Top 5 White Sox moments for 2021

Tim Anderson

What's a new year without a list recapping the year that just ended, right? And with the Major League Baseball lockout droning on with no end in sight, we don't have much else to discuss.

So, let's ring in 2022 by looking back at my five favorite White Sox moments of 2021. Let me know if I've missed anything important:

5. Jose Abreu's mad dash to the plate: Maybe I remember this one more than most people because I was at this game, but it might have been the single most exciting play of the season that wasn't a home run. The Sox scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to rally for a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. The fourth and game-winning run was scored with two outs, when Abreu dashed down the line from third base on a very short wild pitch by Kansas City reliever Wade Davis. Abreu somehow got around the tag of Royals catcher Cam Gallagher, hitting his hand on the plate as he slid by. After a lengthy video review, the call on the field was confirmed: safe. The whole thing was so improbable, because when Abreu took off, it looks as if he would be out by 10 feet. 

4. Brian Goodwin's bat flip for the ages: The second-place Cleveland Indians came to Chicago on July 30 trailing the Sox by eight games in the American League Central Division. There was a feeling the Indians needed to take two out of three -- if not sweep -- in order to have a legitimate chance to make the Central a race. The teams split the first two games, and the Sunday finale was a tight affair throughout. The score was 1-1 going into the ninth inning, and Goodwin won the game for the Sox with a solo home run off Cleveland reliever Nick Wittgren. Goodwin punctuated his blast by flipping his bat toward the Cleveland dugout, about 30 feet up in the air. That was Aug. 1, and the Sox had a nine-game lead. This was the moment where you felt the Sox had the division in hand -- for me, it was more enjoyable than the day the Sox clinched, because September was a foregone conclusion. 

3. Leury Garcia's home run in Game 3 of the ALDS: Some people might have this as their best moment of the season -- especially if they were lucky enough to be at this game, which I was. The Sox, of course, had lost the first two games of the series against the Houston Astros, and they were facing elimination. There was definitely a feeling of impending doom at Guaranteed Rate Field after the Astros jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the third inning of Game 3. But the Sox responded with five runs in the bottom of the third, capped by an improbable 3-run homer to deep center field by Garcia. The blast gave the Sox a 6-5 lead, and they survived for one more game by securing a 12-6 victory. When Garcia's ball left the park, that was the loudest I've ever heard the ballpark (note, I did not attend 2005 World Series Game 2). And I've never seen so much high-priced beer flying through the air during a home run celebration. Of course, Game 3 would be the last Sox victory of 2021. They lost the series in four games. Had that home run actually flipped the outcome of the series, this would be higher on my list.

2. Carlos Rodon pitches a no-hitter: I'll be honest -- I didn't really want Rodon back on the Sox after watching him labor through four consecutive injury-plagued seasons. But the veteran left-hander quickly quieted me and other critics by getting the 2021 season off to a great start. Rodon pitched a no-hitter in his second start of the season, April 14 against the Cleveland Indians. And frankly, this was really damn close to being a perfect game. Rodon retired the first 25 batters he faced before hitting Cleveland catcher Roberto Perez in the toe with a back-foot slider with one out in the top of the ninth. That spoiled the perfect game, before Rodon recovered to retire the next two batters and secure the no-hitter and an 8-0 victory. Injuries once again hindered Rodon the second half of the season, but I don't think any Sox fan can complain about the 24 starts he made in 2021. Rodon went 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA, made the All-Star team and provided fans with one of the most memorable performances of the entire season on a chilly night in April.

1. Tim Anderson walks it off in the Field of Dreams Game: If there's a single moment from the 2021 White Sox season that everyone will remember, it's got to be this, right? The Field of Dreams Game was the most-watched baseball telecast in 15 years, and the heavyweight fight between the Sox and the New York Yankees did not disappoint. The Yankees scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning off Liam Hendriks to turn a 7-4 Sox lead into an 8-7 deficit. It looked as if the Sox were going to suffer one of their most frustrating losses of the season in the most high profile of games. But Anderson changed the narrative. After Seby Zavala took a walk, Anderson drove a pitch from New York's Zach Britton over the fence in right field and into the corn for a two-run homer to give the Sox an improbable 9-8 victory. It was kind of funny that Anderson was on the record as not having seen the movie "Field of Dreams," yet he ended up being the hero and providing the signature moment of the game. MLB is doing another such game next season -- it will feature the Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds. Good luck duplicating the drama and excitement from this Sox-Yankees matchup.

