The White Sox found yet another creative way to lose Tuesday night, with a ninth-inning popup literally bouncing off their second baseman’s head in a brutal 4-3 loss to the Royals.
Chicago took a slim 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, positioning themselves for a much-needed victory. That’s when things went sideways in spectacularly painful fashion.
Mark Canha led off with a single for Kansas City, bringing Drew Waters to the plate. Waters hit what should’ve been a routine popup in the infield – the kind of ball that gets caught 999 times out of 1,000 in the major leagues.
But second baseman Chase Meidroth completely lost track of it. The ball didn’t just miss his glove – it landed squarely on top of his head before falling to the ground. Waters reached safely, and the Royals suddenly had two runners on with nobody out.
This is how the winning run got on base against the White Sox tonight pic.twitter.com/vD72Q2vYNS
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 7, 2025
The situation deteriorated quickly from there. A bunt single loaded the bases before Kyle Isbel popped out for the first out. Jonathan India then delivered an infield single to tie the game 3-3.
That set the stage for Bobby Witt Jr., who crushed a deep fly ball over the centerfielder’s head and toward the warning track. The hit officially goes down as a single since the game ended when the runner from third crossed the plate, but it would’ve likely been extra bases in any other situation.
Would the outcome have been different if Meidroth had made that catch? It’s impossible to know for sure. The Royals still had eight outs to work with, and Witt’s blast might have scored multiple runs anyway.
What we do know is that a routine popup bouncing off a player’s head led directly to a walk-off loss. For a White Sox team that’s endured a brutal season, it’s just the latest in a series of painful defeats – though this one might sting a bit more literally than most.
