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Randy Dobnak Opens Up After White Sox Clinch at Kauffman Stadium
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- Randy Dobnak Opens Up After White Sox Clinch at Kauffman Stadium
(William Purnell-Imagn Images)
The Chicago White Sox locked up a playoff spot at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday afternoon, and pitcher Randy Dobnak was quick to take the blame for his part in it.
The Kansas City Royals lost 9-1, and Chicago scored six runs against Dobnak in the first two innings on the way to the win.
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That result guaranteed the White Sox no worse than a wild card spot, and they will be back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
First Two Innings
Chicago went after Dobnak right away, as he made a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt and threw a wild pitch in the first inning, and third baseman Miguel Vargas singled in the first run before the White Sox added two more to lead 3-0.
The second inning brought the play that stuck with Dobnak.
With right fielder Braden Montgomery on second base, Dobnak threw to first on a pickoff attempt with nobody covering the bag, and the throw went for his second error as Montgomery scored easily from second .
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Vargas singled in another run and a force out made it 6-0 before pitcher Anthony Gose replaced him.
Dobnak lasted 1.1 innings and allowed six runs, four of them earned, on six hits, and his ERA rose to 3.51.
Dobnak Takes the Blame
Dobnak explained that the pickoff play was supposed to go to second base, not first, when he talked after the game .
"As far as I'm aware, I don't know if I've even practiced that with the Royals yet. But that's on me, I got to know what to do."
Owning it was the right move.
He came to Kansas City in a June trade with Seattle for cash, and he gave the Royals real innings when they needed them, with a 3.51 ERA across 15 games and 13 starts.
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The finish was not pretty, since he gave up four earned runs in each of his last two starts, but a bad afternoon in September should not wipe out what he did over the summer.
The Royals will need arms like his next year.
Starter Cole Ragans is still recovering from a UCL repair on his left elbow in July, and the team is still sorting through its rotation depth behind him.
Dobnak showed enough over the summer to earn a look in spring training, even if this start is the one people remember.
One More Chance to Play Spoiler
Kansas City is 68-91 and has lost nine of its last 11 games, even with a win over Chicago on Wednesday night that pushed the clinch back a day.
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The last three games still matter to the teams around them.
Cleveland is 83-76 and leads the White Sox by one game in the American League Central, but Chicago owns the tiebreaker after winning the season series 7-6 .
The Guardians come to Kauffman Stadium starting Friday night, with starter Noah Cameron on the mound for the Royals.
That gives this team one more chance to shape the race in its own division.
A strong weekend against Cleveland would not fix a long season, but it would be a better way to finish than Thursday was.
