Andrew Vaughn hits 2-run HR: White Sox beat Red Sox 8-4 to end worst road start in team history

BOSTON (AP) — Andrew Vaughn hit a two-run homer, pinch-hitter Edgar Quero added a go-ahead, two-run single and the Chicago White Sox snapped a six-game losing streak with an 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox Sunday, ending their worst road start in team history.

Matt Thaiss added two-run shot for Chicago, which lost its first eight road games.

Wilyer Abreu hit a three-run homer for the Red Sox, who had their four-game win streak halted.

After pinch-hitter Brooks Baldwin’s run-scoring safety squeeze sliced it to 4-3 in the seventh, Quero delivered his single up the middle.

Coming off the worst start by a Red Sox pitcher in nearly 63 years when he gave up 12 runs in just 2 1/3 innings at Tampa Bay on Monday, Tanner Houck allowed Thaiss’ wind-aided two-run homer in the first inning before putting up zero runs over the next five.

Brandon Eisert (1-0) got five outs to earn his first major-league victory.

Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly (1-1) didn’t retire a batter and was charged with three runs.

Abreu’s shot into Chicago’s bullpen off Sean Burke made it 3-2 in the first.

The 25-year-old Burke, who grew up an about an hour away in Sutton, Massachusetts, gave up four runs, one earned, over five innings.

Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks pitched in his first major league game since June 9, 2023, giving up Vaughn’s two-run homer in the eighth.

Houck lowered his ERA from 9.16 after his initial four starts to 7.66.

RHP Jonathan Cannon (0-2, 4.42 ERA) is set to start for the White Sox against Red Sox RHP Walker Buehler (2-1, 5.23) on Monday morning with a scheduled 11:10 a.m. first pitch in Boston’s annual Patriots’ Day game.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman, left, and Rafael Devers, right, celebrate after scoring on a three-run home run by Wilyer Abreu in the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Chicago White Sox's Sean Burke delivers a pitch to a Boston Red Sox batter in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Chicago White Sox's Jacob Amaya, right, steals second base as Boston Red Sox shortstop David Hamilton, left, tries to tag him in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Chicago White Sox's Sean Burke delivers a pitch to a Boston Red Sox batter in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Boston Red Sox's Tanner Houck winds up for a pitch to a Chicago White Sox batter in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Chicago White Sox's Edgar Quero hits a two-run single in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Four years after showing up late for the Beijing Olympics and missing one of his races because of a case of COVID-19, U.S. long track speedskater Casey Dawson is enjoying what he jokingly terms his “villain arc,” peaking at the right time ahead of the Milan Cortina Games.

Dawson secured a spot for next month in the men's 5,000 meters — an event he was forced to skip in 2022 while sick — by winning at that distance at the U.S. Olympic trials in 6 minutes, 12.857 seconds on Friday night.

“I actually got COVID two or three weeks before going to the competition. Tested positive for 50 straight tests,” said Dawson, a 25-year-old from Park City, Utah. “Couldn’t go over to the Games. I missed the opening ceremonies. Missed the 5,000 meters. Showed up 12 hours before my 1,500 meters. So I kind of got a little screwed over from that point of view. But this time around, I’m just looking forward to getting there smoothly and just getting a little bit of redemption.”

And then, with a chuckle, Dawson added: “It’s kind of fun to have, like, my villain arc, I would call it. Just coming back and having some fun.”

Ethan Cepuran was about 6 1/2 seconds back Friday, finishing next in 6:19.335.

The last American man to medal in the 5,000 at an Olympics was Chad Hedrick at the 2006 Turin Games.

Dawson already had secured the lone U.S. place for Milan in the men’s 10,000 — a race not being contested at these trials — and also will be part of the trio for men’s team pursuit at the Olympics.

Dawson, Cepuran and Emery Lehman took the bronze in that event in Beijing four years ago, set the world record in 2024 and claimed gold in the team pursuit at the world championships in March.

In the other race Friday, the women's 3,000, Greta Myers won in 4:06.799. As of now, the United States does not have a berth in Milan for that distance, but one of its athletes could end up in the field if another country relinquishes an opening.

“It's hard to wait,” said Myers, a 21-year-old from Lino Lakes, Minnesota. “But I'm very hopeful. I think it's at least a 50-50 chance that it'll happen.”

The U.S. Olympic roster for long track won't become official until the four-day trials at the Pettit National Ice Center wrap up on Monday. One element that could come into play is that the Americans are allowed to bring a maximum of eight men and six women to these Winter Games.

The biggest star of the team — and the sport — is scheduled to make his trials debut Saturday in the men's 1,000 meters: Jordan Stolz. The 21-year-old from Kewaskum, a town about 40 miles north of Milwaukee, is not just competing at home this week; he's racing at the same rink where he first began taking lessons as a kid.

He made his Olympic debut at age 17 in Beijing four years ago, finishing 13th in the 500 and 14th in the 1,000.

At both the 2023 and 2024 world championships, Stolz earned titles in each of the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters.

He's already pre-qualified for the Olympics based on performances at those three distances. All he really needs to do to lock down berths on the squad for the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Games is show up at the starting line this week.

The 500 and 1,500 are slated for Sunday, and the mass start is Monday.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Casey Dawson, of Park City, Utah, right, and Ethan Cepuran, of Glen Ellyn, lllinois, left, compete in the men's 5,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speed skating at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)

The Pettit National Ice Center is seen in Milwaukee on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, the first day of the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speedskating. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)