CHICAGO, Ill. (WMDJ) — The Cincinnati Reds survived a late White Sox rally Thursday, holding on for a 9-8 win in Chicago to take the series.

Cincinnati jumped ahead immediately. Sal Stewart hit his 26th home run in the first inning before Eugenio Suárez added a two-run shot for a 3-0 lead.

Chicago answered with four runs over the first two innings, but the Reds regained control in the fourth. Stewart delivered an RBI single before Tyler Stephenson launched a three-run homer to put Cincinnati ahead 8-4.

Tensions briefly flared in the third after Stewart was hit in the helmet by a Davis Martin pitch, causing both benches and bullpens to empty. No major confrontation followed.

The White Sox cut the deficit to 9-7 in the eighth and scored again in the ninth, but Julian Garcia recorded the final three outs for his second save.

Cincinnati returns home Friday to open a three-game series against Miami. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m., with pregame coverage at 6:10 on WMDJ FM 100.1.