That Said “No Chance”
Look at the numbers before that game, and you will see why nobody expected anything special. Zavala entered the day with a slash line of .143/.226/.214 in just 33 big league plate appearances that season. He had struck out nine times with zero walks in his previous 2019 call-up. Per South Side Sox, his Triple-A numbers were also weak, slashing just .168/.263/.355. There was no reason for Cleveland pitcher Triston McKenzie to fear him, and the fans certainly did not either.
The White Sox were already rolling with a 61-43 record and a nine-game lead in the AL Central. The team had a +112 run differential, trailing only the Astros, Dodgers, and Giants. Yet, the real story was not the team standing tall but a backup catcher who was only in the lineup because Yasmani Grandal was hurt and Zack Collins was bad defensively. The odds were stacked so high against Zavala that his success felt impossible.
A Night to Remember
The first home run came off a 92 mph fastball right down the middle. Myles Straw leaped in deep center but failed to secure the fly ball that Zavala hit. That first shot changed the energy instantly. Then came the second, and finally, the third, capping off a historic performance that no one saw coming. South Side Sox reported the scene perfectly, calling it “The night of a lifetime for Seby Zavala!”
This game happened on a night when the main goal was just to pass Boston or Houston for home-field advantage. Instead, a guy with a bloop single and a 65.1 mph exit velocity from two years prior became the hero. It was the kind of night that makes you believe anything can happen in baseball. It was pure, unfiltered magic that reminded everyone why we watch the game.
