In a year where Sox fans will likely find more solace in player improvement than team performance, Opening Day was a fitting start. Garrett Crochet stole the show for the South Siders, tossing a surprising 87 pitches in 6 dominant innings. Yet with no offensive support behind him, the hosts fell 1-0 to the Detroit Tigers in a fast-paced affair.
Amidst persistent discussion over his usage, Crochet silenced any doubters to the tune of a 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 K line. White Sox relievers Deivi Garcia, Michael Kopech, and Dominic Leone did their job behind him as well. Offensively, no batters walked or reached more than once—Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jimenez, and Andrew Vaughn all collected singles.
W: Tarik Skubal (1-0), L: Garrett Crochet (0-1), S: Jason Foley (1)
Statcast Breakdown
Box Score
Offensive Recap:
Pitching Recap:
Notable Performances
Garrett Crochet: 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 K
Perhaps most intriguing about Crochet’s start was the pitch count. Many felt the 24-year-old southpaw would be limited to 50 offerings or so, but Crochet blew well past that, earning a quality start with his 87 offerings.
Deivi Garcia: 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Garcia, a mid-season waiver pickup last year, pitched a very clean seventh inning. Aided by some batted ball luck, he managed a 2.40 ERA in 2023 despite 12 walks in 15 innings. Pedro Grifol could benefit greatly from Garcia being reliable in 2024.
Michael Kopech: 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 H, 1 HBP, 1 K
Well that’s certainly a Michael Kopech stat line. Set to reside in the bullpen after major struggles as a starter, Kopech got the job done in the eighth. Clearly, he still has some work to do on control as the season continues.
Dominic Leone: 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 H, 0 K
Leone, a 32-year-old last with the Seattle Mariners, was acquired this offseason. After a career year in 2021 with the San Francisco Giants, he’s struggled mightily since. New White Sox pitching coordinator Brian Bannister will hope to get Leone back to top form moving forward.
Next Matchup
The White Sox have the day off before returning to action Saturday against the Tigers. A pair of newcomers are projected to start, with Michael Soroka set to take the rubber against Kenta Maeda. That game will kick off at 1:10 PM central live from Guaranteed Rate Field on NBC Sports Chicago.
Follow us @SoxOn35th for more throughout the season!
Featured Image: White Sox/Twitter
