The two White Sox MVP candidates played very well in their first-ever playoff game.
The Chicago White Sox had a huge game one victory over the Oakland A’s on Tuesday afternoon. They are now one win away from advancing to the American League Division Series against the winner of the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins series. There were a lot of key contributors to this win as you would expect from a playoff baseball game. Lucas Giolito is receiving a lot of credit and rightfully so but there are some other players who deserve recognition.
The White Sox are one of only a few teams across Major League Baseball who have two guys in the MVP conversation. Both Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson had MVP caliber seasons in 2020 and will both receive votes if not win the thing. Well, those votes are already placed and the winner has been determined. None of what happens in the playoffs will matter for it but that doesn’t mean they are done working. These two want success more than any individual accolades.
They did a great job of showing that in their first career playoff games. They have both been waiting for a moment like this in their careers and it shows. Each of them looks like they have what it takes to be good playoff performers and help this team try to make a deep run.
Jose Abreu hit a two-run home run early in the game to extend the White Sox lead to 3-0. He also added another hit to go with it. Tim Anderson went 3/4 with one run scored. It was a great game at the plate for both of them and they both played their respective defensive positions well. It was so cool to see these guys relish their first-ever playoff experience.
The White Sox, along with every MLB playoff team, needs all hands on deck in order to make deep runs. With that said, they need their best players to be their best players. In that game, the three best players were Jose Abreu, Lucas Giolito, and Tim Anderson. This needs to continues for them to make it far in the tournament.