The Chicago White Sox offense was lifeless on Opening Day, producing three hits and no runs or walks in a 1-0 loss to open the 2024 season. Left-hander Garrett Crochet debuted as a starter , his first game-opening outing since his college career ended in 2020. The Detroit Tigers scored the game's only run on a sacrifice fly in the third inning.
The lone bright spot for the Pale Hose was Crochet's exceptional performance. The 6-foot-6 lefty pitched brilliantly in six innings of work, limiting the Tigers to five hits and one run while fanning eight and issuing no free passes. The 24-year-old required only 87 pitches to dispatch Detroit but took the loss.
“I’ve been in the big moment before, obviously nothing as great as this,” Crochet said of his outing. “But it was nice to just give my team a fighting chance. I felt like as long as I was doing that, I was able to keep my emotions under control.”
F.A.S.T. Baseball
The Tigers crossed the plate in the third inning, jumpstarted by Javy Baez reaching base on a seeing-eye single through the right side. He quickly stole second base and advanced to third on Parker Meadows' groundout. Andy Ibanez flew out to deep center, allowing Baez to tag up and score.
Thanks largely to the White Sox hitters, Detroit starter Tarik Skubal was even more efficient than his counterpart. He issued no walks, three hits, no runs, and five strikeouts on 83 pitches. Skubal's fastball averaged 96.7 MPH, per Statcast, but produced no called strikes. However, he did register 10 swings and misses on the heater to the South Siders' overzealous hitters.
The White Sox struck out 11 times in the contest and didn't reach second base. They failed to register a hit after the fourth inning, and Luis Robert Jr.'s first hit of the season didn't leave the infield.
News and Notes
Jason Benetti called his first game for the Tigers and received a scoreboard tribute and a standing ovation from the crowd. Chicago let the popular play-by-play man walk in the offseason.
The White Sox relief crew pitched well overall. However, Michael Kopech labored in the eighth. Kopech loaded the bases, hit a batter, and allowed a single and a walk but managed to escape.
What's On Tap Next?
Nevertheless, baseball is unrelenting, and 161 games remain on the schedule. The White Sox and the Tigers play again on Saturday, which features Detroit's Kenta Mada squaring off against Michael Soroka. The game will air at 1:10 PM CT on NBC Sports Chicago.
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