White Sox earn their 1st sweep of 2025 as Miguel Vargas and Mike Tauchman launch home runs

LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune on Jul 20, 2025

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — The Chicago White Sox hadn’t won their first three games coming out of the All-Star break since 2005.

Miguel Vargas and Mike Tauchman helped the 2025 Sox accomplish that feat Sunday.

Vargas hit a three-run home run in the first inning. Tauchman followed with a home run that ended up in the Allegheny River.

The Sox had another big day at the plate, completing a three-game sweep with a 7-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates in front of 19,361 at PNC Park.

It’s the first sweep of 2025 for the Sox, who outscored the Pirates 27-7 over the three games. They are the final team in the majors to sweep a series this season.

“It’s great and regardless of the results it’s the way that we’ve been playing — playing hard, coming out with energy, that’s the most important thing,” manager Will Venable said. “Guys look rested, excited to be out there and that’s what we want, going out there and competing.”

It’s the club’s first sweep since Sept. 24-26 last season against the Los Angeles Angels, the team’s first road sweep since July 1-3, 2022, at San Francisco and their first three-game sweep against the Pirates since June 15-17, 2010, at PNC Park.

The Sox (35-65) are 3-0 out of the break for the first time since starting 5-0 following the 2005 All-Star Game.

All three games have had offensive outbursts.

Edgar Quero and Luis Robert Jr. hit solo home runs in Friday’s 10-1 victory. Tauchman had a three-run double while the Sox scored six runs in the sixth inning of Saturday’s 10-4 win. It was the first time the Sox scored 20-plus runs in the first two post-break games since 1977, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The production continued early on Sunday.

“Just coming out aggressive,” Venable said. “We talked coming out of the break that we have to make real changes in our approach to get to the fastball, the guys responded and did a great job.”

Chase Meidroth nearly led off the game with a home run to center, but had to settle for a double because of fan interference. Austin Slater walked. After Quero lined out hard to shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Vargas connected for the three-run home run to center field against Pirates starter Andrew Heaney.

Two pitches later, Tauchman hit his long home run to right. He became the 52nd different player to have a home run reach the Allegheny River (84th time overall).

“They all count the same but it’s nice to get one in the river,” Venable said.

Jim Thome (June 29, 2006) is the only other Sox player on that list.

“(Thome has) got a little more thump than me, but it’s cool,” Tauchman said.

Sox starter Aaron Civale had the 4-0 lead before he threw his first pitch.

“That’s huge — you go out there a little bit more comfortable but it’s not take the foot off the gas,” said Civale, who allowed one run (zero earned) on three hits with six strikeouts and one walk in six innings. “If anything, it’s be a little bit more aggressive. You’ve just got to pretend it’s no runs, but at the end of the day, you have a little bit of a cushion.”

The Sox built on that cushion in the fourth and fifth innings.

Robert singled, stole second, advanced to third on an error and scored on a single by Colson Montgomery, extending the Sox lead to 5-1 in the fourth. Robert scored seven runs in the series.

“Seeing him having good results is always good,” Vargas said.

Tauchman drove in two runs in the fifth with a double. He had six RBIs in the series.

“(Tauchman was) just ready to go,” Venable said. “We just watch him swing-and-miss at pitches and readjust, and get back to what he needs to do. And it’s just a professional hitter. He’s able to navigate at-bats, even when he’s not feeling good, he finds a way to have a good at-bat and put a good swing on a good pitch.”

Tauchman and Vargas both had three RBIs Sunday as the Sox extended their winning streak to three games, matching a season high (accomplished on two other occasions).

“I think it was a pretty complete team effort,” Tauchman said of the series. “The starting pitching was pretty good, the bullpen was lights out. Just passing the baton on offense, guys picking up each other with runners in scoring position, big hits with two outs, extended innings. Getting ourselves in good counts by laying off some tough pitches, you get better pitches to hit.

“That’s what winning looks like, what it’s supposed to look like.”

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