Borchard Powers the White Sox
Joe Borchard set a small crowd abuzz with the longest homer in the 14-year history of U.S. Cellular Field.
But some small ball -- a bunt and aggressive baserunning by Timo Perez -- were just as big Monday in helping the Chicago White Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-8, in a wild interleague makeup game.
“I just put my head down and started running. I could feel it was going a long way. I didn’t know how far it would go,” Borchard said.
The second-inning drive to right-center off Brett Myers cleared the bleachers and landed in the middle of a concourse -- an estimated 504 feet from the plate. The previous longest homer at the ballpark, which opened in 1991 as new Comiskey Park, was a 495-foot shot by Frank Thomas two years ago against the Minnesota Twins.
The White Sox took a 7-6 lead with two runs in the sixth off Roberto Hernandez to make a winner of Mark Buehrle (12-8).
Aaron Rowand hit a two-out RBI single off Hernandez to tie it and scored the go-ahead run when third baseman David Bell and Hernandez collided trying to field Perez’s bunt single.
Rowand made it 9-6 in the eighth with his 20th homer, a two-run shot off Todd Jones.
Jim Thome hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth off Shingo Takatsu, but the Chicago closer struck out Doug Glanville for his 14th save in 15 chances.
Earlier in the game, Perez got caught in a rundown but scored when he knocked the ball out of Bell’s glove at third and then raced home.
The game was a makeup of a June 10 rainout and the White Sox’s victory clinched interleague bragging rights for the AL this season, 127-125.
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