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Pat Foley claimed during his pregame speech Thursday that there had been more talk about him recently than he deserved.
But the adoring crowd that packed the United Center for a terrible Blackhawks-Sharks matchup –although most surely weren’t there for the matchup –told a different story. They made that clear when interrupting his speech to chant his name.
So did the commemorative shirts distributed to said fans when they entered the arena. So did the larger-than-human-size letters positioned behind Foley’s lectern. So did the endless montages of legendary Foley calls accompanying historic Hawks highlights that echoed through the building during every commercial break. And so did a postgame “toast” that truly sent Foley off into retirement.
Indeed, after 39 years, the retiring Hawks broadcaster couldn’t quite get away with that outrageous claim.
“I’ve worked for a lot of radio and TV stations in this town, but really, you’re the people I’ve been working for here,” Foley told the fans. “It has been my pleasure and my honor to try and serve the greatest fans in the world.”
For 39 years, Foley’s broadcasting greatness has been predominantly experienced everywhere in Chicagoland (and beyond) except for this block of Madison Street. Such is the functional purpose of a play-by-play man.
That broadcasting greatness has always originated and emanated, however, from this block –first from the Chicago Stadium, then from the United Center. And as Foley rides off into the sunset, with fresh-faced Chris Vosters stepping into his shoes as the new “Voice of the Blackhawks,” his legacy won’t soon be forgotten by Hawks fans in any block of the city.
“I always say I’m the luckiest guy in the room, and tonight is noexception,” Foley said. “It has been a great ride. This career has exceeded my wildest hopes. Those dreams as a 10-year-old have been eclipsed tenfold.
“One thing I want to say to you tonight, and I cannot pretend to say it any better than the great Warren Zevon did: ‘If I leave you, it doesn’t mean I love you any less.’ Keep me in your heart for a while, please.”
Quite a few of Foley’s iconic calls during the second half of his tenure involved Patrick Kane, and Kane fittingly turned up his game for Foley’s final night in the booth.
Reunited with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome as interim coach Derek King put back together the only line that has consistently produced offensively this season, Kane finished with three points in the Hawks’ 5-4 shootout win against the Sharks.
AP Photos
Kane buried a three-on-one rush with DeBrincat and Strome less than two minutes into the game, then fed Calvin de Haan — who returned to the lineup after missing one game nursing lower-body soreness –for a go-ahead goal late in the second period.
The Hawks blew a 4-2 lead in the third period — their third squandered lead of the night — but DeBrincat potted a third-round overtime winner to officially snap the eight-game losing streak.
Reese Johnson, who signed a two-year contract extension Wednesday to theoretically keep him in Chicago through 2024, received some massive praise from King.
“The work ethic’s there; the character’s there; the leadership quality’s there,” King said. “If he’s around here [for] the next two-plus years, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s wearing a letter on his jersey. That’s the kind of leader he is.”
King has obviously loved Johnson since their days together in Rockford, but that’s still an eye-opening comment about a player with six career NHL points (in 34 games).
Blackhawks send Pat Foley off into retirement with long-awaited win Read More »
DENVER – Coors Field is known for home runs. But the Cubs didn’t rely on the long ball to beat the Rockies 5-2 on Thursday.
They matched their season high with 10 hits.
The trend started in the first inning, as Nick Madrigal, Jonathan Villar and Frank Schwindel hit back-to-back-to-back singles. Seiya Suzuki extended that string of base hits with a double, and the Cubs took a 3-0 lead. With Yan Gomes’ following single, the Cubs recorded five straight hits in the first inning.
Schwindel was the only Cub with a homer on Thursday. The Rockies put together a two-run rally in the fifth inning. But Schwindel, leading off the next frame, added to the Cubs’ lead right away.
Schwindel’s sixth-inning home run was his first home run and first extra-base hit of the season.
Bryant reunion
Not many of Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant’s former Cubs teammates were in the opposite dugout on Thursday. But Cubs manager David Ross had plenty of stories to share from their time playing together.
