Will Venable: White Sox’ enjoyment playing together making difference in results

Outfielder Derek Hill played for five other major-league clubs before joining the White Sox in September. Though none of them finished above .500 in his time with them, his remark Tuesday about the Sox still was notable.

“This is the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball. It’s incredible,” Hill said. “Every guy’s pulling from the same side. Whoever gets called up, traded over here, doesn’t matter.”

Hill said that after hitting a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and making a diving catch in the ninth, so maybe he was just caught up in the moment. Besides, many of the Sox’ players only know of losing with the organization, which has endured three consecutive 100-plus-loss seasons. How much fun could they possibly have?

But listening to others in the clubhouse, there might be something to Hill’s comments.

“I love my teammates here,” second baseman Chase Meidroth said. “We know what we’re playing for. It’s a lot more than for ourselves. We’re playing for each other. The energy is natural. It’s easy when you come to this locker room [because] you know you got this group of guys.”

Manager Will Venable thinks that’s one reason for the Sox’ revival, which had them within one game of .500 entering Wednesday for the third time this season. It also had them at 20 wins, which they didn’t reach last season until June 5 (20-43).

“I think that makes a very big difference,” Venable said of the players’ enjoyment playing with each other. “It helps these guys hold each other accountable, give each other energy every day and communicate well. We’re seeing it show up in everything that they do.

“It really started from day one, in everything that we do, it comes up that they believe in each other. Everything that we do in meetings on the field, we talk about games afterwards, I just get the sense that that connection is what’s making the difference.”

AL Central parity

The Sox entered Wednesday in second place, 1½ games behind the first-place Guardians, in a tightly packed American League Central. All five teams were separated by three games. Venable was asked whether he thought the division would stay so close.

“I have no idea. Teams go on runs,” he said. “You think about us and the fact that we’ve played five games against our divisional opponents, and it’s all against [the Royals]. So I really don’t have a good feel for the division outside just the records.

“We’ve got a long way to go. We’re excited no one has run off with it yet. We’ll just keep doing our thing.”

The Sox finally will face a division foe other than the Royals on May 25, when they open a seven-game homestand with the Twins and Tigers.

Notes

The game Wednesday was delayed in the fourth inning to treat a fan who had fallen into the Royals’ bullpen beyond the right-field wall. The fan was transported to a hospital for more treatment.

• Jen Pawol worked the plate, making her the first woman to call balls and strikes for an MLB game in Chicago.

• Catcher Kyle Teel went 1-for-4 with a run scored, a walk and a strikeout batting third as the designated hitter in his second injury rehab outing for Triple-A Charlotte. He homered in his first game Tuesday.

• Right-hander Prelander Berroa, who has been on the injured list since having Tommy John surgery in March 2025, was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League.