White Sox make flurry of roster moves

Craig Kimbrel

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn finally met the media Friday for his season-ending press conference, and I'll have some reactions and takeaways from that before the weekend is over.

But first, let's go over the roster moves that were announced:

Pitchers Evan Marshall, Jimmy Cordero and Jace Fry were outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte. All three become free agents.

Marshall hasn't pitched since June 29 and will need Tommy John surgery in the offseason. There's some chance the Sox will bring him back on a one-year deal with a club option, if they think he can help them in 2023. The veteran right-hander faces an uncertain future.

Cordero missed all of 2021 after having Tommy John surgery. The hard-throwing reliever was famously overused by former manager Rick Renteria during the 2020 season, and no one was surprised when he ended up injured. It wouldn't be a shock to see the Sox sign him to a minor league deal and take a look at him in spring training.

Fry has never been able to throw enough strikes to stick in the major leagues. I would not expect him back with the Sox in 2022 under any circumstance.

Left-hander Anderson Severino, 27, was added to the 40-man roster before he became a minor league free agent. Severino split his 2021 season between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. He struck out 53 batters over 45.2 innings combined at the two levels. In effect, he replaces Fry as the left-handed reliever who could get called up from Charlotte in the event of a bullpen injury.

Outfielder Brian Goodwin was outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte. He is a free agent. He batted .221/.319/.374 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 72 games for the 2021 Sox. Goodwin's production dried up the second half of the season, and a back injury kept him off the playoff roster. He likely does not figure in the 2022 plans.

In an expected move, the Sox declined the $6 million contract option on second baseman Cesar Hernandez. After being acquired in a midseason trade with the Cleveland Indians, Hernandez struggled both with the bat and with the glove. In 53 games with the Sox, he batted .232/.309/.299 with three home runs and 15 RBIs.

Hernandez fell out of favor with manager Tony La Russa to the point that he did not start either of the first two games of the playoffs. That was a clear indicator that he would not be asked back for 2022.

Finally, the first part of the Craig Kimbrel debate is over. His $16 million contract option has been exercised for 2022. The veteran reliever, who was acquired midseason in a deal with the crosstown Cubs, was a huge disappointment with the Sox.

He had a 5.09 ERA in 24 regular-season games on the South Side, and a 9.00 ERA in his three playoff appearances. The poor performance came after Kimbrel posted a dominant first half of the season on the North Side, where he had a 0.49 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 39 games and 36.2 innings.

Does that mean Kimbrel is part of the 2022 Sox bullpen? Don't count on it. He's likely to be shopped in the offseason, with the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels among the teams who could be interested.

This series of moves leaves the Sox's 40-man roster at 33 players.

Will Yasmani Grandal end up with one of the most bizarre offensive seasons ever?

Yasmani Grandal

White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal's numbers are weird. His batting average coming into Wednesday night's game against the Oakland Athletics stinks -- .228 -- but it's hard to complain about his overall slash line of .228/.418/.529. 

Grandal's on-base percentage is the best among Sox players who are in the regular lineup, and his slugging percentage is second-best, only to Luis Robert (.539). 

His OPS is a team-best .947, and his OPS+ is 161, meaning he is 61% better than the league average among those who play his position.

But here's what is really weird about Grandal: He has only 47 hits all season, but he has 51 runs scored and 54 RBIs.

Never before in the history of baseball -- and that's a long damn time -- has a player with more than 40 hits had more runs scored and RBIs than hits in a single season.

It's something to keep an eye on down the stretch, although Grandal has 13 hits in eight games since returning from the 10-day injured list. During that time, he's raised his batting from .188 to .228, bashed five home runs and collected 17 RBIs.

He might actually be swinging the bat too well to continue this anomaly of a season.

White Sox win opener in Oakland

Grandal worked a bases-loaded walk in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Athletics, so he did get one RBI in a game in which he also collected one hit.

This victory was full of anomalies for the Sox. They had three run-producing hits, all against left-handed pitchers, and all by batters who have not done well against lefties.

