Crosstown Classic: White Sox avoid a sweep by blanking the Cubs with their superpower
Toyota Talks | "PCA is baseball's dream!" Erik Kratz on PCA's MVP Charge & White Sox Shocking Run
MLB veteran Eric Kratz from Foul Territory joins Fox Chicago's Sam Panayotovich to break down Pete Crow-Armstrong's MVP-caliber breakout, his 30-30 milestone, and why the White Sox are the biggest story in baseball. Eric dives into PCA's elite defense, why he's the frontrunner for a league-wide Platinum Glove, and how opposing pitchers should actually game-plan against him. Plus, we look at the Alex Bregman effect in the clubhouse, the Cubs' biggest starting pitching question mark entering October, and how Will Venable's White Sox culture shift has them atop the AL Central.
The Cubs couldn’t use their brooms on Wednesday.
The White Sox salvaged a win at Wrigley Field, blanking the Cubs to take Game 3 of this week’s Crosstown Classic behind stellar pitching and defense that rivals the Northsiders.
The all-time series between the two remains tied at 82-82, and the two teams split the year's Crosstown Classic series for the first time since 2020.
Here’s what stood out from the series finale.
Cubs didn’t have the magic for a third day in a row
Clay Holmes was fantastic. The defense, as usual, was there for the Cubs.
The bats weren’t.
Tyrone Taylor, who hit ninth in the order, had the Cubs only two hits of the day with a single in the third and a double in the sixth. That wasn’t nearly enough as batters No. 1 through No. 8 were hitless. After taking the series on Tuesday, the Cubs couldn’t find their brooms on Wednesday.
That was more credit to the White Sox pitchers, however.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 19: José Urquidy #70 of the Chicago White Sox delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning at Wrigley Field on August 19, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Newcomb & Urquidy combine to cool the Cubs
It seemed impossible to limit the Cubs in the last two games. Especially in late-game situations where the Cubs just had the White Sox’s number.
Sean Newcomb and Jose Urquidy did just that.
Urquidy tossed 6.0 innings, allowed two hits against a scorching Cubs line up, struck out eight batters and didn’t allow a walk. The last time Urquidy pitched 6 or more shutout innings and allowed two hits or less was Sept. 29, 2023, when he was with the Astros in a 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks
It does help to get great defense.
Sam Antonacci had a great catch out in center field on a ball that felt like it was at least a double if it stayed in the park. Braden Montgomery caught a pop up from Crow-Armstrong in right and fired a laser to third to nail Tyrone Taylor at third.
Taylor wasn’t even close to being safe. He’s not slow by any means, either. That’s how great the throw from Montgomery was.
It took a lot to calm the Cubs where Wrigley Field has been their superpower as of late, and the White Sox did it with their own superpower.
The White Sox ability to bounce back is underrated
Coming off a diabolical loss to the Guardians where the White Sox lost 8-2 for their fourth in a row, the Southsiders rallied to take the next two games in a crucial AL Central series.
The Sox dropped two of three to the Reds after that, but rallied to sweep the Detroit Tigers in a series that gave them firm control of the AL Central.
This week, the White Sox took two gut-punch losses to the Cubs. Walk-off losses against the crosstown rival are always bitter pills to swallow, especially after the White Sox nursed slim leads in both games.
On Wednesday, the White Sox displayed their own superpower. That's their ability to bounce back.
The Cubs' superpower has always been Wrigley Field. The magic was there on Monday and Tuesday, and the White Sox diffused it on Wednesday with an impressive outing.
That ability to bounce back is an important trait for a team that looks like it’ll be going to the playoffs.