“One of the cool things and ’15 he was in spring training and had all the hype of all the home runs he hit,” Ross recalled. “And we’re in the training room one day, and I asked him how many home runs he had last year.”
In 2014, Bryant had recorded 43 home runs in Double-A and Triple-A combined. So, Bryant gave Ross that number.
“Not in the show, you didn’t,” Ross said.
Ross retired from playing baseball after the Cubs’ 2016 championship season. He had 106 career home runs. In 2018, Bryant passed that mark
“He made sure that I got a text,” Ross said. “… He let me know he had passed me and I was never catching him again.”
Steele make second start
Cubs lefty Justin Steele’s first start of the season was hard to follow up. He’d thrown five shutout innings against the Brewers over the weekend. But his pristine ERA didn’t last through Thursday.
Steele still hadn’t given up a run when he exited the game with one out in the fifth inning. But he’d put two runners on.
Cubs rookie Ethan Roberts, who also had yet to give up a run this season, replaced Steele. But he ran into problems almost immediately. A couple line drives and a couple walks later, the Rockies had cut the Cubs’ lead to 3-2. Both runs were charged to Steele.
Injury update
The three Cubs on the 10-day injured list continue to make progress, but the team has not given a timeline for their returns. All three became eligible to return from the IL on Thursday.
Right-hander Alec Mills (low back strain) is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Saturday. Lefty Wade Miley (left elbow inflammation) was set to throw long toss at 120 feet on Thursday. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons (right shoulder inflammation) is still on a throwing program.
Cubs open Rockies series with win, powered by double-digit hits Read More »
DENVER – Cubs manager David Ross muttered under his breath when he heard that Kris Bryant had quickly brought up Ross’ appearances on “Dancing with the Stars” and “Saturday Night Live” when asked about their time together.
“I’m going to kill him,” Ross said with a smile.
Bryant faced his former team for the second time in his career on Thursday, and the second time in seven months, each time in a different uniform. Bryant started in left field and batted third for the Rockies in the series opener.
This time, his trade wasn’t as fresh, and the question of whether he could return to the Cubs in free agency had been answered. On Thursday, Bryant stood by what he’d said in September, when he’d visited Wrigley Field with the Giants, that the trade hadn’t closed the door on a return to Chicago.
“We had some very preliminary talks, more like shorter term stuff,” Bryant said. “But I don’t know if that chapter will ever close until I’m done playing baseball because I rely on a lot of what I went through there to make me who I am now and help me in the future with the guys here.
“So, I’m not ever going to close that chapter. Because I had a lot of fun there. And I’m gonna have a lot of fun here. But I want to do what I did there for another team, and I’m looking forward to making those memories too.”
Bryants’ Cubs memories include plenty of highlights: Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable player, a curse-breaking World Series title, and plenty of friendships like the one he forged with Ross. But this offseason, it became abundantly clear that one of his lasting contributions to Major League Baseball came out of a contentious chapter with the Cubs.
Bryant’s free agency may have halted during the lockout, but Bryant’s name came up plenty as the service time manipulation became a key issue in labor negotiations between MLB and the players association.
Bryant’s case has become the go-to example for service time manipulation. The Cubs infamously sent Bryant to Triple-A to start the 2015 season, just long enough to cost him a year of service time. He and his representation filed a grievance.
“Going through that process, obviously, it wasn’t fun,” Bryant recalled Thursday. “A lot of media attention on it. And I wasn’t necessarily comfortable with it the whole time. But I knew that I had the best case for changing the way this system is run. And I felt that I needed to take it upon myself to do that for everybody, and maybe benefit myself in the process, but knowing that it would be hard to win the case.”
In the end, an arbitrator sided with the Cubs. But the story didn’t end there.
The new Collective Bargaining Agreement includes provisions aimed at addressing service time manipulation. The agreement introduced Prospect Promotion Incentive draft selections for teams that place top prospects on their Opening Day rosters and other specific promotion situations. Eligible prospects who finish in the Top-2 in Rookie of the Year voting will also automatically receive a full year service time.
It remains to be seen what long-term effects those rules will have, but they already seem to be making an impact. Opening Day rosters this year included a star-studded rookie class, including Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez and Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson.