Gavin Sheets is 1 for 14 against lefties this season, but the one hit was Tuesday night -- and RBI single in the fifth inning off A.J. Puk. Cesar Hernandez was 5 for 33 against lefties since joining the Sox -- until he delivered a two-run single in that same fifth inning that capped a three-run rally and gave the South Siders a 4-1 lead.

Brian Goodwin? He's 7 for 57 against lefties this season, but his broken-bat, two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning off Jake Diekman gave the Sox a 6-1 lead and effectively put the game away.

And, oh yeah, Jimmy Lambert pitched five innings of one-run ball for the Sox to earn his first career victory.

So, it was a night for surprises and anomalies, and one might argue that a Sox victory in Oakland is an anomaly in its own right. Before Tuesday, the last time the Sox won a regular-season game in Oakland was July 3, 2017, more than four years ago.

Whatever the Sox do for the remainder of this series, perhaps you can argue they've already exceeded expectations simply by winning a game in Oakland.

Tim Anderson headed to the IL, other White Sox roster moves

Tim Anderson

Rosters expand from 26 to 28 on Sept. 1, and the White Sox made six roster moves Wednesday ahead of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates:

1. Shortstop Tim Anderson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. The move is retroactive to Aug. 29.
2. Pitcher Matt Foster was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
3. Outfielder Billy Hamilton was activated from the 10-day injured list.
4. Infielder/outfielder Jake Lamb was designated for assignment.
5. Infielder Romy Gonzalez was added to the 40-man roster and called up from Triple-A Charlotte.
6. First baseman Gavin Sheets was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.

Now for a few thoughts on these moves.

First off, the Sox must have a healthy Anderson in October if they have any hope of advancing in the playoffs. This whole business of him being available for a couple of games, then needing a couple of days off has been both annoying and concerning. It's a good decision to sit him down for 10 days and let him get right. 

Adam Engel is still rehabbing a shoulder injury, so it's good to see Hamilton back on the roster. His defensive skills are needed as a backup center fielder. The Sox probably aren't going to play Luis Robert every single day in center field, so Hamilton can handle that position when Robert takes a day off. And Hamilton can do that job better than Brian Goodwin or Leury Garcia can.

Gonzalez has had a terrific season split between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. Between the two levels, he has batted .275/.357/.525 with 23 homers in 335 at-bats. He needed to be added to the 40-man roster by this offseason, or else he would be subject to the Rule 5 draft. Gonzalez has played every position except pitcher and catcher, and with Garcia hitting free agency at the end of the season, this is an opportunity to see if Gonzalez can play the same role as Garcia for less money.

Lamb has hit only .179 with one home run in 12 games in August. Sheets can probably do a better job as the left-handed bat off the bench. I'm just surprised the Sox are OK with Sheets sitting on the bench in Chicago, as opposed to playing every day in Charlotte. There aren't a lot of at-bats available at DH or at first base, although Sheets (much like Lamb) can masquerade as a right fielder for a game here or there.

The one thing Lamb can do that Sheets cannot is play third base. However, with Garcia, Gonzalez and Danny Mendick all on the 28-man roster, there are other options to back up Yoan Moncada. That makes Lamb expendable.

Oh joy, another round of White Sox injuries

Lucas Giolito

Just when you thought the White Sox were getting healthy for the first time in 2021, Tuesday brought another round of injury concerns.

It turns out that shortstop Tim Anderson's day off on Sunday wasn't just a day off. He's still having a problem with his hamstring. He wasn't in the lineup Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he is not expected to play Wednesday. Thursday is a day off, so maybe Anderson can be ready by this weekend's series against the Kansas City Royals. If not, perhaps a stint on the 10-day injured list is in order.

Pitcher Lance Lynn is on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Aug. 28. He has right knee inflammation, and he is expected to miss one start. Utility player Danny Mendick was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to take Lynn's place on the roster.

And pitcher Lucas Giolito left Tuesday night's game in the fifth inning with left hamstring tightness. Giolito slipped on the grass while fielding a grounder in between the mound and home plate. He threw four more pitches -- three of them out of the zone -- before exiting.

Final line on Giolito: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 Ks, 4 BBs.

Here's the good news: The Sox were playing the last-place Pirates, so they won 4-2 behind 4.2 innings of scoreless bullpen work.

Ryan Tepera allowed an inherited runner to score, but closed out the fifth without further damage. Michael Kopech, Aaron Bummer, Craig Kimbrel and Liam Hendriks all pitched a scoreless inning. Kopech got the win to improve to 4-2, while Hendriks secured his 30th save.

