The Chicago White Sox had Michael Kopech on the mound for Monday night's game with the Los Angeles Angels.
This game was hyped up because it is the first game of 2023 with Liam Hendriks on the active roster. He was celebrated a lot before and during the game which is exactly what he deserves.
For the early stages of the game, however, the White Sox needed to play their game. Kopech had a very tough first inning as he gave up four runs to put them behind early.
Kopech walked Trout and beaned Ohtani and then Brandon Jury made him pay with a three-run home run. Matt Thais hit a solo shot and that is the fourth run.
The Chicago White Sox got a really good outing from Michael Kopech.
From there, Kopech settled down and dominated. He gave up the four runs and five hits with two walks but as mentioned before, most of that damage (all of the runs) came in the first inning.
He had a ten-strikeout great performance otherwise. Due to his pitch count being so high he only went 4.1 innings so he for sure won't be the pitcher of record.
In Kopech's last 19.1 innings pitched, he has 29 strikeouts which is a very impressive number. Those four first inning runs from Monday night's games are the only four runs he's given up during that stretch too which is very impressive.
If the White Sox can keep getting this Kopech, they will win more of these starts. It is impressive to see him adjust to mistakes and work well on the mound.
It is never easy when you have to run through Trout and Ohtani in a first inning. That might rattle most pitchers in the league. It is all about how you bounce back from these things and he sure did.
Hopefully, the White Sox can keep getting good performances from him. They need all hands on deck when it comes to their pitching and he is a big part of the whole thing.