Last year, the White Sox wouldn't have been a postseason team were it not for their remarkable dominance of the Royals and Tigers. Their 35-25 record including 9-1 records against Detroit and Kansas City.
Based on that phenomenon last year, it's hard to imagine that the White Sox could be so comfortably ahead in the AL Central despite losing the season series to Kansas City, even by the slimmest of margins. It's especially hard to fathom because Cleveland has assumed the White Sox's former dominance against the Royals, winning 11 of their first 12 meetings with seven left to play.
Then again, the timing matters. When you could assume the division would tighten over the course of the first half, the White Sox did what they could against KC to stay ahead, winning six of the first nine games. Over the 10 meetings in the second half, the White Sox went 3-7, but the White Sox willingly punted a couple of those games, and they still face no punishment for doing so.
Perhaps these games will matter more next year, whether because KC's pitching staff stabilizes, or because Cleveland, Minnesota or Detroit are able to break free from .500's tractor beam. For the time being, the White Sox could relax at no cost.
| Year | Wins | Losses | RS | RA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 6 | 12 | 69 | 84 |
| 2013 | 7 | 12 | 76 | 90 |
| 2014 | 9 | 10 | 80 | 85 |
| 2015 | 9 | 10 | 68 | 80 |
| 2016 | 7 | 12 | 80 | 101 |
| 2017 | 10 | 9 | 103 | 98 |
| 2018 | 7 | 12 | 78 | 92 |
| 2019 | 12 | 6 | 113 | 86 |
| 2020 | 9 | 1 | 70 | 28 |
| 2021 | 9 | 10 | 72 | 71 |
| Total | 85 | 94 | 809 | 815 |
THE GAMES
- April 8: White Sox 6, Royals 0
- April 11: Royals 4, White Sox 3 (10 innings)
- May 7: White Sox 3, Royals 0
- May 8: White Sox 9, Royals 1
- May 9: White Sox 9, Royals 3
- May 14: Royals 6, White Sox 2 (Game 1)
- May 14: White Sox 3, Royals 1 (Game 2)
- May 15: Royals 5, White Sox 1
- May 16: White Sox 4, Royals 3
- July 26: Royals 4, White Sox 3
- July 27: White Sox 5, Royals 3
- July 28: Royals 3, White Sox 2 (10 innings)
- July 29: Royals 5, White Sox 0
- Aug. 3: White Sox 7, Royals 1
- Aug. 4: Royals 9, White Sox 1
- Aug. 5: Royals 3, White Sox 2
- Sept. 3: Royals 7, White Sox 2
- Sept. 4: White Sox 10, Royals 7
- Sept. 5: Royals 6, White Sox 0
DEFINING HITTERS
José Abreu: He did his usual damage, hitting .290/.357/.532 with three homers and 11 RBIs over 17 games, but he made the biggest impression on the basepaths, whether it was colliding with Hunter Dozier while running toward home to catch a pop-up, or sealing a win with a daring dash home on a not-that-wild pitch.
Salvador Perez: If Perez wins the home run or RBI titles, he'll have White Sox pitching to thank. He appeared in all 19 games of the season series and averaged better than an RBI per, blasting eight homers and driving in 20. He only hit .310 with a .333 OBP, but he made every hit count.
Carlos Santana: He's on a two-year contract, but he might not survive the second one given how his production and contact strength have tailed off. Unfortunately, the White Sox didn't see that guy. The Santana they saw hit .258/.397/.452 with four homers and 15 walks, which is what he's been doing against them for years.
Adam Eaton: He's the only White Sox with even a .900 OPS against the Royals this year, as he posted a 1.200 OPS (.333/.478/.722), with Abreu the only regular who was over .800. The White Sox hit .222/.308/.353 against them as a team, their third-lowest OPS against any AL opponent.
DEFINING PITCHERS
Lance Lynn: While the contact-oriented Royals lineup has frustrated many a talented White Sox pitcher over the years, Lynn didn't understand what the big deal was. He threw 14 shutout innings across his two starts, allowing just six hits and four walks while striking out 17, and posting his only shutout of the season back on April 8.
Dylan Cease: Cease's splits against winning teams and losing teams isn't as severe as it once was, but back when he was padding his stats against the second division, the Royals helped him as much as anybody. He posted a 1.98 ERA in five starts against Kansas City, racking up 35 strikeouts over 27⅓ innings.
Mike Minor: At one point, the White Sox were 23-2 against left-handed starters over a 25-game stretch. The lefty starter responsible for the "2" was Minor, in a year that's been completely unremarkable for him otherwise.
Carlos Hernandez: Hernández has six wins in his MLB career, and half of them have come against the White Sox this season. He went 3-0 with a 2.60 ERA against the White Sox, who never really showed an abiility to figure out his high-90s sinker until right before the bullpen could get comfortably involved.
DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS
Lack of homers: After blasting the Royals for 14 homers in 10 games last year, the Sox only tallied 16 over 19 games in 2021, with the Royals hitting 21.
Low leverage: Despite the relatively even run differential, 11 of the 19 games were decided by at least three runs. Especially over the last two series, it seemed more like a question of which team was taking the night off.
Sal Perez: Seriously, there wasn't much reward in trying to get him out.
