Yoan Moncada’s season debut was warm and cold for him

The Chicago White Sox got one of their best players back on Monday night as third baseman Yoan Moncada finally made his season debut. The White Sox needed his bat and his speed on the base paths and they were treated to some up and down play, at least at the start, by Moncada.

On the first pitch of the game, the Cleveland Guardian batter hit a chopper to the infield that Moncada caught and then whipped over to Jose Abreu at first base. That was a great defensive play that got Moncada going.

Moncada was batting second in the lineup and on his first time up, he was hit by a pitch so he took first base. He eventually found his way home thanks to a wild pitch by Zach Plesac which got away from the catcher and allowed Moncada to practically walk in.

After an inning that saw him throw a runner out at first and nab a foul ball, it could be seen that Moncada was back and nearing top form. In his next at-bat, Moncada flew out to center field ending the second inning.

In the 5th inning, Moncada got his first base hit of the year with a short one into the outfield. In his fourth time up to bat, Moncada struck out. When the Guardians took over at the top of the 8th, Yoan helped by nabbing a high foul ball hit by Jose Ramirez.

That gave the Sox their first out of the inning and took care of the Guardian’s best hitter. As the Sox tried to close the game out, Moncada whiffed on a ball (which was ruled an error) and that allowed the Guardians to get another run in and it became 8-4.

Yoan Moncada’s return to the Chicago White Sox was both warm and cold.

The game ended up being tied in the middle of the 9th at 8-8. Moncada was up to bat in the bottom of the 9th and he walked. He got an opportunity to be a hero in the tenth inning after the Guardians walked Tim Anderson.

He managed to hit the ball on the infield but the runner was forced out at home. The game eventually went to the 11th inning where the White Sox ended up losing it 12-9.

The White Sox are glad to have Moncada back in the fold and he will improve as the season moves forward. As time goes on, he will be hitting on a regular basis when it counts. His fielding might be a tad rusty but he should be able to pick that up quickly and become a more consistent and valuable member of the White Sox.