Jose Abreu hit his 28th home run of the season, and Yasmani Grandal hit his 18th homer. The Sox broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth with two runs, one on a bases-loaded walk by Brian Goodwin, the other on a sacrifice fly by Leury Garcia. 

The Sox are 77-56, and they still lead the AL Central by 10 games with 29 games left in the season. Cross another day off the calendar, and turn the page to September. The Sox still have another month to get as healthy as possible before October.

Chris Bassitt struck by line drive; White Sox trounce A's

Chris Bassitt

It's probably the scariest thing that can happen at a baseball game: The batter hits a screaming line drive right back up the middle, and the pitcher doesn't have enough time to get his glove up or get out of the way.

That happened to Oakland ace Chris Bassitt on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. Sox outfielder Brian Goodwin's 100-mph liner struck Bassitt in the face in the bottom of the second inning.

The right-hander was bleeding profusely, and medical personnel took him off the field on a cart. Fortunately, Bassitt never lost consciousness, and he was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. After the game, Oakland manager Bob Melvin said Bassitt had suffered some cuts, and the team was awaiting word on possible fractures. Melvin added that he believed the pitcher had escaped any injury to his eye, which is good to hear.

Bassitt, 32, made his big league debut with the Sox in 2014 before being traded to Oakland as part of the Jeff Samardzija deal. He is a 12-game winner for the A's this season, and earlier this year, he was selected to the American League All-Star team for the first time.

There's no question Bassitt has turned himself into a very good pitcher. He has always spoken highly of the White Sox organization, and folks in Chicago have always had nice things to say about him. The baseball world prays that his injuries are not serious, and that his stay in the hospital will be a short one.

After that injury, the Oakland team understandably didn't show much life the rest of the game. The Sox went on to score five runs in that second inning -- two on a single by Andrew Vaughn and three on Jake Lamb's sixth home run of the season. The South Siders cruised to an easy 9-0 victory.

Jose Abreu added a 3-run homer, his 25th of the season, in the fourth inning. Abreu now has 89 RBIs and is tied for the AL lead with Boston third baseman Rafael Devers.

The Sox also got a good spot start from Reynaldo Lopez (2-0), who is temporarily taking Carlos Rodon's rotation spot. Lopez allowed only one hit over five shutout innings. He struck out four and walked two.

Relievers Ryan Burr and Mike Wright each threw two shutout innings to close out the game for the Sox. But again, Oakland was probably happy just to get this one over with after seeing what happened to Bassitt.

The Sox are 70-50 and hold an 11-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central.

White Sox complete three-game sweep of Detroit Tigers

Carlos Rodon

There are still questions about the White Sox's ability to beat good teams, but the Sox have proven they can reliably slay the bums in the American League.

The South Siders are now 8-2 against the Detroit Tigers this season, after completing a three-game sweep in Detroit over the weekend.

The Sox (41-24) have won four in a row overall and now possess a 5.5-game lead in the American League Central over the second-place Cleveland Indians.

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, June 11

White Sox 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings): Liam Hendriks had converted 12 straight saves and not allowed an earned run since April 24, so he was due for a bad game. After sitting through a rain delay at the onset of the bottom of the ninth, Hendriks let a 4-2 lead slip when he gave up a two-run homer to Detroit's Daz Cameron.

Fortunately for Hendriks (3-1), he got the win anyway. The Sox scored a run in the top of the 10th inning on a sacrifice fly by Yoan Moncada. Aaron Bummer recorded his second save of the season by pitching out of a first-and-second, no-outs jam in the bottom of the inning. Bummer struck out two, then benefited from a nice defensive play by second baseman Danny Mendick to end the game.

At the plate, Mendick was 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. Adam Engel hit his second home run of the season to highlight the Sox offense.

Saturday, June 12

White Sox 15, Tigers 2: Brian Goodwin had a successful debut with the Sox. The veteran outfielder was added to the roster last week when Nick Madrigal went on the injured list with a torn hamstring. Goodwin delivered an RBI double as part of a three-run first inning, then added a three-run homer as part of a five-run second inning.

Goodwin finished the game with five RBIs. The Sox pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of 11 walks by the Detroit pitching staff. The Tigers used seven people to pitch, including two position players, after starter Jose Urena gave up eight runs and got knocked out in the second inning.

