The Chicago White Sox started the night with an offensive explosion. They put a six-spot up on the board and got Cleveland Indians pitcher Zach Plesac out of the ballgame that quickly. Yermin Mercedes was the star of the game for a bit as he hit a baseball into the 15th row to give the White Sox a huge lead. That didn’t last very long, however, as Carlos Rodon stole the show after a while.
Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon had a huge night against the Cleveland Indians.
Carlos Rodon has been through it all over the past few years. He has dealt with injuries and performance issues that put him into a tough spot going into the 2021 season. He didn’t even know if he was going to pitch anywhere this season after the White Sox let him go. They then decided to bring him back for a fraction of the cost and it seems to be paying off for them.
Rodon beat out Reynaldo Lopez for that fifth spot in the starting rotation after having a marvelous spring training. When he made his first start of the season, he carried over that good play to keep people believing in him. Now, in his second start of the season, he threw the 20th no-hitter in the history of the White Sox. It is the second no-no that the White Sox have in the past calendar year as Lucas Giolito did it in 2020.
Rodon was very dominant for most of the game. In fact, he had a perfect game through the first eight innings. After recording an out in the ninth, he threw a slider that got away from him and it clipped the toe of Roberto Perez. The perfect game bid became a no-hitter big because Perez wasn’t willing to move out of the way. It was tough to see but the no-hitter being complete made it worth it.
Rodon, of course, received some stellar defense behind him. Leury made some sweet plays at shortstop to keep it alive as well as Jose Abreu’s game-saving play at first base. That kind of stuff is necessary in order for no-hitters to happen and Rodon received it all. It was truly a special night for him and one that he won’t forget. It is also a special night for White Sox fans. Hopefully, this propels the team in the direction they need to go to string together lots of wins.