Jake Burger — ‘a hungry hitter’ — has been clutch recently for the Chicago White Sox: ‘I’ve been smiling a ton’

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Chicago White Sox called on Jake Burger to hit for Carlos Rodón in the fifth inning of a July 24 game last season against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Sox trailed by three with the bases loaded and one out. Brewers starter Corbin Burnes struck out Burger on three pitches.

“I let myself and the emotions get a little too large in that situation,” Burger said Saturday, recalling the at-bat. “Tried to do too much. And you learn from those situations and just apply them to the next one.”

Burger leaned on that experience in a pinch-hitting situation in the eighth inning Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

The Sox were down a run but had a runner on first. Burger hit the second pitch he saw over the center-field wall for a go-ahead two-run homer, leading the Sox to a 3-2 victory.

He became the first Sox player to hit a game-winning, pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning or later since Daniel Palka on Aug. 2, 2018, against the Kansas City Royals. Palka hit a three-run homer in the eighth.

“As long as I control my emotions, anything can happen,” Burger said. “That’s kind of how I take it and it’s always fun to have the chance from (manager) Tony (La Russa) to have a situation like that given to you.”

Burger carried over the success Sunday, starting at third base and going 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run in the 6-5 victory. He had two doubles in a game for the first time in his career.

“He’s just gaining confidence,” La Russa said after Sunday’s game. “He’s a hungry hitter. (Teammate Andrew) Vaughn’s got it too. … These guys are hungry.

“That’s a real box checker for a productive major-leaguer. Come out there, don’t throw any at-bats away. That’s a big compliment to pay them.”

Burger, 26, is slashing .245/.289/.434 with five doubles, five home runs and 17 RBIs in 31 games as the Sox begin a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

He drove in two with a first-inning double Sunday — his first career hit with the bases loaded (1-for-6). Burger scored on a two-run single by Yasmani Grandal.

“That was fun,” Burger said of the four-run first. “Anytime you can get out to a quick lead, it’s huge and it helps everybody. The defense, takes pressure off them and the pitching. It was huge to get out to a start like that.”

His second double came in the second.

“Come down here, you know you’re going to have a tough matchup (against the Rays),” Burger said. “They’re always a good team. Taking two of three is always a big thing and I’m glad we got that done.”

Recently, Burger has gotten some of the biggest hits whenever the White Sox win.

He hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the fifth inning of a 3-1 victory against the Boston Red Sox on May 25 at Guaranteed Rate Field, a day after rejoining the team from Triple-A Charlotte.

Burger ended a marathon City Series game against the Cubs on May 29 at Guaranteed Rate Field, driving in the winning run with a single to left for a 5-4 victory in 12 innings.

His pinch-hit homer Saturday helped snap a four-game losing streak. And he provided the spark in the first inning Sunday.

“I’ve been smiling a ton, just having fun,” Burger said.

Discussing the past few years after the game against the Red Sox, Burger said he takes “every day as a blessing.”

A first-round pick in 2017 out of Missouri State, Burger missed all of 2018 after suffering a ruptured left Achilles tendon in spring training, then missed all of 2019 because of a bruised left heel.

With the 2020 minor-league season canceled because of the pandemic, Burger played in a local league in Missouri before joining the White Sox alternate site in Schaumburg.

He spent time with the White Sox (slashing .263/.333/.474 with one homer and three RBIs in 15 games) and Charlotte last season.

Burger continues to make the most of this most recent opportunity.

“No matter where I’m at, I’m going to have fun and compete,” Burger said Sunday. “That’s what I’m trying to do day in and day out.”