White Sox rally past Angels with 7-run 7th, highlighted by Murakami Munetaka's MLB-leading 12th homer

For the White Sox, the wait was definitely worth it.

After a three-hour rain delay and six innings of sleepwalking, the Sox rallied for seven runs in the seventh inning en route to an 8-7 victory against the Angels on Monday — and some of Tuesday — at Rate Field.

"The guys stayed locked in and did a really good job keeping the energy up," manager Will Venable said.

An announced crowd of 10,193 — and 821 dogs on Dog Day — whittled down to perhaps several hundred after the game, scheduled for 6:40 p.m., was delayed by an inbound storm. But those who stuck around were treated to the Sox' highest-scoring inning since July 30, when they also scored seven against the Phillies.

Trailing 5-1, the Sox sent 10 batters to the plate, two of whom homered back-to-back — Munetaka Murakami, whose towering three-run homer to right field put the Sox up 7-5, and Miguel Vargas. It was the second time this season the Sox hit consecutive homers.

"With runners on second and third, I just wanted to hit it in front and get something out of it. That's what I did," Murakami said through an interpreter. "I didn't think it was going out, but somehow it went out."

Seven hitters reached base in the seventh before the Angels recorded an out. Sam Antonacci started it off by reaching on shortstop Zach Neto's error. After Chase Meidroth reached on a bunt, Antonacci scored on Tristan Peters' single. Edgar Quero was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Andrew Benintendi drove in two with a double. Murakami followed with his major-league-leading 12th homer. Vargas then launched his sixth, a line drive to left.

The outburst bailed out left-handed starter Anthony Kay, who followed his worst outing of the season with another clunker, allowing four runs and seven hits in four innings. Osvaldo Bido earned a well-deserved victory, keeping the Angels within striking distance by allowing only a solo homer in three innings.

"Bido was the player of the game for me," Venable said. "In that spot, down four, [he] was able to keep us in the game, give these guys a chance offensively to do their thing and make a run. Credit to Bido for pounding the zone, attacking those guys and keeping us in the ballgame."

Peters also contributed significantly with several fine catches in center field, two hard-hit singles and aggressive baserunning, taking third on Quero's single and scoring on Benintendi's fielder's choice in the fifth.

"Defensively, he was all over the place," Venable said. "He's done a great job of taking what the pitcher's giving him, hitting the ball hard. Today was a great game for him."

The game almost got away from the Sox in the ninth, when the Angels scored twice and had the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with two outs. Venable had summoned Grant Taylor in the eighth to get out of a jam with two runners on and one out. The first batter he faced in the ninth reached on Colson Montgomery's error, and Taylor ended up throwing more pitches than the Sox wanted, allowing two doubles and a single in the process.

"You get up around 30 pitches, that's more than we wanted to go," Venable said. "The plan was just one inning from him, but in that situation in the eighth with two guys on, [we] wanted to douse it with Grant and hope that he gave us everything he could in the ninth. But we had to make a change for the last out."

That belonged to Bryan Hudson, who induced Adam Frazier to ground out to earn the save and end the game just after 12:30 a.m.