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KANSAS CITY, Mo. \u2014 Have the White Sox<\/a> got some beef on the barbecue in Kansas City?<\/p>\n Starter Anthony Kay<\/b> sure thinks so.<\/p>\n \u201cThose guys like to chirp a little bit, it seems like,\u201d Kay said after staring down Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone<\/b>, who initiated some cold, hard eye contact on the way to first base after taking a 94 mph pitch high and inside during the Sox\u2019 2-0 win Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to take that anymore,\u201d Kay declared after touching 98 mph and looking sharp in his first MLB win since 2021<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re going to go right at them.\u201d<\/p>\n Those might sound like fighting words that could heat up their American League Central rivalry \u2014 but Caglianone downplayed the potential for any divisional dustup.<\/p>\n \u201cNo malice or ill intent behind it,\u201d Caglianone said in the home clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium the day after his mean-mugging.<\/p>\n The official scorer ruled the 23-year-old was plunked by Kay\u2019s sinker, \u201cbut I didn\u2019t get hit.\u201d He would\u2019ve gotten a free pass either way on the 3-1 pitch well out of the zone.<\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t swinging it well\u2026 I wasn\u2019t sitting there thinking that he was doing it on purpose,\u201d Caglianone said of Kay, who hit Royals catcher Salvador Perez<\/b> with an 86 mph sweeper in the first inning. \u201cThere was a guy on first.\u2029I was just moreso trying to be like a little spark plug, see if I could get the guys fired up.\u201d<\/p>\n Caglianone, a World Baseball Classic teammate of the Sox\u2019 Kyle Teel<\/b> and Sam Antonacci<\/b> for Italy, shrugged off Kay\u2019s pointed reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw what he said last night, and I was just like, it\u2019s not that deep,\u201d said Caglianone, who struck out in his first two at-bats against the lefty. \u201cFrustrated? I mean, yeah, obviously, he got me twice. So you know, not happy with myself.\u201d<\/p>\n The Royals\u2019 2024 first-round draft pick said there\u2019s \u201cnothing out of the baseball norm\u201d in their rivalry, which has been one-sided since before Caglianone\u2019s debut last season. Entering Friday\u2019s game, KC had feasted on the Sox to a 24-5 record since September 2023.<\/p>\n And Caglianone\u2019s not looking for any feud in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got a lot of firepower in that bullpen. Wouldn\u2019t want to take on one the ribs from Grant Taylor<\/b>,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n Manager Will Venable<\/b> agreed there was no new bad blood entering his second year on the job.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looked like some of the guys had a problem with Caglianone getting hit yesterday, which I can assure you was not intentional,\u201d said Venable, who still liked seeing some fire from his pitcher.<\/p>\n \u201cHe takes pride in being on this team. He\u2019s going to have all the guys\u2019 backs,\u201d Venable said. \u201cI love that response.\u201d<\/p>\n Sox fans hoping to get their hands on a South Side-branded pope hat had their prayers answered Friday as the team announced they\u2019re expanding the papal promo<\/u><\/a> for all ticketholders to the Aug. 11 home game versus the Reds due to \u201coverwhelming\u201d demand.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fans have spoken, and unlike some of our more limited quantity promotions, the White Sox Pope Hat is one we believe all fans should have the opportunity to take home,\u201d the Sox\u2019 chief marketing officer, Brooks Boyer, said in a statement.<\/p>\n The Sox\u2019 most famous fan, Dolton native Pope Leo XIV<\/b>, probably won\u2019t be in attendance, but he\u2019s got an open invitation<\/u><\/a> to Rate Field.<\/p>\nPope hats for all<\/b><\/h3>\n