Lip Man 1

Fegan with the post game: Chicago Sun-TimesWhite Sox pitchers issue 10 walks, hitters strike out 19...Even before the Guardians padded on late runs to a comfortable 9-3 victory, they dominated the battle to control the strike zone.Says Hudson has an ERA of over six since the All Star Break.

I'd be surprised if that happened. Doesn't seem like Venable's track record.

Good point.

I know you're referring to JR's infamous quote but in my opinion, even if they urinate this away, the season has to be considered a success. First winning season since 2021 and only the sixth in the last 20 years. Making the playoffs when they had only a 1% chance. Winning an opening round series. And not getting swept in the next series. Will I be pissed if they can't advance? Sure! But all things considered this has been a remarkable season.

MLB.com by the way says game #4 starts at 4:10 Chicago time Thursday.

Because pitching wins pennants and if you are Cleveland you have to feel pretty good about having a pair of top guys available where the Sox as stated don't. I know if I was managing the Sox I'd love to have two guys of that caliber ready to go. Doesn't mean Cleveland will win but anybody who thinks this series is over is not looking at reality.

I'm guessing that is going to play a part in things. Big crowd desperate to see them close this out has got to make an impact on the players considering most of them have never been in this position before.

Absolutely correct.

This series is far from over and I hope the Sox understand this. No guarantees even up 2-0. Hudson hasn't been sharp basically since the All-Star break and it was another two out hit that broke the game open.

Not the Sox doing, in fact they probably had nothing to say in the matter. TV dictates all.

Two factoids today: October 7, 2001 - Sox All-Star outfielder Magglio Ordonez became the first player in American League history to have a season with a .300 average, 40 doubles, 30 home runs, 100 RBI’s and 25 stolen bases. His hit against the Twins in the fourth inning went for his 40th double and the record. October 7, 2005 - At Fenway Park the White Sox won their first post season series of any kind since 1917 by beating Boston 5-3 to sweep the A.L.D.S. in three games. Paul Konerko’s two run home run gave the Sox some breathing room and then pitcher Orlando Hernandez saved it. Entering into a bases loaded, no out, one run lead situation in the sixth inning of game #3, “El Duque” got two pop outs and a strike out. It was an amazing performance in a pressure packed situation.

Agreed and reading the story I didn't see anything that Pham could consider unprofessional or trying to get clicks. The story seemed pretty soft and light hearted to me. Just something to lighten the mood.

Good Luck, fingers crossed.

Awful AnnouncingArizona Diamondbacks move on from TV announcer Steve Bert...Longtime Arizona Diamondbacks TV announcer Steve Berthiaume is out after 15 years. Game analyst Bob Brenly's future is unknown.

Pretty fascinating story: Awful AnnouncingChicago media members texted White Sox during ALDS Game 1...Members of Chicago sports media texted White Sox players and executives about the Cleveland Guardians stealing signs during ALDS Game 1.

