White Sox manager Will Venable appears to make one of the gaffes of the season in key game against Guardians

<p>One thing seemed certain Friday as the <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox" target="_blank" >White Sox</a> opened a homestand against the division-rival Guardians at Rate Field, fresh — make that bone-weary — off a bonkers 12-11, 13-inning loss in Boston in the second-longest major league game of the pitch-clock era (since 2023):</p><p>They needed starting pitcher Noah Schultz to hunker down and give them a bunch of innings.</p><p>Instead, Schultz got one out in a shaky first inning before his manager, Will Venable, committed what appeared to be the gaffe of the season — making a mound visit two batters after pitching coach Zach Bove went out there and, by rule, forcing Schultz’s removal from the game.</p><p>If that was part of the game plan, no one in the ballpark could have discerned it.</p><p>Venable later acknowledged the mistake during an in-game interview with Chicago Sports Network’s Brooke Fletcher.</p><div class="RelatedList Enhancement" data-module data-align-center> <div class="RelatedList-title">Related</div> <ul class="RelatedList-items"> <li class="RelatedList-items-item"> <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/08/07/white-sox-joey-bart-chris-murphy-edgar-quero-david-sandlin-mlb" target="_blank" >White Sox send C Joey Bart, LHP Chris Murphy to injured list; recall C Edgar Quero, RHP David Sandlin</a> </li> </ul> </div> <p></p>