The White Sox dropped Game 4 of the American League Division Series to Cleveland, 9-5, on Thursday at Rate Field, setting up a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday. Even in defeat, Miguel Vargas made a bit of postseason history.

Batting third, the All-Star third baseman homered, drove in a run, scored twice, and drew three walks. That combination of power and patience made him the first player in ALDS history with at least one homer and three walks in the same game, per Stathead. Max Muncy did it in a National League Division Series game for the Dodgers in Game 1 against Atlanta on Oct. 4, 2018.

Vargas is also the only player to do it in this year’s postseason. Per Stathead, only nine hitters before him had done it anywhere in MLB playoff history.

The full list: players with a homer and 3+ walks in a postseason game

• Babe Ruth, Yankees: Oct. 10, 1926 vs. St. Louis, World Series Game 7 (HR, 4 BB)
• Lou Gehrig, Yankees: Oct. 9, 1928 at St. Louis, World Series Game 4 (HR, 3 BB)
• Eddie Murray, Orioles: Oct. 7, 1983 vs. White Sox, ALCS Game 3 (HR, 3 BB)
• Mike Piazza, Mets: Oct. 12, 2000 vs. St. Louis, NLCS Game 2 (HR, 3 BB)
• Barry Bonds, Giants: Oct. 12, 2002 vs. St. Louis, NLCS Game 3 (HR, 3 BB), and Oct. 20, 2002 vs. Anaheim, World Series Game 2 (HR, 3 BB)
• Carlos Beltrán, Astros: Oct. 14, 2004 vs. St. Louis, NLCS Game 2 (HR, 3 BB)
• George Springer, Astros: Oct. 29, 2017 vs. Dodgers, World Series Game 5 (HR, 3 BB)
• Max Muncy, Dodgers: Oct. 4, 2018 vs. Atlanta, NLDS Game 1 (HR, 3 BB), and Oct. 16, 2024 vs. Mets, NLCS Game 3 (HR, 3 BB)
  Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: Oct. 17, 2024 vs. Mets, NLCS Game 4 (HR, 3 BB), and Oct. 27, 2025 vs. Toronto, World Series Game 3 (2 HR, 5 BB)
• Miguel Vargas, White Sox: Oct. 8, 2026 vs. Cleveland, ALDS Game 4 (HR, 3 BB)

It’s an exclusive group. Five of the names are in Cooperstown (Ruth, Gehrig, Murray, Piazza, and Beltrán), while Bonds, Muncy, and Ohtani have each done it twice.

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Another franchise legend in the mix

Miguel Vargas also became the fourth player with at least nine walks in his first six career postseason games. One of the other three is a White Sox icon: Frank Thomas, who drew 10 walks in his first six playoff games, all against Toronto in the 1993 ALCS. The others are Jim Wynn (Dodgers, 1974, 11 walks) and Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich (2018, nine walks).

Power and plate discipline

The through line is the same one that carried Vargas through the regular season: he recognizes pitches, works counts, and refuses to chase out of the zone. In October, when pitchers are sharper and one mistake can decide a series, that kind of selectivity creates traffic on the bases. It also forces opposing arms to throw more pitches, and it pairs with real pop to keep constant pressure on a defense.

White Sox hitting coach Derek Shomon laid out the profile to the Chicago Sun-Times on June 3. Vargas, he said, brings three strong tools to the box: contact ability, good swing decisions, and the power to do damage.

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Who is Miguel Vargas?

Born Nov. 17, 1999, in Havana, Cuba, Miguel Vargas is the son of Lázaro Vargas, a longtime fixture on Cuba’s national team. He developed much of his game in Cuba before moving to professional baseball in the United States. He made his MLB debut in August 2022 with the Dodgers and was traded to Chicago in 2024, where he has grown into one of the American League’s most complete hitters.

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