SEVEN factoids today: October 6, 1905 - The Sox lost the pennant on the next to last day of the season when pitcher Guy "Doc" White couldn’t beat the bottom feeding St. Louis Browns. White and the Sox lost 6-2 which handed the flag to the Philadelphia Athletics. The Browns scored five runs in the third inning. The Sox would finish the season two games off the pace. That year they had six games declared ties which factored in to the final standings. 92-60-6 was the final total for the season. October 6, 1908 - The Sox lost the pennant on the last day of the season when Ty Cobb and Detroit won the decisive game 7-0. Guy "Doc" White again was the pitcher of record, only this time he may have had an excuse. He was working on two day’s rest having beaten the Tigers 3-1 on October 4. October 6, 1909 - Architect Zachary Taylor Davis submitted his design for a new ballpark on the South Side to owner Charles Comiskey. The concrete and steel structure was considered revolutionary for its time yet only took three and a half months to complete the following year, opening in July 1910. October 6, 1923 – It was his first year on the team and turned out to be his last appearances of the season but future Hall of Famer Ted Lyons had himself an afternoon in Cleveland. The right hander from Texas came in to pitch in the first game of a double header, threw three innings in relief and got the win as the Sox won 6-3 by scoring four times in the ninth inning. Later in the afternoon Lyons came in to pitch again in relief in the second game, tossing a little over four innings and yes, he got the win again as the Sox took the contest 7-6. Lyons threw almost eight innings total. When his career ended in 1946, he’d win 260 games, the most ever for a White Sox pitcher. October 6, 1959 - At the mammoth L.A. Coliseum, which was the temporary home of the Dodgers, the White Sox played small ball in game #5 of the World Series. They beat Sandy Koufax 1-0 to stay alive, cutting L.A.’s lead to three games to two. The only Sox run scored on a double play ground ball but it turned out to be enough. The Sox became the first team in World Series history to have three pitchers combine for the shut out (Bob Shaw, Billy Pierce and Dick Donovan). The game also featured one of the greatest catches in World Series history as “Jungle” Jim Rivera ran a long way and made an over the shoulder catch in the seventh inning with two men on base to save the game robbing Charlie Neal of a potential game winner. Also it was a day game and Rivera somehow located the ball against a murderous background filled with white shirts and white dresses worn by the fans. Alas the Dodgers beat the Sox in game #6 9-3, to win the series four games to two. October 6, 2000 - Another dramatic and fantastic season was ruined as the Sox fell apart and lost the divisional series in three straight games to the Mariners. The M’s clinched the series despite a heroic effort from pitcher James Baldwin. “JB,” pitching with a bad arm, held the Mariners to one run on three hits in six innings of game #3. Seattle scored the series clinching run in the 2-1 win on a suicide squeeze from Carlos Guillen in the ninth inning. Replays showed him clearly out of the batter’s box on the bunt attempt, stepping over home plate, but Sox manager Jerry Manuel never protested the play. October 6, 2011 - Former White Sox star Robin Ventura was named manager, succeeding Ozzie Guillen, who bolted for Miami after losing a power struggle with Ken Williams in the front office. Ventura was named to the post only after Paul Konerko was approached and offered a player-manager role, which he refused. Ventura proved a fresh alternative to Guillen — at least for one successful year; the 2012 team led the A.L. Central for much of the season, they had a three-game lead with 16 left to play, before faltering and finishing 85-77. It was Ventura’s five-year tenure at the helm that ultimately plunged the White Sox into a rebuilding mode since he had little success afterwards and appeared to, at times, regret taking the job.

Win two straight on the road (and four straight overall) is really impressive. Have to finish the job, hopefully Wednesday to give everyone some rest.

Just saw these stats, hope they continue to prove accurate: The White Sox 3-0 victory in Game 1 was the sixth shutout win in their postseason history and second in the opening game of a series. They beat the Dodgers, 11-0, in Game 1 of the 1959 World Series at Comiskey Park. The White Sox have won their first three postseason games in one year for only the second time. They also started 3-0 in 2005, sweeping the Red Sox in a Division Series. The White Sox lost Game 1 of the ALCS against the Angels then ran the table with eight straight wins. Sean Burke (2-0, 1.04 ERA, 17.1 IP in three games) and Anthony Kay (1-0, 1.27 ERA, 21.1 IP in five games) have the second and third lowest ERAs against the Guardians this year (regular season and postseason combined, minimum: 15 innings). The lowest ERA versus Cleveland this year belongs to the Twins’ Taj Bradley (1-0, 0.90 ERA, 20 IP in three games). Cleveland has not won a postseason series in which it lost the first game since its Division Series against the Red Sox in 1998 (0-7 since then).

