White Sox Dominate Angels in Opening Series with Powerful Offense

CHICAGO – The Chicago White Sox launched their 2025 season with a commanding 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day at Guaranteed Rate Field. The win was highlighted by a stellar performance from pitcher Sean Burke, who delivered six shutout innings and a trio of home runs from his teammates.

Manager Will Venable selected Nick Maton to bat leadoff after Miguel Vargas led off the first two games. Maton seized the opportunity by hitting his first career leadoff home run, launching a 95-mile-per-hour sinker from Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz over the fence. “Just like the matchup for Nick,” Venable said before the game. “We like what he brings and his competitiveness. We’re going to see a lot of fastballs today, and we like that matchup for him leading us off.”

The White Sox took an early lead in the second inning when Austin Slater hit a leadoff home run, quickly followed by a trio of runs off Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. Korey Lee reached on an infield single, and both he and Jake Amaya advanced on a groundout, setting the stage for Vargas, whose fly ball brought in two more runs to widen the lead to 3-0.

Burke faced challenges early, tossing 24 pitches in the first inning and allowing a double and a hit by pitch. However, he bounced back to strike out Jorge Soler and Tim Anderson, escaping the jam. He continued his dominance by retiring 14 consecutive batters.

Chicago’s offense surged later in the game, sparked by a decisive three-run blast from Andrew Benintendi and a two-run homer from Lenyn Sosa, making it 8-0. In the bottom of the eighth, Maton walked, and Sosa drove another home run to finalize the score at 8-1. “I think it’s important to get off to a good start with the team’s morale,” Maton stated after the game.

Angels reliever Jordan Leasure faced his share of obstacles in the eighth inning, but with a bases-loaded situation, Mike Clevinger managed to work out of the jam by striking out Soler, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The pitching staff maintained its strong performance throughout the first series, continuing with Davis Martin set to take the mound for Game Two against the Angels. Martin expressed enthusiasm about setting a positive tone for the season. “The first one of the year, you want to set the tone for the year,” he said. “All in all, I’m excited and ready to roll.”

The White Sox accumulated nine hits over the game, with Vargas leading with two. Notably, Tim Anderson returned but struggled offensively with three strikeouts.

With the win, the White Sox established a winning record for the first time since March 30, 2023, energizing the home crowd of 31,403 at Guaranteed Rate Field. The series finale on Sunday promises to be a pivotal matchup as the White Sox aim to build momentum against the Angels.