Orlando Hudson delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday that lifted the White Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the first walk-off win of the season for the South Siders.
If it seems like these sorts of wins are rare for the Sox, that's because they are. I looked up the numbers, and since Opening Day of 2009, the Sox have had only 15 walk-off victories. By way of comparison, Sox opponents have collected 27 walk-off wins. Here is the breakdown by year:
2009: 6-9
2010: 3-7
2011: 5-9
2012: 1-2
Total: 15-27
The Sox are now 1 1/2 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central Division race. Earlier Thursday, Kaneland High School graduate Casey Crosby picked up his first major league victory as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Tribe 7-5 in the Motor City.
Our congratulations go out to Crosby. It's always nice to see someone from our little corner of the world have success in pro sports.
Part of it probably has to do with the Sox from 2009-11 ranking 12th, 7th and 11th in runs scored in the American League. That makes once that they just barely finished in the top half of their league if scoring.
For as often as you can trail in the bottom of the 9th, 10th, 11th inning or onward at home in a season, randomness plays a big part in walk-off win totals. But when you suck at scoring runs like the Sox have, it's hard to pad that total in your favor.