Chicago White Sox: New Look Sox Lose Home Opener
By Ian Acosta
Apr 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Hector Noesi (48) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
As my father and I got to the park this morning at around 10 a.m., I thought to myself, “Well there’s no possible way we can lose to the Twins of all teams. Especially not on Opening Day.”
Boy, was I wrong!
Aside from the great atmosphere, tremendous pregame festivities, $8 beer, all the delicious bacon on a stick you can eat, and all the hype that surrounds this joyous occasion we baseball fans call Opening Day, the game played Friday was honestly in the Top 3 worst baseball games I have ever seen in my life.
To put it simply, the White Sox got dominated today by the Minnesota Twins.
Twins starter Tommy Milone threw nearly eight innings of perfect baseball albeit a bunt single by second baseman Micah Johnson in the third, and a long double by catcher Tyler Flowers in the eighth.
The guy retired sixteen White Sox hitters in a row for crying out loud. I don’t mean to sound overly cynical or overreact by any means considering the fact that we are only four games into a 162-game season, but the highly touted offense that the fans and I have yet to see needs to get it into gear.
All of us White Sox fans know that the Twins are not very good and expected to see at least a few runs today. However, all the lineup could muster was two hits off a guy that had an ERA over 7.00 with these lowly Twins just last season.
Finally there’s the inexcusable bonehead play by Johnson. I am all for aggressive base stealing and that is why they brought in baserunning coach Vince Coleman for this reason, but in this case it was just plain dumb and the worst possible move to make given the situation.
Running yourself into an out at third with the heart of the order up is simply a lack of awareness and fundamentals both on and off the bases. I don’t know if that was Micah’s call or Robin’s, but I for one never want to see that atrocity again.
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Hey, also, is a quality start too much to ask for?
Four games in and not one tally of a quality start by any of our first four guys has me both baffled and disappointed. This game should have been 10-0 Twins by the fourth quite frankly.
White Sox starter Hector Noesi loaded the bases three times while not getting through the fifth inning on over 100 pitches while also walking six batters and somehow striking out six. The lone bright pitching spot all afternoon was reliever Dan Jennings pitching two scoreless innings in relief.
As a fan passed me by and said to me on the way out, “Only way to go from here is up.” I sure hope he is right.
All in all, aside from the outcome, White Sox Opening Day once again proved to be a great day full of laughs and jeers, phenomenal food (and beer), and memories. As I am sure many would agree, nothing beats a day at the park with your old man.
Go White Sox.