The White Sox have dropped two in a row to the Pirates as they move into Thursday's series finale in Chicago. With the Cleveland Guardians only two games out of first place, and the regular season quickly approaching it's end, it's imperative that the White Sox get any win that they can. It's been a rough September for the south siders, only winning three of eight, but they've been playing as hard as possible.
That includes Sam Antonacci when he's on base.
Late in the seventh inning during Wednesday's loss, Antonacci charged for second base on a ground ball from Vargas that turned into a double play to end the inning. During Antonacci's slide into second base, Antonacci's elbow made contact with second baseman Brandon Lowe as he made the relay to first base. Both runners were called out, but it didn't stop both benches and bullpens from clearing when Lowe and Antonacci exchanged some words.
Sam Antonacci’s hard slide was still within the rules
Antonacci was perfectly legal to slide into that base as he did. He's entitled to a lane to the base, plain and simple. It's the responsibility of that runner to utilize his placement as much as possible to make it more difficult for the fielder to make his throw. That's simple baseball.
Whether or not the elbow was intentional is up for debate. Fans on social media have quickly engaged in very respectful argument online about whether or not it was a dirty play, and that he was trying to hit him in the groin. While this is possible, I maintain that the lane was Antonacci's, and if Lowe doesn't want a close play when a runner is sliding into a bag, then he needs to move over more.
Following the game, Antonacci defended his position.
Sam Antonacci stood by his slide during postgame, to say the least pic.twitter.com/6kneX1sJfQ
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) September 10, 2026
This isn't the first time that Antonacci has been accused of a dirty play involving an elbow. Back in August, Antonacci was involved in a play that showed him elbowing Wilson Contreras as they passed one another.
At the end of the day, whether or not you think it was intentional, the game moves on. Nobody received any sort of discipline over the incident, and plays like this happen from time to time. The White Sox and the Pirates play one more game for their final matchup of 2026 on Thursday, where the White Sox look to strengthen their hold on the AL Central.
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