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Welcome to the 2020 Slugging Sox! The Chicago White Sox are incredibly exciting to watch, and although these games do not erase all of the past years’ heartbreaks, they sure make the present feel phenomenally good, and the future looks bright! The Sox will go for their sixth sweep of the season tomorrow afternoon; let’s see what was done today in order to look for a repeat tomorrow.
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The Starts
Just like I predicted, Reynaldo López pitched his best game of the 2020 season. He was not able to notch a quality start, only pitching five innings; however, I will take five scoreless innings any day of the week from ReyLo! Plus, he only gave up three hits and one walk, while striking out two. Just keep it rolling, Reynaldo!
Also as predicted, Michael Fulmer’s bad luck just kept on coming. He only made it through 2 2⁄3 innings, where he gave up five runs off of nine hits and one walk. Luckily for him, he did not throw either of the two pitches José Abreu sent out for three-run home runs in back-to-back innings.
Pressure Play
The pressure was on early for the Detroit Tigers. In the first inning, Fulmer put runners on first and second with one out. Abreu’s at-bat featured a 1.87 LI Grayson Greiner passed ball. The runners advanced to second and third, and Pito singled a run home, and from there the offense just kept on coming!
Pressure Cooker
Fulmer faced the most pressure in this ballgame at a 0.98 pLI. He has not been the same pitcher since Tommy John surgery, so if he’s ready to turn everything around, it will have to wait until his next start.
Top Play
Who would have thought that Nomar Mazara would have the top WPA play? His two-out, two-run .094 WPA double of of Fulmer in the third extended the Sox lead to 5-0.
Game MVP
A 4-for-4 night with a walk, two three-run home runs, five runs scored, and seven RBIs are more than enough to earn tonight’s M-V-Pito honors!
José wants hardware. #MVPito pic.twitter.com/ggjNMfnK0W
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 13, 2020
Abreu has been firing on all cylinders this season, and tonight is no exception. From one White Sox slugger to another:
Jose Abreu!!! American League MVP!! What a night tonight!! He just left the rest of the field behind!! #ByeFelicia
— Frank Thomas (@TheBigHurt_35) September 13, 2020
He is a legit AL MVP candidate, paving the way for a White Sox postseason berth! Speaking of the playoffs ...
Magic Number: 7
One winning week of games played will secure a spot in the playoffs for the Chicago White Sox! How exciting is that!?