Todd Frazier already sees White Sox building character

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OAKLAND, Calif. - Todd Frazier’s first White Sox homer appeared to be a big one and he appropriately observed the moment.

Just as he neared first base after crushing a three-run homer on Tuesday night, Frazier stared into the White Sox dugout and wildly pumped his right arm. The blast on an 0-2 curveball from Oakland pitcher Chris Bassitt put the White Sox ahead in a game they eventually won 5-4 on a Jimmy Rollins’ ninth-inning solo shot. Frazier said he enjoyed the moment, which snapped a 10-inning scoreless streak for the White Sox offense.

[RELATED - Jimmy Rollins' blast lifts White Sox past A's 5-4]

“You’re down, and you hit a three-run home run,” Frazier said. “There’s nothing better than that, to get us back in there, get our pitcher going and away we went. There are a lot of good wins right now. Even though it’s only two, it’s character-building wins, and nobody is really talking about that one run Austin Jackson got for us. That was a big run. And then Jimmy coming through. That’s what we do. We pick each other up. Bottom line is when something goes wrong, somebody’s there to pick you up. And so far, even though it’s a small sample size, it’s nice to see.”

Frazier’s moment had to be a boost for Jose Abreu. Abreu faced Bassitt with two on and one out and struck out on a curveball in the dirt. Bassitt quickly got ahead of Frazier with two strikes before the third baseman went down and got in front of the pitch, resulting in the 399-foot blast to left center.

The homer is exactly the reason the White Sox parted with three players - including ballyhooed pitching prospect Frankie Montas - to get Frazier in a three-team deal in December. The hope is Frazier will add punch to a team that hit only 136 homers last season while offering protection for Abreu.

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Frazier earlier picked up his first White Sox hit with a fourth-inning single.

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