“I’m happy that we got some changes on that,” Bryant said, “because it felt like everything that I did go through, with all the attention and the negativity surrounding it, was worth it. And that makes me happy.”
Under the new rules, Bryant would have received a full year of major-league service time when he won Rookie of the Year in 2015.
“I’m just a little disappointed they didn’t name a rule after me,” Bryant joked Thursday. “I mean, [Shohei] Ohtani got his rule. I didn’t get a rule.”
How Kris Bryant’s Cubs tenure is impacting the next generation of MLB players Read More »
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles didn’t go out and acquire a big talent in free agency or via trade to help quarterback Justin Fields during free agency. With that, many were disappointed as the main goal is to build around the former Ohio State quarterback.
And now the national media is using that as a narrative that the team doesn’t believe in Fields just yet.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is skeptical the Bears management has faith in Fields, saying on the Dan Bernstein Show the Bears might be taking a “step back.”
“There’s a fine line between deliberately and strategically taking a step back and tanking,” Florio said during the appearance. “But it feels like the Bears are deliberately taking a step back. And the problem is, usually teams do that when they don’t have a quarterback they believe in, because part of the setup is, ‘We will be so bad, we end up with a quarterback who becomes our franchise foundation.’ Maybe that’s the hidden message here, that the new regime doesn’t believe in Justin Fields. Because if they did, would they be tearing everything else down? Or would they be trying to build everything else up? Because what happens is if the team stinks, Justin Fields is going to have a rough year, and fans will be like, ‘Well, we wasted a couple first-round picks on him, on to the next one.’ So, maybe if there’s truth to the idea — and it sure looks like it — that they’re deliberately tearing everything down, it could be that this is just step one toward moving on from Justin Fields at the appropriate time, which could be as soon as next year, if they would trade him to someone else and then begin their search for whoever the next franchise quarterback is going to be.”
That seems to be a stretch to make the comment in mid-April, as the NFL draft is still two weeks away and the Bears could very well add receivers early on.
Poles has added to the offensive line and wide receiver positions but they haven’t been moves for elite players. Poles seems to be freeing up cap space that will allow the Bears to go after better free agents in 2023 when they can be more competitive.
It could be detrimental to the team’s long-term success to overpay for a player this season when there are still a lot of gaps on the roster. Matt Eberflus and Fields will likely be in rebuild mode this season.
It’s unlikely the Bears hired Poles and Eberflus on the condition they don’t help aid in the development of a player that they spent two first-round picks on. More unfair, that they would judge a rookie based on the failure of the offense most deem to be Matt Nagy’s fault. The Bears still might regret losing Mitchell Trubisky.
In two weeks we should have a better idea of where the team’s future is headed, hopefully, with Fields under center for seasons to come.
Make sure to check out our Bears forum for the latest on the team.
National analyst hints Chicago Bears may not have confidence in Justin Fields Read More »
Amid gusting, swirling winds at Guaranteed Rate Field, White Sox third baseman Jake Burger caught a pop-up to end the sixth inning and raised both arms in mock celebration.
Except it wasn’t a mock celebration. On this day, that was making a play.
“Tough conditions and that was honestly pure joy,” Burger said. “It wasn’t just me sarcastically celebrating. I was actually excited I caught it.”
It was that kind of day Thursday when fickle windy conditions that were unusual even by upper Midwest standards — officially 29 mph from the southwest — wreaked havoc for both teams. And the Mariners got the better of it in a 5-1 victory before 13,391 fans that snapped the White Sox’ four-game winning streak.
On a day when the Sox managed just four hits — only two that left the infield — the infield pop-up literally was the Sox’ most dangerous weapon. In one bizarre sequence in the bottom of the fifth, the Mariners failed to catch three pop-ups as the Sox scored their only run to cut the Mariners’ lead to 2-1.
Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (1-0), who pitched well and still deserved better, appeared out of a 1-2-3 inning on just 10 pitches when third baseman Eugenio Suarez camped under an Adam Engel pop-up between third and short — only to have the ball land in foul territory.
