MLB open thread
Monday, May 4, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
April 29, 2025: The White Sox yank struggling shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery from Triple-A Charlotte and send him to their Arizona training complex to retool his swing, an ominous exclamation point on a horrendous 5-21 April for the big-league team.
April 29, 2026: Heart-of-the-order slugger Montgomery hits a walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning to seal a series sweep and a surprisingly respectable 13-13 first full calendar month of the season.
Those dates represent quite a change for a rebuilding club finally showing the first signs of significant progress in the win column early in Year 3 of general manager Chris Getz’s overhaul. […]
Add in a steady stream of promising rookies — hello, Aurora native Noah Schultz — and suddenly the Sox are worth watching again.
“We’ve been pretty adamant on the way we’re starting to establish ourselves, and that goes into the way we run the bases, the way we prepare ourselves before games,” Springfield-born grinder Sam Antonacci said after keeping his team alive with a two-out RBI triple in the ninth inning in the victory Wednesday against the Angels.
I can feel my own longstanding grudge against ownership finally starting to lift. Right now, I’m looking forward to attending games after spring session ends.
* How’s your team doing?
- Sox Fan - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 11:32 am:
Going to Sox games has been a great time this year. Night and day from the last few years (although last year was when the change started). Players are fighting out tough at bats, saving extra bases with heads up hustle plays, and legging out bloopy infield singles with good speed.
If we can keep the core together, could be more fun to come. Ishbia buying this team can’t happen fast enough.
- ChicagoVinny - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 11:34 am:
I don’t know Rich, I can hold a grudge a long time.
They are still a slightly below average team, we just have low expectations.
- RiverNorthGuy - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 11:37 am:
Cubs just keep on winning despite ongoing pitching injuries. The bats have largely been excellent, and I may be sold on Ballesteros despite initially thinking he’d be a AAAA guy. He still could be that, but early returns are very encouraging.
I grew up in Central Illinois, where the Cardinals are the Cubs main rival, so I don’t have the same dislike for the Sox as some who were raised in Chicagoland. Glad to see the White Sox are fun again, even if they aren’t yet good. They’re absolutely trending the right direction, and Sox fans should be excited.
Baseball in Chicago is more enjoyable when both teams are doing well and/or playing fun baseball.
- TreeFiddy - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 11:40 am:
For being in a rebuild, this is the most fun I’ve had watching the Cardinals in a number of years. The pitching is still pretty suspect, but the offense looks sustainable, and it’s been fun to watch young talent get a chance to play every day and show they’re a part of the future.
- JS Mill - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 11:41 am:
For the first time ever (two seasons ago) I quit watching the Sox and baseball. I mean completely. I just couldn’t do it. Same thing last year. I am considering ending my boycott. But my attitude toward ownership has not changed.
- MadCo disease - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 11:42 am:
Better than expected, and much better than all the haters and losers predicted preseason. I anticipate a correction but the young guys are playing great baseball and are fun to watch so far. #STLCards
- Google is Your Friend - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 11:42 am:
In MLB, the Cubs are tied for fourth in home runs, third in wins, second in runs scored, tied for the lead in walks drawn, and stand alone atop the majors in OBP and OPS+.
- Rich Miller - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 11:47 am:
===we just have low expectations===
Gotta start somewhere, and for the past three years they didn’t wanna start.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 12:17 pm:
Let’s go White Sox [banned punctuation]. Getz was hired under bad circumstances, but you have to give him some credit now. What a mistake by the rest of the league in not offering Murakami a better contract than the Sox did too. It seemed like a lot of executives feel in love with obsessing ober Mune’s strickout rate, and thought they could chisel him into an unfair contract because of it. Dude is a beast though, and I am happy the Sox took advantage of the opportunity.
- Tom - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 12:29 pm:
Nice to see hometown boy Sam Antonacci on the Sox. Murakami is a beast. Let’s hope they continue to do well on the West Coast road trip. As Rich said, you have to start somewhere. Go Sox.
- Oldtimer - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 12:30 pm:
Springfield native and SHG alum Sam Antonacci was called up by the Sox early in the season and is getting chances to play both 2B and LF.
- Annon'in - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 12:47 pm:
Cards doing very well with retooled, low budget team. Got 2 of 3 from Dodgers, Sox on rebound too. Haven’t noticed did Cubs field a team this year?
The SHG kid is really having fun too.
Maybe a Cards v. Sox World series. That would be a hoot.
- Frida's Boss - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 12:51 pm:
The White Sox have been a fun watch this year. Games at Comiskey were always fun, even when the team was terrible. This year, the fan base seems different at home games, as if they might actually win. I know it’s only May 4, but it could be a fun summer going to games where they have a chance to win instead of going because tickets were so cheap, and you get to see the other teams’ stars play.
- Perhaps - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 1:16 pm:
Sox are fun to watch. Vastly improved with tremendous energy.
Reinsdorff is still a horrible owner that that needs to sell both the Sox and Bulls. The Bulls are a train wreck with no direction at all.
- JB13 - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 1:49 pm:
The NL Central is off the charts insane this year. At least two teams that are significantly out over their skis, based on run differential and other metrics, so should play to form at some point.
But my goodness, it is shaping up to be an exhausting summer and fall for Cubs fans.
P.S. Also would have been nice if the Brewers had played *this* version of the White Sox to open the season. But such is the way of things
- levivoted4judy - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 2:26 pm:
I started the season with pretty low expectations. The Cardinals were in rebuilding mode and the Sox looked like they were going to have another 100 loss season. They are both within spitting distance of 1st place in their divisions right now. So I’m not going to go into deep analysis, I’m just going to enjoy this for as long as it lasts. But if the Cards are in it late, they could force management to rent some pitching.
- H-W - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 2:53 pm:
I was pleasantly surprised to see the National teams more-or-less beating up on the American teams in the first couple weeks devoted to inter-league play. That said, I am a Cards fan, and will wait until the all-star break before getting my hopes up. The last few years, we have raced out to being five games over, and then stayed there all year.
But the Cubs fans ought to be happy. Fives weeks in and they are still atop the division.
- G'Kar - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 3:38 pm:
For the last decade I’ve always had low expectations for the Buccos. But this year I am cautiously optimistic. The starting pitching has been solid, O’Neil Cruz is learning to hit, and Konner Griffin looks like he is the real deal.
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 4:10 pm:
Guardians are about where I thought they would be right now,a few games above .500
White Sox are a surprise so far this year,they’re bot that bad.
- RNUG - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 4:14 pm:
Cubbies doing good for now.
Ask me again in July …
- Rounding Numbers and Bases - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 4:32 pm:
Chicago Baseball has been fun to watch to start the season. Hope the trend continues.
- Boone Logan Square - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 6:58 pm:
Murakami is so much fun. I like when the Sox are fun.
- Going for the Green - Monday, May 4, 26 @ 7:40 pm:
==the Sox are worth watching==
They should be, if they expect people to pay to watch them on cable.
Of course a few years ago, you could catch one or two Sox (and Cubs) games a week on WGN. Some Bulls and Blackhawks games were on in the winter. Now it’s cable only for those teams.
Makes one wonder about the impact on the working-class fan base. How do you become a fan of a team that you never see?
But of course the teams are most interested in those who can afford the tickets and the merch.