Dylan Cease (5-2) is now 8-0 lifetime against the Tigers. He pitched five innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts. He exited the game after five because the Sox were ahead 13-2. Lightly used relievers Ryan Burr and Matt Foster finished the game.

Yermin Mercedes and Leury Garcia had two hits and three RBIs each in the rout.

Sunday, June 13

White Sox 4, Tigers 1: Carlos Rodon took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Unfortunately for him, he lost the bid after a missed strike call by the home plate umpire. With one out in the seventh, Rodon aced Detroit's Eric Haase with a 2-2 slider that had the whole plate. Alas, the pitch was called a ball. Haase doubled to break up the no-hitter, and later scored on a sacrifice fly to spoil the shutout.

Rodon (6-2) was at 103 pitches after seven innings, so he was removed from the game at that point. He allowed only the one hit and two walks. He struck out nine. 

It wasn't an explosive day for the Sox offense, but it was good enough. Jose Abreu had three hits, including an RBI single in the fourth. Garcia had two RBIs, one on a double in the fifth and the other on a bases-loaded walk in the sixth. Mendick was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth, as the Tigers continued to show why they are tied for last place.

Evan Marshall worked a 1-2-3 eighth, and Hendriks bounced back from Friday with a clean ninth for his 17th save in 20 attempts.

White Sox to sign outfielder Brian Goodwin

Brian Goodwin

With Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert and Adam Engel all on the injured list, the White Sox have added some outfield help by signing Brian Goodwin to a minor league contract, according to multiple reports.

Goodwin had an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which he exercised Monday. If the Sox add him to the 40-man roster, his salary will be $1 million. I would expect that to happen.

Two years ago, the 30-year-old Goodwin had the best season of his career, when he batted .262/.326/.470 with 17 home runs, 29 doubles, 47 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 136 games for the Los Angeles Angels.

Last season, Goodwin was decent in 30 games for the Angels. He batted .242/.330/.463 with four home runs and 17 RBIs. The Cincinnati Reds acquired him in a midseason deal, and that didn't work out so well. 

Goodwin slumped to a .163 batting average in 20 games with the Reds, and that's how you end up on a minor league deal with the Pirates.

But the standard is not high for the Sox right now. They need some help with all these injuries, and they're hoping Goodwin and his left-handed bat can recapture what we saw in 2019. This is a career .250/.317/.455 batter, and that's at least better offense than you'll get from Leury Garcia or Billy Hamilton.

Is Goodwin a long-term solution to anything? No. Is this the big move Sox fans are clamoring for? Absolutely not.

But you have to be realistic here. The trade market doesn't heat up this early in the season, and there aren't a lot of impact players out there that you can acquire right now.

Not to mention, opposing GMs know the Sox are desperate for outfield help, and if Sox GM Rick Hahn calls, they are going to ask a high price. I'm not sure there's a fair trade Hahn can make right now, and I would caution against any panic moves -- the Sox are 16-12 and tied for first place after Tuesday's 9-0 win over the Reds, and nobody in the AL Central looks primed to run away.

Around Chicago, you hear some people calling for the Sox to acquire Kris Bryant from the Cubs. That suggestion literally makes me laugh out loud.

If Hahn calls the Cubs, you know who Jed Hoyer is going to ask for? Probably Michael Kopech. Maybe a package of Andrew Vaughn and Dylan Cease.

Sox fans, are you willing to make that move? Because that's what it's going to take. My answer is a resounding no.

Normally, I'm the first in line with the pitchforks and torches at Hahn's doorstep. But I think a minor acquisition such as Goodwin is fine for now. Try to stem the tide until we get to midseason, some teams fall out of it, and GMs become more willing to deal.

If anyone wants to criticize Hahn for not signing adequate depth in the offseason, I will join that chorus.

If anyone wants to criticize the Sox's draft-and-development arm for failing to provide adequate depth to plug these holes from within, I will join that chorus as well.

Remember when there was a so-called glut of talented minor league outfielders in the Sox system? Welp, none of Micker Adolfo, Blake Rutherford, Luis Gonzalez or Luis Alexander Basabe panned out. 

So now the Sox are in a fix. Cross your fingers that Goodwin can become the 2 WAR player he was in 2019.