With new life, Engel popped up again in front of the plate — and catcher Cal Raleigh, struggling to find it, dropped it for an error.
Burger followed with yet another pop up — and by now the crowd was cheering in anticipation of another mishap. And sure enough, they got it. Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford got twisted and turned around trying to corral it, made a desperate attempt for a basket catch — and dropped it, with Engel scoring.
“What the flags were doing was completely different from what the stadium felt like” first baseman Gavin Sheets said. “It was just a really weird day.”
The comedy of errors was so ridiculous by that point that Crawford’s misplay was ruled a hit and an RBI for Burger.
“It was really tough,” Burger said. “You can’t blame anybody out there for any of those dropped balls. You saw it probably change five different directions when it was in the air, and that’s never a good thing.”
Though Gilbert had been in a groove, the pop-up folly presented the Sox with an opportunity to steal the game. Tim Anderson’s single put runners on first and second with Luis Robert up and Gilbert perhaps a little bit on tilt. But Gilbert ratcheted it back up and struck out Robert swinging to end the inning.
And that was it for the Sox. After the wind made the Mariners look like the Keystone Cops, they used the wind in their favor to take control.
After Sox manager Tony La Russa pulled reliever Matt Foster following a strikeout of No. 8 hitter Julio Rodriguez, Raleigh greeted Bennett Sousa with a wind-aided home run into the left field seats to give the Mariners a 3-1 lead.
In the eighth inning, La Russa pulled Sousa after a walk to Jesse Winker and Mitch Haniger greeted reliever Jose Ruiz with a two-run homer, also to left field, to give the Mariners a 5-1 lead.
But even with the loss, the Sox (4-2) won two of three against a good team. La Russa wasn’t about to complain about the weather.
“We get a lot of weather changes in the major leagues and you have to play in them,” La Russa said. The wind … was kind of interesting, kind of fun for the fans. There were a lot of funding things going on out there. It’s one of those deals [where] if you expect to play in conditions that are perfect … you better find something else to do.”
White Sox loss to Mariners is blowin’ in the wind Read More »
White Sox fans, make sure you have access to streaming service Apple TV+ because that will be the only place to watch the game Friday night against the Rays.
Deep breaths. You can do this.
If you have an internet connection, you can watch the game for free without subscribing. Go to the Apple TV app, which can be found on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K and HD and tv.apple.com. It’s also on smart TVs, gaming consoles and cable set-top boxes. If you’re a Comcast customer, for example, Apple TV+ is available under the Apps tab. You might be asked to sign in using an Apple ID.
After opening Apple TV+, you’ll find “Friday Night Baseball” at the top of the page. Click or tap on the image. You might need to swipe left on some devices. From there, you can start streaming, but functions such as pause and fast-forward aren’t available with the broadcast.
Orioles announcer Melanie Newman, analysts Chris Young and Hannah Keyser and reporter Brooke Fletcher will call the game. The broadcasts include a pregame and postgame show, as well as a rules analyst. Former umpire Brian Gorman – who famously drew Hawk Harrelson’s wrath for ejecting former Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle in 2005 – is the first to fill such a role on an MLB broadcast.
Apple TV+’s exclusive “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheaders debuted last week to mixed reviews. Produced by MLB Network, the broadcasts looked great with a sharp picture and graphics that are on-brand. The announcing crews left a lot to be desired, though.
The Sox return to Apple TV+ on May 6 against the Red Sox. The Cubs will appear on the streamer May 13 against the Diamondbacks and June 24 against the Cardinals.
Some radio broadcasts of the Bulls’ first-round playoff series will shift from The Score to WBBM-AM (780) because of conflicts with Cubs games. For Games 1 and 2, the broadcasts will begin on WBBM, then move to The Score after a condensed Cubs postgame show. The Score will carry Game 3 and WBBM will carry Game 4 in their entirety.
White Sox’ game Friday night is on Apple TV+; here’s how to find it Read More »
NBC Sports president Jon Miller knows the perils of starting a spring football league. He was with NBC when the network teamed with Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment during the XFL’s first launch in 2001 and has seen other leagues crash and burn.
