Chicago White Sox: This 2021 pitching stat will blow your mind
The Chicago White Sox are in the postseason for a second straight year for the first time in franchise history. They have some superstars offensively but there were a lot of injuries to those guys in 2021. As a result, the pitching needed to be outstanding in order to make the playoffs, and outstanding it was. In fact, it was so good that you can claim they are one of the best pitching teams in the league.
The starting rotation consisted of Carlos Rodon, Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, and Dylan Cease. The bullpen had studs like Liam Hendriks, Michael Kopech, Craig Kimbrel, Aaron Bummer, Ryan Tepera, and Garrett Crochet amongst others. There are some absolute superstars on that list.
There is one trait that describes most of those arms and that is power. The White Sox have a lot of power in their pitchers which has allowed them to win a lot of games. There are a lot of strikeouts amongst that group which has made it hard for teams to get things going against them.
Dylan Cease led the White Sox with 226 strikeouts. That is also good for seventh in all of baseball. Lucas Giolito also reached the 200 strikeout plateau as he finished second on the White Sox with 201. Lance Lynn, Carlos Rodon, Liam Hendriks, and Michael Kopech all reached the 100 strikeout plateau behind the two top guys. It is especially impressive for Hendriks and Kopech as most of their outings consisted of one inning.
There is one pitching stat that makes the Chicago White Sox staff look even more impressive.
This is a group of pitchers that throws the ball hard. According to Codify, the White Sox has thrown over 6,600 pitches above 95 miles per hour. That is the most by any team in Major League Baseball and leads second place by about 1500. That is absolutely insane when you think about it. This team has fireballs coming from basically every pitcher. That is so hard for other teams to deal with.
They also all possess great breaking stuff which makes them even more dangerous. When someone like Michael Kopech pairs his slider with his 100 miles per hour heat, it becomes unhittable. Lots of other pitchers on the squad can do similar things.
Now, of course, the task ahead is the 2021 postseason. If the Chicago White Sox are going to get past the Houston Astros and make a deep run, the pitching needs to be on point. The hitters on the team need to produce as well but pitching is king in the playoffs. This stat is incredible and is something that could help them going forward.