White Sox 1, Braves 0: One swing makes the difference

Pale Hose on the winning end of a shutout for a change

Picture it: A rainy evening in early April in Chicago, and the South Siders are fresh off their first victory of the season against the Atlanta Braves of all teams. Spirits are high, and the boys are eager to take it to the Braves again as they attempt to claw their way back towards .500. It was not to be of course, as rain would wash away Chicago’s chance at consecutive victories and its first series win of the year.

Fast-forward to late June and to this sunny, balmy afternoon makeup game between two teams headed in opposite directions. And yet, the White Sox came out on top, 1-0.

Yes, despite a historically bad stretch of baseball on the South Side, the Pale Hose held the Braves to one hit through five innings, allowing only three hits all afternoon en route to the shutout victory. Luis Robert Jr. gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead with a first inning solo home run off of old frenemy Chris Sale, and that was all of the offense the South Siders would need.

Chris Sale was back where his career started, and his effort showed, striking out 11 over seven strong innings. The Sox bullpen-day bulk trio of Chad Kuhl, Justin Anderson, and Jared Shuster matched Sale’s effort, while John Brebbia and Michael Kopech kept Atlanta scoreless to secure the shutout victory.

I didn’t want to say it, but I know we were all thinking it ...

Braves fans watched this pitchers’ duel in disbelief:

Atlanta threatened in the eighth, putting runners at first and second, but Marcel Ozuna flew out deep to right and John Brebbia escaped.

The very bad White Sox bullpen shut down the Atlanta Braves offense, and Micheal Kopech shut the door in the ninth to preserve the shutout. Although Sale sliced and diced the Pale Hose lineup like a 1976 throwback jersey, but the South Siders prevailed in the end.

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Futility Watch

White Sox 2024 Record 22-61, worst 83-game start in White Sox history (5 1⁄2 games ahead of the next-worst, 1948 White Sox)
White Sox 2024 Run Differential -171, 25th-worst 83-game start in MLB history
White Sox 2024 Season Record Pace 43-119 (.265)
Race to the Worst “Modern” 162-Game Record (2003 Tigers, 43-119) EVEN
Race to the Worst “Modern” Record in a 162-Game Season (1962 Mets, 40-120) 2 games behind
Race to the Most White Sox Losses (1970, 106) 13 games ahead
Race to the Worst White Sox Record (1932, 52-109-1*) 9 1⁄2 games ahead
Race to the Worst American League Record (1916 A’s, 38-124*) 5 games behind
*record adjusted to a 162-game season

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