Miller is optimistic that a new version of the USFL could have some staying power.
“Hopefully, the fifth time is a charm. I think the timing is right, the partnership is right, and the model is bred for success,” Miller said. “We’re optimistic, hopeful, and excited at the same time.”
The USFL kicks off Saturday night in Birmingham, Alabama, when the New Jersey Generals face the Birmingham Stallions.
Fox and NBC Sports will each carry 22 games, including Saturday’s opener. It is the first time since the 2007 regular-season finale between the New England Patriots and New York Giants that a game will air on multiple broadcast networks.
Fox Sports owns the USFL and is making a $150 million investment over three years. The only similarity between the USFL of 1983-85 and this one is the team names.
Fox Sports executive vice president Michael Mulvihill thinks the XFL would have made it if it wasn’t for the coronavirus pandemic. The league suspended operations in April 2020 during the pandemic. It played five weeks before COVID-19 halted sports a month earlier.
In 2019, the Alliance of American Football shut down after eight weeks after running out of money.
“I think the viewership figures for spring football are good enough to give us a high level of confidence that the interest among fans is there,” Mulvihill said. “It just becomes a matter of can we develop a business model that’s more effective than the leagues that have tried and haven’t succeeded. Because we’re structured the way we are, we have a pretty good chance of doing just that.”
There are two significant differences with the USFL before it kicks off. It has waited until April to begin the season. The XFL and AAF immediately started their seasons after the Super Bowl and eventually had to go against the NCAA basketball tournament and the Masters.
The USFL’s most significant competition for viewers will be the NBA and NHL playoffs through the end of May. The XFL averaged 1.5 million viewers on Fox and ABC during its final week of games while AAF ratings for games on NFL Network were similar to preseason NFL games.
The other difference is that the season will take place in two cities. The regular season will occur in Birmingham, with the playoffs slated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
“It’s beneficial for us to get on solid financial footing and then year two start to kind of dial it in. Our goal is year two. Nobody’s done that in a while,” said former Dallas Cowboys standout and Fox NFL commentator Daryl Johnston, the USFL’s executive vice president of football operations.
Johnston also had front-office roles in the XFL and AAF. Brian Woods, the founder The Spring League, is the USFL’s president of football operations, while Fox NFL and college football rules analyst Mike Pereira will act as the head of officiating.
The eight teams will play a 10-game schedule during the regular season, with the top two in the North and South divisions advancing to the playoffs. The championship game will be a matchup of division winners.
Among other things to watch with the new league:
Fox and NBC will use drones in football game coverage for the first time. During last week’s scrimmages, the drone followed a player through the hole during one play to show his running path.
Two players from each team will also have cameras in their helmets. During the scrimmages, the helmet cams captured a player blocking a punt and a defensive back intercepting a pass in the end zone.
Telecasts will also have access to all the audio feeds of coaches and 32 players on both teams wearing mics.
“The technology will grow throughout the season because there are things that have never been tried before,” said Fox Sports producer Chuck McDonald. “The biggest learning curve will be figuring out what’s great.”
The technology won’t just extend to broadcasts. Instead, the USFL will not use chain gangs, relying on a chip inside the football to spot the ball. On close plays for first downs, Hawkeye technology — used in tennis to tell if a ball is inbounds — will be utilized to see if a player got the necessary yards.
Besides the extra point and 2-point conversion after touchdowns, teams can attempt a 3-point conversion from the 10-yard line. That means an 18-point deficit theoretically remains a two-possession game.
Teams will also have the option of running a fourth-and-12 play from the 33-yard line to make a first down and retain possession instead of attempting an onside kick.
Most defensive pass interference calls will be 15 yards. It would be a spot foul if a defender intentionally tackles a receiver beyond 15 yards.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Michigan Panthers and Tampa Bay Bandits are the co-favorites at 4.5-1.Former Titans and Rams coach Jeff Fisher is directing the Panthers, while Todd Haley leads the Bandits.Michigan also has two of the more recognizable names at quarterback. Former University of Michigan standout Shea Patterson is in line to start, with Paxton Lynch serving as the backup. Lynch used to play for the Broncos and Seahawks.Read More
New USFL thinks its version of spring football will succeed Read More »
April didn’t go well for the “Vooch.”
