Konerko Knocked Down, but Not Out

Paul Konerko was on his knees in the dirt, still dizzy from being hit in the head by Kerry Wood’s curveball. But when White Sox Manager Jerry Manuel asked if he wanted to stay in the game, it wasn’t a consideration.

Good thing for the White Sox.

Konerko homered twice after getting plunked, and the White Sox rallied from an eight-run deficit Friday to beat the Cubs, 13-9, in front of the largest regular-season crowd at new Comiskey Park.

“I’ve been hit harder than that in the hands,” said Konerko, who had a bump on the left side of his head after the game. “You know yourself that you’re fine. I wasn’t really adamant. It was just, ‘I’m not coming out of the game. I’m fine.’ ”

He went four for four, his second consecutive four-hit game, and finished with four runs batted in and four runs scored. It was his fourth multi-homer game since June 11.

Over the last 17 games, he’s hitting .439 with 12 homers and 21 RBIs.

Corey Patterson homered and tied his career best with four RBIs for the Cubs, whose four-game losing streak is their longest since dropping nine straight in May.

“No excuses for days like this,” said Wood, who is 0-3 against the White Sox in five starts. “The eight runs should relax a starting pitcher. But I handed it right back to them.”

Losing pitcher Joe Borowski (2-4) gave up two runs and two hits in 2/3 innings. Wood gave up six runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings and walked five.

The White Sox, playing in front of a crowd of 46,027, looked lackadaisical early. But once Wood hit Konerko in the fourth inning, it was a new game.

The White Sox didn’t retaliate against the Cubs after Konerko was hit but got revenge on offense. Konerko hit a two-run homer in the fifth that cut the lead to 8-4. In the sixth, Magglio Ordonez’s two-run single tied it, 8-8, then Konerko hit his second homer for a 10-8 lead.