The home-opener crowd of 34,784 at White Sox Park was in a festive temper early Monday afternoon, prepared for a brand new begin after the disastrous 2022 season.
It had been an extended, powerful winter, and not one of the followers’ offseason hopes panned out.
Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t promote the crew, regardless of a billboard marketing campaign paid for by a GoFundMe web page. Rick Hahn was nonetheless the overall supervisor, Ken Williams was nonetheless the overall supervisor whisperer and Ozzie Guillén didn’t turn out to be the supervisor.
Yasmani Grandal was behind the plate once more, Joe Kelly remained within the bullpen and SoxFest was canceled.
But none of that mattered now.
It was time to get again to the ballpark, to eat some encased meats and fried dough and to recollect why they grew to become Sox followers within the first place.
Sox followers are a resilient bunch — and optimists down deep below the 5 layers of garments for the house opener. Only when provoked do they flip, as evidenced by the “Sell the Team” banners and “Fire Tony” chants of final summer season.
The relationship between Sox followers and their crew is difficult, however ultimately they at all times come again and hope for a distinct ending.
“To the White Sox rooter, there is nothing casual or relaxing about baseball,” former proprietor Bill Veeck wrote in “Veeck As In Wreck.” “Wake him up in the middle of the night, ask him who he is and he will say, ‘I am a carpenter and a White Sox fan.’ … The White Sox had long ago tested the loyalty of their rooters; the weak and faint of heart had fallen by the wayside and only the strong, the dedicated and the masochistic remained.”
So possibly this yr actually could be totally different from the final.
Sox followers favored what they’d heard from new supervisor Pedro Grifol and studies of a extra structured and purposeful spring coaching at Camelback Ranch. Yoán Moncada, Tim Anderson, Luis Robert Jr. and Lance Lynn all contributed to their groups within the World Baseball Classic, and nearer Liam Hendriks ought to return comparatively quickly, as Hendriks steered in a video-board message saying his last chemo remedy.
Dylan Cease, Lynn, Lucas Giolito and Mike Clevinger had sturdy begins within the opening sequence in Houston, the place a break up with the reigning champion Astros was thought of an announcement. The Sox even outmaneuvered Mother Nature, getting the San Francisco Giants to agree to maneuver up Monday’s sport time by an hour to beat the projected raindrops. Everything was working to perfection.
Hahn gave his first state of the Sox deal with within the dugout, warning in opposition to drawing any conclusions after 4 video games. The solar peeked out as Grifol informed reporters he most likely would replay the sport 150 occasions in his head when he went residence that night time, asking himself: “Could I have done this? Could I have done that?”
The tacky pregame introductions sponsored by an automaker went off nicely. Only on the South Side of Chicago does the pinnacle groundskeeper get a louder ovation than a lot of the gamers. Fan favourite A.J. Pierzynski — recent off internet hosting a podcast wherein former Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson mentioned he was pressured to retire — threw out the ceremonial first pitch to a lot applause. A comfort prize from Reinsdorf, maybe, for letting Hahn choose his personal supervisor as an alternative of placing A.J. within the dugout.
Michael Kopech lastly took the mound at 2:12 p.m., struck out the primary two Giants hitters and induced a comebacker to the mound for a fast inning. With the pitch clock ticking and Kopech dealing, some questioned whether or not they may get a quick win and maybe keep away from the interminable mess on the Kennedy on the best way residence, a sport plan solely an everlasting dreamer would dare make.
Then actuality bit, proper on cue.
Kopech served up 5 residence runs and was lifted within the fifth inning of a 12-3 loss. The sport included the final word white flag — a Sox place participant on the mound — after José Ruiz allowed the Giants’ seventh residence run. Grifol’s bullpen needed to be saved, and it was solely Game 5.
Grifol went residence to replay the video and verify whether or not Kopech was tipping his pitches. Sox followers received again on the expressways to seek out the standard gridlock, making an extended day longer.
The solar got here up Tuesday, again in its common April spot behind a cloud cowl, and the Sox had a day without work to unpack, chill out and neglect in regards to the misplaced opener. Cease faces the Giants on Wednesday afternoon with an opportunity to even the sequence and provides Grifol his first residence win.
The solely actual residue from Monday’s loss that should be handled is Kopech’s struggles in his first begin after a subpar Cactus League season. He didn’t give up his first residence run in 2022 till his ninth begin, having thrown 45 innings and posted a 1.29 ERA by then.
After a yr within the bullpen, he was exhibiting indicators of turning into the star the Sox envisioned after they acquired him from the Boston Red Sox in 2016 within the Chris Sale deal that kick-started the rebuild.
Kopech cruised into June, when he exited a begin in opposition to the Texas Rangers with left knee soreness after throwing solely eight pitches to 2 batters. He returned after a six-day relaxation, allowed 4 runs in 5 innings in a 4-3 loss in Houston and went 3-7 with a 3.79 ERA in 14 begins after popping out of the Rangers sport.
He missed time with a left knee pressure and ended the season on the injured record with left shoulder irritation. Kopech underwent surgical procedure in early October to restore a torn proper meniscus. The Sox introduced he could be prepared for spring coaching.
Monday’s outing very nicely might be a blip. It occurs, and Kopech was upset however not overly involved.
The Sox higher hope that’s the case. Kopech was some of the vital items of the rebuild, anticipated to be a mainstay of the rotation for years with Carlos Rodón and Giolito. Rodón wasn’t re-signed after 2021, and Giolito may go away as a free agent after this season — if he’s not a part of a trade-deadline deal.
Kopech’s struggles since leaving the Rangers sport final June are certain to stoke the controversy on whether or not he’s extra fitted to the bullpen. There’s no discuss of the Sox contemplating such a transfer, however it is sensible that Kopech gained’t have as lengthy a rope to get again on monitor as he had final yr.
Grifol mentioned Monday morning he needed to be taught each day about his “players, our staff, our coaches, you (media), the fans, everybody.”
The residence opener offered an excellent lesson from all sides.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com