White Sox: James McCann’s role in the no-hitter was huge
James McCann was huge in helping Lucas Giolito throw a no-hitter for the Chicago White Sox.
Going into the season, a lot of thought went into the catcher position for the Chicago White Sox. They signed Yasmani Grandal to a four-year deal prior to the year to be their starting catcher. Make no mistake about it, Grandal is one of the very best catchers in all of baseball. He can hit and he can field his position well. On the other hand, so can James McCann. He is brilliant at his job and deserves a lot of credit. It would be nice to see the White Sox extend him again and use both he and Grandal going forward.
McCann proved his worth even more on Tuesday night. It ended up being a very special night in the history of the Chicago White Sox as their ace pitcher Lucas Giolito threw the 19th no-hitter in franchise history. McCann caught the big game for Giolito and was a major part of getting it done. They did a great job as a duo trusting each other throughout the game.
According to Giolito after the game, he only shook off a pitch McCann called one time out of the 101 that he threw. It was a brilliant display of trust, character, leadership, and friendship to get this thing done. Throwing a no-hitter is very hard which is why Giolito’s was only the 19th in over a century of White Sox baseball. McCann was a major part of it because you can’t throw a no-hitter without a catcher having a great game.
McCann reminded us that there was a bit of experience that he brought to this. The farthest he ever came to catching a no-no was when he went to the 8th inning with one while catching Justin Verlander. That experience might have helped him finish this one off for Giolito. Now, the pitcher makes the pitches but there is no doubt that great teamwork was on full display here.
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Everyone should also be reminded that McCann also helped their cause by being productive with his bat as well. He had a hit in the ballgame along with an RBI. He can really help change games in all sorts of ways and he did in this one. McCann deserves a lot of credit for what went on Tuesday night in multiple ways.