Luis Robert’s walk-off puts him in same conversation as Sammy Sosa

The White Sox are looking to win now despite their young core

With the trade deadline on Monday, the White Sox continue to answer every test thrust in their direction. On Sunday, they completed a series win against the lowly Royals — and have now won four of their last five games — to put themselves squarely in the conversation of buyers at said deadline. The Sox are tied for the AL Central lead with the Cleveland Indians, and the crowded division makes for an intriguing race to the finish in what’s already been a drama-filled shortened season.

Luis Robert sealed the win in extras, hitting a towering fly ball on a first-pitch strike out of the ballpark.

Robert joined rare company, hitting a walk-off home run for the White Sox at just 23 years old

Per Sarah Langs, “Luis Robert is the youngest White Sox player with a walk-off home run since a 22 year, 176 day-old Sammy Sosa on May 7, 1991.”

Despite his rumored steroid use, being in the same conversation as Sosa — even in his White Sox days — is a good thing.

Chicago’s next series against the division rival Minnesota Twins looms large in the Central race. Minnesota was swept by Detroit over the weekend, and now sits 1.5 games back.

“We’re definitely going into that series and looking for a win and looking to go out and be dominant on both sides of the ball and continue to grow, and continue to learn and continue to back our pitchers up and continue to just keep going,” Tim Anderson said Saturday, per the Chicago Sun-Times. “We’re definitely looking forward to it and we’re going to come out with a lot of energy as usual and just keep rallying around each other.”

The White Sox may be a little ahead of schedule, but if there’s any season to prematurely buy in to your team’s chances, it’s this one for Rick Hahn.