Jake Rogers hits a game-ending homer as the White Sox rally past the Mets 6-4

CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Rogers hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off Jefry Yan with two out in the ninth inning, and the Chicago White Sox topped the New York Mets 6-4 on Friday night.

Colson Montgomery opened the ninth with a walk, and pinch-runner Braden Montgomery advanced on Brenton Doyle's sacrifice bunt. One batter later, Rogers drove a 98.1 mph fastball deep to center for his first homer since he was claimed off waivers from Boston last week.

Yan (1-1), known for his high-flying celebrations on the mound, was charged with his first loss in his seventh major league game.

Miguel Vargas, Randal Grichuk and Colson Montgomery hit back-to-back-to-back homers for Chicago in the sixth. Grant Taylor (5-2) got three outs for the win.

The AL Central leaders had dropped three of four.

Bo Bichette homered for New York, and Brett Baty had two hits and two RBIs. Marcus Semien contributed a run-scoring single.

The last-place Mets had won five of six.

New York jumped to a 4-0 lead. Luis Robert Jr. was credited with a double when Doyle misplayed his flyball to center in the fourth, and Baty followed with a liner to right for a two-run double. Bichette added a two-out solo drive in the fifth.

Sean Manaea pitched shutout ball for the Mets before running into trouble in the sixth. With Munetaka Murakami aboard after a one-out walk, Vargas hit a drive to left for his 29th homer. Grichuk went deep for his 11th on the season, and Montgomery tied it at 4 with his 27th of the year.

It was the second time this season that Chicago hit back-to-back-to-back homers. Murakami, Vargas and Montgomery also pulled off the feat in the second inning of an 11-5 win at Arizona on April 21.

RHP Christian Scott (4-3, 3.51 ERA) starts for New York on Saturday night, and RHP Luis Castillo (4-9, 4.99 ERA) pitches for Chicago.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

New York Mets pitcher Jefry Yan, right, and catcher Francisco Alvarez, left, interact while walking toward the mound during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Chicago White Sox's Miguel Vargas gestures after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Chicago White Sox's Jake Rogers gestures while running the bases after hitting a walkoff home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Chicago White Sox's Jake Rogers (28) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

New York Mets' Jared Young (29) celebrates in the dugout after scoring during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea reacts during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Chicago White Sox pitcher Sean Burke throws to a New York Mets batter during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Chicago White Sox shortstop Luisangel Acuña throws to first base during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Robert Jr. looks back at his time with the Chicago White Sox as “a beautiful journey.”

Robert faced his first big league team for the first time when he returned to Chicago with the New York Mets on Friday. He went 1 for 3 with a walk and scored a run during New York's 6-4 loss in the opener of a weekend series.

There was a mixture of cheers and boos when Robert was announced with the lineup before the game, batting sixth and making his second career start in left field. The White Sox showed Robert on their main scoreboard before the second inning, welcoming him back to his longtime home, and Robert took his hat off before waving to the cheering crowd.

He was booed when he came to the plate in the second, but there were more cheers when he struck out swinging on three pitches.

The 29-year-old Robert played for the White Sox for six seasons before he was traded to the Mets in January for infielder Luisangel Acuña and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley. Robert helped the White Sox make the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, but his final years with the team were marked by injuries and inconsistency.

“It was a time where there were a lot of highs and lows, both personally as a player, but also for the team,” Robert said through a translator. “When I first got here, the team played really well. But those last few years, we didn’t get the job in the way that we wanted to. But at the same time, I can look back at it as a beautiful journey, as a beautiful experience for me.”

The matchup with the White Sox was Robert's 50th game in his first season with the Mets. He was on the injured list with a lumbar spine disc herniation from April 27 to July 20.

He is batting a career-low .217 with seven homers and 19 RBIs. He connected for a 451-foot solo drive on July 21 at Milwaukee.

“I think this season has been pretty similar to how other parts of my career have gone, where I’ve been hurt, where I've been off the field,” Robert said, “but I think right now the most important thing for me is to finish the season strong.”

Robert made his major league debut with Chicago in 2020, winning a Gold Glove in center field and finishing second to Kyle Lewis in balloting for AL Rookie of the Year. He made the AL All-Star team in 2023, when he hit .264 with 38 homers, 80 RBIs and 20 steals in 145 games.

But Robert hasn't been able to build on the promise he showed at the beginning of his career. He had a career-best 33 steals in 110 games in his final year with Chicago, but he hit just .223 with 14 homers and 53 RBIs.

“He’s kind of been built back from kind of having some injuries earlier in the season,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said. “Hasn’t been out there every single day because of that. Out of nowhere, it’s 110 mile an hour (opposite-field) home run. It’s insane power. It’s a great athlete.”

The White Sox lost 324 games over Robert's last three seasons with the team. But they are in position to make the playoffs this year, leading the AL Central by 3 1/2 games over Minnesota going into Friday's action. The Mets were last in the NL East after beginning the season with World Series aspirations.

Robert said he still keeps track of how the White Sox are doing, and he isn't surprised by their results so far this year.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” he said. “Before I got traded in the offseason, I saw the moves that they were making and the necessary moves to improve the team and that’s what they were doing.”

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

New York Mets' Luis Robert Jr., center, speaks to media before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)