Nikola Vucevic was well aware of that, as the big man was preparing to enter his fourth-career postseason, but his first with the Bulls.
This latest spring swoon started on April 2 against Miami, and lasted four games — all four losses — concluding with a blowout loss to the Hornets in which Vucevic went just 2-for-6 for six points.
One game that stood out, however, was the last meeting with Milwaukee on April 5, in which Vucevic had plenty of good looks, but very few makes, going 3-for-19 from the field and grabbing just six rebounds. Meanwhile, the Bucks’ Brook Lopez dominated the battle of centers, scoring 28 points, pulling down seven rebounds, and finishing with a plus-18 in plus/minus.
If the Bulls want any chance just to stay in games against the defending NBA champions, that matchup cannot be so one-sided.
Then again, that’s been an ongoing storyline for the Bulls’ “Big Three” all season long. On many nights, as goes “Vooch,” so go the Bulls.
In games in which Vucevic has scored 30 points or more, the Bulls went 3-1 in the 2021-22 campaign. When he’s scored 25 or more? How about an 8-2 record.
In Bulls wins this season, Vucevic not only averaged 19.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game, but also shot 50.3% from the field. In losses, those numbers dropped to 15.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 43.1% from the field.
In comparison, Zach LaVine’s numbers in wins were 24.7 points per game while shooting 48% from the field, and 24 points per game with a 47.2% from the field in losses.
“He’s really important to our team and he’s been important all year long,” coach Billy Donovan said of Vucevic. “I think for him, even when you speak to him, I do feel like that with some of him being in rhythm offensively, I really like the shots he’s gotten. Both from behind the [three-point] line and when he’s in the pocket. I think he’s getting good looks. He’s had some games, in particular that one game against Milwaukee when he was 3-for-19, but you go back and watch the film and you like the shots. He’s taken and made those shots for most of his career.
“The thing about him is he holds himself to such a high standard offensively that he’s got to understand that in the playoffs, he may not shoot the ball well. He’s still got to stay really engaged defensively, and he’s been such an elite rebounder for us.”
Donovan’s point cannot be understated.
There’s been more than a handful of games in which Vucevic has struggled offensively and taken that to the defensive side of the ball. That can’t happen.
The good news? Vucevic has taken on Milwaukee in the playoffs before. Just rewind back to the 2020 postseason, and while Orlando lost in five games, Vucevic dominated Lopez. Not only did Vucevic average 28 points and 11 rebounds per game, but shot 50% from the field and 41% from three.
So it’s in there, but is it still at 31 years old and with a team that often makes him a third option?
“They’re the world champs, so they have that confidence,” Vucevic said of what awaits him and his teammates, starting on Sunday. “They’ve been in a lot of playoff series together, so they know what it takes. They’re a very organized team, and they play very good together. You have to really play to beat them because they’re not going to beat themselves. They’re one of the best teams in the east, but I think when we play well we’ve played right there with them.
“We have what it takes to match up with them, we just have to do it.”
Bulls need a 2020 Nikola Vucevic performance vs. Bucks in playoffs Read More »
The Chicago White Sox’ 6-4 victory against the Seattle Mariners was mostly highlighted by the rain. The muddy field, sloppy play, and awful conditions understandably were front and center in the second game of the series. The White Sox bats, once again fueled the victory, scoring six runs. However, the game also was the first start of the season for 34-year-old lefthander Dallas Keuchel.
Keuchel is coming off a miserable 2021 season. Last year, he allowed 105 runs in 162 innings pitched and the .302 expected opponent Batting Average (xBA) was one of the worst in the MLB. Despite the awful season, Keuchel enters this season with a pivotal role in the starting rotation, especially with Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito already on the injury list.
Keuchel’s allowed three runs on six hits in five innings pitched. However, the start was one the White Sox will eagerly take. Moreover, how Keuchel dealt with the Mariners lineup is something to look forward to in future starts. Playing a major role in the back half of the rotation, the White Sox need these starts.
