White Sox: James Shields Pitches Another Gem

Jul 26, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher James Shields (25) throws pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 26, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher James Shields (25) throws pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

After a poor start to his career with the White Sox , James Shields has pitched another gem to add to his list of accomplishments as a new member of the team.

How did James Shields pitch in his first game for the White Sox? Terribly. What about the second start? A little better, but still not the type of pitcher Rick Hahn was expecting when he traded for him. It seemed as if Shields was getting back into the feel of things after his second start, which lasted three innings longer than the previous one. His third start came against the Cleveland Indians and Shields went 1.2 innings giving up eight runs, all of them earned. Things could have not been worse for the White Sox.

After three terrible starts, Shields had to pitch against a better team than he had faced in his last previous outings, the Boston Red Sox. Shields only went 5 innings, but also only gave up 3 runs in his start on June 23.

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He couldn’t qualify for a quality start, as he has to pitch six innings, but he was still impressive for the White Sox. After Boston, Shields has gone on a run of six consecutive quality starts, giving up two runs in three games each, and one run in two games each, with a complete game in between.

Shields’ sixth start was against the Cubs on Tuesday, and he was simply magnificent. He pitched 7.2 innings giving up no runs and a measly four hits. Those low run and hit totals are much better than they look, as they came across one of the best teams in the game.

Next: White Sox Win Series Opener Against Cubs

Shields might’ve pitched his best game all year against one of the best teams and it won the White Sox the crosstown cup. Analysts saw a decline year by year for him, but all Shields did was get better start by start to cap it off with a huge win for the White Sox. I guess that’s why they call him ‘Big Game’ James Shields.

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