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On April 18th, 1991 Comisky Park II opened. A sold-out crowd of 42,191 came to see the 6-1 White Sox take the field. Jack McDowell, the young pitcher destined to be a star, was on the mound. His first two starts were complete games only allowing one run in each start. Fan favorite Carlton Fisk paired with budding superstars Robin Ventura and rookie Frank Thomas to power the offense. Much to be excited for White Sox fans ushering in a new era for the organization.
The White Sox lost to the Detroit Tigers, 16-0.
25 years later, Carlos Rodon, young pitcher destined to be a star was on the mound. A team tied with the defending World Champion Kansas City Royals for first place with a record of 8-4. Facing a team, the Los Angeles Angels, that were just swept by the Minnesota Twins, a team the White Sox had swept in three games last week.
The White Sox lost to the Angels, 7-0.
Rodon's command was out of whack as he could not get ahead of batters. Here are the results of the nine hitters he faced: Single, strikeout, walk, walk, single, single, single, single, single. With the score 5-0, manager Robin Ventura had seen enough and pulled Rodon, tying the shortest outing by a Sox starting pitcher since Neal Cotts in 2003. Final line: 1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
While the result was terrible, it becomes worse when considering the bullpen is now taxed to start the seven-game homestand and don't have a day off til May 2nd. Jake Petricka, Zach Putnam, Dan Jennings, and Zach Duke all saw action. Tomorrow's starter for the Sox is Mat Latos, and they could use another stellar outing from him.
Offensively, there is not much to write about as the Sox failed again to produce. The best threat was in the first inning as Jimmy Rollins walked and Jose Abreu singled. Sox couldn't cash in as Todd Frazier popped out on the first pitch and Melky Cabrera hit a liner right at Yunel Escobar at third base. As a team, they could only muster three hits for the night.
Ex-Sox, Hector Santiago, had a great night on the mound for his first win in 2016: 7 IP, 10 K's, 3 BB, and 2 H.
Scary small sample size notes:
- Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier are a combined 2 for 23 with RISP.
- With Dioner Navarro's 0 for 3 night, White Sox catchers are 4 for 44 to start 2016.
- White Sox have hit 9 HRs in 2016. Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story has 8 HRs.
- After the game, JB Shuck has been optioned to Charlotte for a pitcher to be named later.