The White Sox kicked off their 2023 season Thursday night at Minute Maid Park against the reigning World Series champions, the Houston Astros. Dylan Cease faced off against Framber Valdez and the two aces did not disappoint.
Valdez finished with five innings pitched, zero earned runs, and four strikeouts. He also only allowed six hits that were all scattered throughout his dominant performance.
He relies on his sinker to get him groundballs and that's precisely what happened during his entire outing. While Valdez was on his game, it wasn't enough to stop the White Sox and their ace, Dylan Cease.
Cease finished his outing with six and a third inning pitched, one earned run, and ten strikeouts to start his 2023 campaign. He will play a huge factor for the White Sox for all of the 2023 season and if he continues to perform like this, the White Sox could potentially have the best ace in all of baseball.
The Chicago White Sox are in need of an elite Dylan Cease in 2023.
Dylan Cease. pic.twitter.com/KCJBORamh2
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) March 31, 2023
Dylan Cease retired nineteen straight batters consecutively and it was evident that his stuff was on right from the gecko.
Cease was confident while talking to the press, even mentioning/comparing it to his performance last year when he had a no-hit bid for an eight and two-thirds-innings pitched against the Minnesota Twins.
Cease was even more entertained about the White Sox win rather than just his individual performance, which is an excellent sign if you're a fan of the ball club.
This roster is motivated to win baseball games as a group rather than accomplish individual accomplishments, which should hopefully pan out for the organization throughout the 2023 MLB season.
Vaughn on Cease: "That’s so impressive watching him pitch. It’s unbelievable what he can do with the baseball."
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) March 31, 2023
White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn shared his thoughts about Dylan Cease and he was amazed to witness what he did in game one of the MLB regular season.
Like Cease, Vaughn was a big part of the White Sox win, driving in two runs via a double during the late innings of the game. Vaughn isn't the only one impressed with Cease and for him to say that to the press shows how much he believes in the White Sox ace.
The White Sox started the year with a victory and Dylan Cease was a big reason why they ended up in the win column.