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Wednesday, Apr. 26 8:05pm ET
Frank's on first: Thomas slams O's | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- Frank Thomas usually doesn't do curtain calls. But the fans were on their feet screaming for him after he hit a grand slam. The Chicago White Sox's bat boy urged him to come back out. Even manager Jerry Manuel told Thomas to take a bow. After two rough years, the Thomas Love Fest is back on. "I really wasn't paying attention and Jerry told me, 'They're calling for you,"' Thomas said after the White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 11-6 Wednesday night. "I don't really like to go out and show up the other guys. But tonight, I tipped my cap for the crowd." It was the seventh victory in eight games for the White Sox, who are off to their best start since the 1973 club went 15-5. Thomas' ovation was well earned. He finished the night 1-for-3 with five RBI, getting a sacrifice fly in the eighth. He also displayed some nifty defense in his return to first base, getting the first out with a diving catch. Thomas, battling tendinitis in his right foot, hadn't played first base since April 9. "I'm glad to see Frank back at first, enjoying the ballgame, where he should be," Manuel said. "Frank is an outstanding defensive player. He has great hands for a big man." Whether he likes it or not, Thomas has always put up better numbers when he's playing first. He's a career .337 hitter at first, compared with .290 as a designated hitter. He won both his MVPs as an everyday first baseman. And his slump the last two years? Came when he was primarily DH-ing. Thomas went back to first without complaint in spring training, but moved to DH on April 11 because of tendinitis. Manuel decided to put him back at first after watching Thomas in a rundown Tuesday night. "I saw him scamper back and forth," Manuel said before the game. "I said, 'That looks like a big first baseman over there, he can do some things."' And Thomas didn't disappoint. After Sidney Ponson (2-1) walked Jose Valentin to load the bases in the bottom of the fourth, Thomas sent an 0-1 pitch rocketing into left-center for the grand slam. It was his fifth homer of the year, and his first grand slam since July 31, 1998, at Texas. Thomas, who occasionally heard boos last year, acknowledged the crowd with a wave and an embarrassed smile. He got another big cheer when he ran onto the field in the top of the fifth. "I don't want to live in the past anymore," he said. "I'm happy to see the fans standing and cheering." Ponson gave up nine runs -- eight of them earned -- on seven hits in four innings. After giving up a team-record-tying 35 homers last season, he's already given up six in his first five starts. Kip Wells (2-2) gave up six runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He also gave up three home runs. "You can never win a ball game when you get behind hitters," Ponson said. "I don't make excuses. I pitched a bad game. I got hit." Thomas' big homer overshadowed Harold Baines' 2,800th hit. Baines, who played for the White Sox for almost 12 years and already has his number retired by the club, reached the milestone with a solo home run in the third. "Not too many people talk about 2,800, do they?" Baines said. Carlos Lee hit a three-run homer in the second and Herbert Perry followed with a solo shot as Chicago took a 4-0 lead. It was the first hit and homer in a Chicago uniform for Perry, who was claimed off waivers Friday and made his first start Wednesday. Baltimore answered with its own power surge in the third as Delino DeShields hit a three-run homer. Mike Bordick hit a two-run homer in the sixth, but it wasn't enough to match Thomas. "It was a good night," Thomas said. "They came back on us, but we kept going." Game notesDeShields was charged with his first error of the season when he bobbled a throw in the second inning. ... Ray Durham drove in two runs. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Baltimore Clubhouse Chi. White Sox Clubhouse RECAPS NY Yankees 2 Minnesota 0
Chi. White Sox 11
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