White Sox Fans’ Leave Stadium Midway Following Team’s Horrible Loss to Guardians

A familiar baseball sight is no longer exclusive to Los Angeles. Dodgers fans have long been mocked for beating the traffic before the final out, but Chicago may have just found its own version of the tradition. With the White Sox trailing the Cleveland Guardians 3-8 heading into the bottom of the ninth on Wednesday, Guaranteed Rate Field began emptying despite the game still having an inning left to play.

The White Sox had entered Game 3 with a chance to close out the series after winning the first two, only to watch the Guardians turn the contest into a comfortable 3-9 victory and force a Game 4. By the time the ninth inning arrived, however, many Chicago fans appeared convinced the ending was already written. Viral footage of fans taking the stairs may suggest baseball’s newest home-field phenomenon.

“Why are people leaving? This is a playoff game?” Barstool Sports quoted a fan at the Guaranteed Rate Field wondering about the stands getting empty.

The scoreline was 3-8 at the top of the ninth when the clip was shot. The Guardians added another while the White Sox had a scoreless last inning. Still, Wednesday was not the first instance when Chicago fans chose to leave the ballpark early.

Back in 2018, Rate Field hosted a minuscule crowd that braved freezing weather in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. As the temperature dropped further, the few hundred fans in attendance steadily trickled out long before the final pitch. Still, that was a regular-season game, and the weather conditions were harsh.

Wednesday was different, with a temperature of around 25°C and sunny weather. The fans still chose to leave the game early, and the credit goes to the White Sox’s horrible showing.

First, it was the White Sox’s offense that surrendered to the Guardians. White Sox batters were completely overpowered by Cleveland’s pitching staff, striking out a massive 19 times during the game. First baseman Munetaka Murakami personified these struggles, going 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts. “Guardians struck out 19 White Sox in ALDS Game 3. That’s an MLB record in a nine-inning postseason game,” Talkin’s Baseball reported.

Then it was Chicago’s pitching staff. They issued 9 walks. The bullpen particularly collapsed in the third inning when Bryan Hudson and Hagen Smith combined to walk three batters, setting up a crushing, bases-clearing three-run triple by Jo Adell.

Sean Newcomb started for the White Sox well, pitching the first two scoreless innings. Just as the bullpen took over from the third, runs continued to leak. The fans still waited till the ninth only to see Davis Martin give up on the very last chance.

Marin walked the Guardians’ first two batters. Angel Genao then cracked a double to left field, driving in Nathaniel Lowe. Brayan Rocchio followed up with a single, driving in Halpin to push the Guardians’ lead to 9-3. Enough for the White Sox to have their patience anymore.

Those who had left the stadium at the top of the ninth were spared from witnessing how Cade Smith closed out the game by striking out Colson Montgomery, Sam Antonacci, and Miguel Vargas.

All this means the ALDS is on, and the White Sox have Game 4 to conclude the series one game early.

This is a developing story.

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