CHICAGO -- Carlos Lee checked his swing and avoided a strikeout. On the next pitch, he sent the Chicago White Sox to a rare comeback victory with a two-run homer.

"The first six weeks I don't remember us coming from behind. It seemed like every time we fell behind, it was over," Lee said after his two-out, two-run homer in the eighth last night carried Chicago to a 6-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The White Sox are 2-20 this season when trailing after seven innings.

"This was important for everybody. All I wanted to do was get a hit and tie the game. I got lucky and hit it out," Lee said.

He almost didn't have the chance.

Jose Valentin drew a leadoff walk off Aquilino Lopez and after Frank Thomas bounced out and Magglio Ordonez popped out, Cliff Politte replaced Lopez.

With a 1-2 count, Lee nearly swung at the next pitch but it was ruled a ball after an appeal to first base umpire Angel Hernandez. Lee then hit the winning homer.

"I thought he swung. After looking at some of the video, it looks like part of his bat went around, but I'm not the umpire and I don't make the call," Politte said. "Even if it wasn't called, I have to make a pitch."

The Jays took a 5-1 lead and were on their way to sending Chicago's Mark Buehrle to his seventh straight loss before the White Sox rallied.

Buehrle -- a 19-game winner last season when he made the all-star team and a 16-game winner the year before -- gave up 10 hits, four walks and five runs in six innings. He hasn't won since April 10.

"I thought that not being able to put Buehrle away a little earlier cost us," said Jays manager Carlos Tosca. "We had some opportunities where we didn't add on runs. We have all learned that five runs isn't enough in the American League."

WHITE SOX 6

BLUE JAYS 5