The Chicago White Sox came into Opening Day with a sense of nervous optimism. 2022 was a disaster and they want to come back from that and win big in 2023. It starts by getting the season off on the right foot.
That was never going to be easy with a road series against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros. Of course, they are a team that is still amazing and they might have gotten even better. Part of getting better is adding former White Sox superstar Jose Abreu.
Dylan Cease got the start for the White Sox and he was simply amazing. He went 6.1 innings where have was responsible for just one run on two hits. He had no walks and ten strikeouts. That is simply amazing as it gave his team a chance to win.
The one run that was credited to Cease was a result of a bad luck pitch by Aaron Bummer which Yasmani Grandal couldn't catch. The Astros took a 1-0 lead on the play.
The Chicago White Sox needed a big moment to spark their offense.
An inning later, Yasmani Grandal made up for it by tying the game with a solo shot. After how 2022 went for Grandal, it appears that he is swinging healthy.
in the 9th inning, with Andrew Vaughn and Tim Anderson on base, Andrew Vaughn hit them in to give the White Sox a 3-1 lead. Yordan Alvarez hit a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning but the White Sox would take the 3-2 win.
Kendall Graveman shut down the 8th inning and Reynaldo Lopez got the save in the 9th. Without Liam Hendriks for a little while, this was good to see as they were able to squeak out the win.
This was the first game in the managerial career of Pedro Grifol and he earned his first win. That is a great way to get it going for him. Now, he can focus on managing this team with his win in his pocket. If they play like that all year long, they will win more than they lose.
Oddly enough, Eloy Jimenez was the only player in the lineup to not record a hit. That is odd because he might be the best hitter on the team this season. Even Oscar Colas, who pinch-hit for Romy Gonzalez later in the game, had his first career MLB hit. It was an amazing day.
The Astros worked out of some jams to make the game close but the White Sox prevailed anyway. Now, they have another game on Friday against the Astros. Lance Lynn will be on the mound for the road team as they look to start 2-0.