Chicago White Sox: Bieber vs Giolito was everything you’d want
If you can get past the nonsense that Tony La Russa allowed the Chicago White Sox to go through in the tenth inning of the game, there is no denying that it was actually a classic. Lucas Giolito and Shane Bieber going against each other is always a premier matchup in Major League Baseball. They are the two best pitchers in the division by far and are both legit American League Cy Young contenders. They had as good of a game against one another as you could ever want to see as a baseball fan.
The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians both had aces on the mound throwing gems.
Lucas Giolito is still a little bit away from being Shane Bieber. He is close but Bieber still edges him out by just a little bit. There is a reason that Giolito only went seven innings and Bieber went nine. In those seven innings, he didn’t give up a run and only had three hits against with two walks issued. He had eight strikeouts as well so you know that his day was brilliant.
In Bieber’s nine innings, he also only allowed three hits. He issued one walk and had an incredible 11 strikeouts. When neither team is able to score on studs like this, you just tip your cap and hope you win in extras. The White Sox weren’t able to do that but it happens. This will be a matchup we see again during this season.
James Karinchak was good enough for Cleveland in the tenth. His command is a little wild sometimes but he got the job done. He didn’t allow a baserunner and had one strikeout. It was a great win for them as a pitching combo.
As for the White Sox, the bullpen did a good job backing up Giolito as well. Evan Marshall, Liam Hendriks, and Matt Foster were all as good as they can be giving up no runs. Garrett Crochet gave up two but it was in large part to a defensive error and the extra-inning runner on second rule. He gets a pass for that for a variety of reasons.
Related Story. Frank Thomas is so right about the bullpen. light
Going forward, when these two pitchers match up against each other, it is appointment television. You can’t promise that zero runs will be given up by either but you can expect a highly contested game. Outside of the ending for the White Sox, this was everything you’d want from a sweet pitcher’s duel.