Chicago White Sox: Lynn and Rodón have something special in common

Earlier in the season, Lance Lynn issued a challenge to the rest of the Chicago White Sox rotation. The starters had been struggling to go deep into games and the bullpen was taxed. Lynn took matters into his own hands, tossing a complete game shutout during the White Sox home opener.

"“The first time and first half of the rotation, we haven’t done what we’re expected to do and capable of,” Lynn said. “So we’ve been talking about it.“It’s in their court. I started it.”"

The White Sox rotation responded to Lynn’s challenge in grand fashion. White Sox starting pitchers rank second in the MLB with a 2.99 ERA, which is their lowest mark through 64 games since 1968.

The Chicago White Sox rotation is the best in baseball. As it stands, they have two pitchers that are battling for the AL Cy-Young Award. All you have to do is look at Lance Lynn’s ERA. It’s as easy as 1-2-3. Lance Lynn is the White Sox “number three” starter and he has the best ERA in the American League with a 1.23 mark.

Right behind him is Carlos Rodón who has the second-best ERA in the American League and the fifth-best in baseball posting a 1.89 ERA. These two pitchers would be the number one starter on most teams. The White Sox have the luxury of having each one take the hill in the span of five days. Each of them has its own unique style of pitching but both are equally as dominant.

Lance Lynn is a bulldog on the mound. He doesn’t care who is in the box, he is going to challenge them with fastballs. While facing Mike Trout he threw a fastball right down the middle, daring Trout to hit it and struck out the four-time MVP. Lynn bullies hitters by trash-talking while he walks off the mound and roaring out primal screams when he escapes an inning.

He became the first pitcher in American League history to throw a shutout with 10-plus strikeouts and no walks in a team’s home opener. He has a 7-1 record and leads the team with six quality starts. He has yet to give up more than three runs in a single start.

Carlos Rodón’s stuff is fiflty. The southpaw threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians on April 14th and since then he has proved it was no fluke. Rodón leads the team with 97 strikeouts and is second on the team in wins. Rodón baffles hitters with a fastball ranging from 92-100 mph and a nasty slider that can twist hitters into the ground after fanning at it or freeze them as it drops into the strike zone.

Some of his season highlights include punching out 12 Tigers in six scoreless innings on April 29th, striking out 13 Yankee hitters on May 21st, and nearly throwing his second no-hitter of the season on June 3rd.

Rodón has also shown the ability to battle on the mound. In his start against Toronto on June 8th, he did not have his best stuff. His pitch count was high and the White Sox were trailing by a run. Rodón managed to strike out eight hitters and gutted through five innings while holding the Blue Jays to a single run.

"“It kind of turns into a video game for me back there,” Rodón’s catcher Zack Collins said. “Everything he throws is pretty much swing-and-miss. He’s got an upper 90s fastball, got that wipeout slider, I can’t really call anything wrong.”"

Both pitchers are ultra-competitive and try to outdo the last starter before they pass the baton onto the next. Each pitcher also has an opportunity to represent the White Sox at the Midsummer Classic in Colorado. The team currently has three starters in their rotation that finished in the top ten of the Cy-Young voting in 2020. At the rate Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodón are going, the White Sox are going to have two in the top three of the voting this year.