Five factoids today: October 5, 1908 - Sox pitcher “Big” Ed Walsh won his 40th game of the season, as he beat Detroit 6-1. No one has come close to matching it in the ensuing seasons. Walsh led all of MLB in games (66), starts (49), complete games (42), shutouts (11), innings (464) and strikeouts (269). Oh, and he led the majors in saves as well, with six, had that been an official statistic. October 5, 1983 - Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt pitched a brilliant complete game, five-hitter in beating the Orioles 2-1 in game #1 of the A.L.C.S. It was the first time since divisional playoffs started in 1969 that Baltimore ever lost the first game of a post season series. It would be the high-water mark for the Sox in the next week. He struck out four and lost his shutout in the ninth inning on a bloop hit by Cal Ripken Jr. With Ripken on base, Hoyt got the dangerous Eddie Murray to hit a ground ball up the middle, he deflected the ball just enough to slow it down so Scott Fletcher could field it, step on second base, record the force out and end the contest played at Memorial Stadium. October 5, 1993 - Game #1 of the A.L.C.S. was a complete unmitigated disaster both on and off the field for the Sox. On the field, Toronto ripped the Sox 7-3 but by the middle of the game, not one fan cared. Michael Jordan who threw out the ceremonial first pitch confirmed reports that he was holding a press conference the next morning to announce his retirement from the Bulls. Fans at the game and around the city were in shock. Adding insult to injury, future Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk and Chicago native and former Sox pitcher Donn Pall were turned away by security guards when they attempted to wish the team good luck in the locker room before the game started. The White Sox claimed the rules were set by Major League Baseball but no fan or media member was fooled by that comment. Most media members felt Fisk was turned away on explicit orders from owner Jerry Reinsdorf. It was an insult Fisk never forgot. Reinsdorf then took an unprecedented step of apologizing to the team in the clubhouse before the start of game #2 saying he had no wish to take away their spotlight because of the Jordan situation. October 5, 2008 - Making the post season for the third time in the decade the Sox were on the brink of elimination in the 2008 A.L.D.S., but behind the strong starting pitching effort from John Danks they beat Tampa Bay 5-3 to survive another day. Danks pitched into the seventh inning of game #3 with seven strikeouts. A three run fourth inning set the tone for the Sox in the game. Dewayne Wise had two RBI’s for the Sox. October 5, 2022 – It was the end to one of the most disappointing seasons in White Sox history. Six years earlier Sox G.M. Rick Hahn started the rebuild with the words that the franchise was “Mired in mediocrity.” After the Twins pounded the Sox 10-1 to end the 2022 campaign the team finished…at 81-81. The very definition of mediocrity. It was only the fifth time in team history the club ended a year exactly at .500. The season was supposed to see the Sox make the postseason for a third straight year and potentially play in the World Series. Instead the team played listless, seemed to have little sense of urgency, couldn’t stay healthy and was saddled with bizarre in-game decisions by manager Tony LaRussa who resigned before the season even ended because of serious health issues. The year marked season 10 under G.M. Hahn whose track record was less than stellar. Seven losing years, two winning ones and a .500 year. The Sox had two playoff appearances but also two quick first round playoff exits under his watch. This would be Hahn’s last full season in charge.

Good luck, fingers crossed.

Three factoids today: October 4, 1948 - Chuck Comiskey III was named vice president of the White Sox. He refused to see the team continue to be the laughingstock of the American League and immediately began to take steps to change things on and off the field. Those changes started to bear fruit during the 1951 season as the Sox vaulted into contention in the American League. For the next 17 seasons, through the end of the 1967 campaign, the White Sox produced a winning record and were usually in the running for the pennant, winning it in 1959. October 4, 1981 - Jerry Hairston’s grand slam helped beat the Twins 13-12 setting off Bill Veeck’s original exploding scoreboard for the last time. The blast came off future White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper. The Sox trailed in the game 12-5 before scoring eight unanswered runs in the final two innings with Hairston driving home the game winner. The victory gave the Sox their first winning year since 1977 at 54-52. The game also marked the end of broadcaster Harry Caray’s association with the Sox after 11 seasons. October 4, 2005 – The White Sox opened the divisional playoffs against the Red Sox at home in U.S. Cellular Field before a capacity crowd…and they did it with a bang, blasting Boston 14-2. The White Sox hit five home runs in the game, an A.L.D.S. record. The home runs were hit by Paul Konerko, Juan Uribe, Scott Podsednik and two by A.J. Pierzynski.

Assuming there is a season the Sox need two dependable starting pitchers. I can't see the continuing use of openers as a long term successful philosophy. It simply puts to much strain on a bullpen. And it doesn't work all the time. Get two guys to go with Burke and Martin and have one of the kids check in at #5.

The McCaskey family wouldn't know their ass from a hole in the ground so how do you expect them to figure out something as complicated as a new stadium?

Always crucial in a short series to get that first win in the opener. Going back to the regular season the Sox have now won 10 of 13.

🙄 Please...............