Hawk Harrelson used to say that every team would win 60 games and lose 60 games, and it's what they did with the other 42 that mattered.
The 2024 White Sox forced a revision to that statement long ago, but with today's victory, at least they made it to 40 wins.
Facing a Tigers team with considerably less to play for today as compared to Friday, and waiting through a 2 hour, 20 minute rain delay for the privilege of playing through a steady mist the rest of the day, three White Sox pitchers were able to stitch together a shutout to get them to 40 wins on the season. That ties them with the 1962 Mets in the win column, and now Sunday will determine which team finishes with the better winning percentage.
Sean Burke is now the clubhouse leader with the best record of any pitcher on the 2024 White Sox, improving to 2-0 after five scoreless innings. It looked dicey early, as the first three batters he faced consumed 24 pitches while only resulting in one out and two walks, but Riley Greene's line drive found Lenyn Sosa for a 4-3 double play, and the final four innings were less of a battle. He allowed just two hits and a walk the rest of the way, stranding a two-out double in the fifth to put him in line for the win.
(Gus Varland and Prelander Berroa can theoretically tie Burke at 2-0 with a well-timed appearance tomorrow, but Varland pitched the ninth today, so Burke only has to fend off one other teammate for sole possession of the winning percentage crown.)
In between, Michael Soroka struck out five over three perfect innings. He still finished the season with the worst winning percentage in White Sox history at 0-10, but he'll head into free agency coming off three appearances that maxed out the small window he had after his lengthy IL stint (7.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 13 K).
The White Sox offense did just enough against a Detroit bullpen game. Bryan Ramos golfed a decent Beau Brieske changeup out to left field for a solo shot in the second inning, which turned out to be the only run the White Sox needed.
Andrew Benintendi factored heavily into the other two scoring innings. He hit his 20th double of the season with one out in the sixth, then came around to score on Andrew Vaughn's single to make it a 2-0 game.
Two innings later, Benintendi followed Zach DeLoach's walk with his 20th homer that pushed the game out of a save situation, unless Grady Sizemore was willing to pitch Soroka four innings. Alas, even with an efficient pitch count (43 pitches, 29 strikes), Sizemore didn't push it.
Bullet points:
*The White Sox got their first look at top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe, who started his afternoon by walking Chuckie Robinson five pitches, but otherwise threw three scoreless innings, even pitching around catcher interference and an E5.
*The Tigers fell to 10-2 against the White Sox this season, while the Royals went 12-1. If the wild card ends up being decided by a game, that'd be a fun way for it to happen.
