CHICAGO — Circle this one. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way. Ignited by a relentless band of rookies, the Tigers shook off a horrendous start, overcame deficits of 6-1 and 8-2 and, almost inconceivably, pulled out a character-validating 11-8 win over the White Sox on Friday, Sept. 18, at Rate Field. Hao-Yu Lee, one of seven rookies in the Tigers’ lineup, drove a two-run home run ...

The Detroit Tigers' Kevin McGonigle drops his bat after hitting an RBI triple during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Chicago.

Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images North America/TNS

CHICAGO — Circle this one. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way.

Ignited by a relentless band of rookies, the Tigers shook off a horrendous start, overcame deficits of 6-1 and 8-2 and, almost inconceivably, pulled out a character-validating 11-8 win over the White Sox on Friday, Sept. 18, at Rate Field.

Hao-Yu Lee, one of seven rookies in the Tigers’ lineup, drove a two-run home run over the right-field fence off lefty Sean Newcomb to tie the game at 8 in what turned into a game-flipping, five-run eighth inning.

After Lee’s blast, Kevin McGonigle walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and went to third on Gleyber Torres’ hard single to right.

John Peck was inserted to run for Torres and promptly got picked off first for the second out. No worries. Dillon Dingler picked him up with an RBI single to right and Riley Greene launched his 21st homer of the year, a 413-foot, two-run blast to right to cap it off.

Kenley Jansen closed it out, earning his 21st save of the season and 497th in his career.

It was refuse-to-lose baseball at its best. The Tigers (73-81) did not concede an inch even after giving up six unearned runs in the first inning.

They scored a run in the first on a two-out double by Colt Keith and a two-base wild pitch by White Sox starter David Sandlin. Catcher Kyle Teel couldn’t locate ball and Keith never stopped running.

They scored again in the top of the third on a double by Eduardo Valencia and a single by McGonigle.

In the fifth, they loaded the bases against Sandlin with no outs and McGonigle sent them all home with a triple off the wall in right center. Right fielder Tristan Peters crashed into one of the support beams in the fence, hitting his head and neck at an awkward angle.

He left the game.

As did Sandlin, who was replaced by lefty Hagen Smith. Smith walked Torres, but he ended the inning striking out pinch-hitter Dingler, Greene and Spencer Torkelson.

Lee, who had a four-hit game, drove a two-out double to right field to score Max Clark from first base in the sixth to make a two-run game.

They nearly made it a one-run game in the seventh.

Reliever Jordan Hicks walked Greene and Torkelson with two outs. Manager AJ Hinch was in a position to create two favorable matchups. He sent up lefty Brett Callahan against the righty Hicks.

As Hinch suspected, White Sox manager Will Venable countered with lefty Newcomb. Hinch then recalled Callahan and sent up righty Javier Báez.

Báez delivered a bullet single to right. But he hit it too hard. Third base coach Billy Boyer waved Greene home, even though right-fielder Brandon Montgomery short-hopped Báez’s drive before he got to third base.

Montgomery’s throw home was on target and in plenty of time.

Undeterred, they completed their charge in the eighth.

Impressive resiliency, especially after such a brutal first inning. Rookie Andrew Sears, making his third big league start, had two outs and a runner at first when things took a sudden turn off a cliff.

He walked Munetaka Murakami, threw a wild pitch to advance both runners. Torres booted a ball at second. Sears hit Teel. Lee booted a ball at third and Colton Montgomery delivered the only hit Sears allowed.

It was a three-run double.

When Sears walked Peters, it was his 37th and final pitch. In two-thirds of an inning, he was charged with six unearned runs.

The inning ended on a double to left by Miguel Vargas. Peters was thrown out at the plate on a well-executed relay from Greene to McGonigle to Valencia.

Vargas slugged his 32nd home run of the season against Beau Brieske in the third, a two-out, two-strike two-run moonshot to left.

Tigers’ relievers Brant Hurter (1 2/3 innings), Tyler Kinley (1 1/3 innings) and Drew Sommers (two) kept the White Sox off the board through the eighth while the Tigers clawed their way back into the game. Sommers struck out five of the six batters he faced in two clean innings.

The loss drops the White Sox a full game behind the AL Central Division-leading Cleveland Guardians.