Keuchel’s Pitch Breakdown vs. the Mariners (80 pitches): 25 cutters. 24 sinkers. 20 changeups. 11 sliders.
The first inning alone already provided a sample size of the positives and negatives of Keuchel in the rotation. The second batter in the Mariners order, Ty France, powered the ball over the left field fence.
Keuchel was having a strong inning, but the one mistake was a consequential one. The cutter didn’t cut out of the strike zone. Below, you can see how the pitch ideally was supposed to hit the lower inside part of the zone, if not, break out of the strike zone altogether. Instead, the pitch was left handing over the inside part of the zone, ideal for a pull hitter like France.
Pitches like these are the ones that cost Keuchel and will inevitably hurt the White Sox this season.
Keuchel’s cutter ideally moves in on right-handed hitters, like France, resulting in minimal damage. Unfortunately, when the pitch lacks that inner movement, it’s left over the heart of the plate where power hitters can and will do damage.
Seeing the early cutter miss made it particularly alarming that Keuchel made it his primary pitch in the night. However, following the early inning home run, the veteran starter found his location and was dialed in. It can explain why the start, for the most part, was still a solid one for Keuchel.
Keuchel started to settle into a rhythm in the second inning onward, helping the White Sox retake the lead, which they held for the rest of the game. Keuchel only provided five innings and only struck out five batters, but his performance isn’t defined by the number of batters he strikes out, not at this point in his career at least.
The White Sox starter provided a mix of pitches throughout the five innings and kept the Mariners hitter guessing. Keuchel mostly delivered off-speed pitches in both sinkers and changeups and forced weak contact off the bat, resulting in multiple groundouts.
The grounders were a testament to the strong infield behind Keuchel. Shortstop Tim Anderson and second baseman Josh Harrison made multiple big outs in the rain, bailing out their pitcher. However, the great fielding helps put Keuchel at ease on the mound. This particularly applies as he continues to pitch to the lower part of the strike zone with multiple off-speed offerings.
Following the first inning, Keuchel tossed three scoreless innings with five groundouts. The contact will be taken by the White Sox in future starts, especially when it results in easy fielding plays for Anderson at short.
The fifth inning is when the game started to unravel for Keuchel. Three consecutive hits from the Mariners plated their second run and put runners on the basepaths. The Mariners added another run in the inning, but it was enough to force Keuchel out of the game, leaving the bullpen to close out the fourth win of the season.
The Mariners made contact and Keuchel was starting to struggle with his location. However, despite the contact, the Mariners couldn’t pile on the runs and could maintain a rally. This was primarily because Keuchel kept delivering sinkers, changeups, and sliders, all of which were in the lower half of the zone. Ultimately, the weak contact kept the lead intact and allowed Keuchel to win his 100th game in his career.
1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th career win for @kidkeuchy! https://t.co/FJYeBMHXXW
Even when the veteran pitcher made mistakes, they didn’t cost the White Sox. Considering the team possesses one of the best lineups in the MLB, the mistakes from the veteran starter will be taken, rarely resulting in extra bases or home runs. Looking forward, it’s something the White Sox will anticipate in future starts.
It was far from an ideal start for Keuchel. After all, he allowed three runs and failed to help out the bullpen, pitching only five innings. However, the first start of the season for the veteran right-hander was a pleasant surprise.
The starting rotation is already dealing with injuries and the White Sox need reliable starts from their rotation, especially the backend of the rotation. Keuchel didn’t provide longevity in his start but that’s not what the White Sox need, not from him at least.
In addition, the way Keuchel pitched signals that he can continue to be a reliable arm in the rotation and bounce back from last season. Keuchel will continue to pitch to the lower half of the strike zone and aside from the cutter, force opponents to hit off-speed pitches. The ability to force weak contact and groundball-inducing pitches will also favor the veteran with a strong infield behind him.
Make sure to check out our WHITE SOX forum for the latest on the team.
Breaking down Dallas Keuchel’s season debut for the Chicago White Sox Read More »
