It was a first-leg game for the White Sox on Friday night in Anaheim, starting with their first win of 2021 with a 12-8 win over the Angels at Angel Stadium.
Michael Kopech participated in a regular season game for the first time since September 5, 2018.
Tony La Russa won a game as a coach for the first time since the Cardinals claimed the 2011 World Series for the Rangers. And Yermin Mercedes, who only had one bat to bat, scored his first big league game not only with his first career success, but with his first five-game success.
Mercedes joined Cecil Travis of Washington (16/05/1933) as the only MLB players in the Modern Era who had five hits in their first career start.
“There were definitely smiles all around. Most of them from Yerm, “Kopech said of Mercedes’ big night.” It was great, man. I want everyone on our team to be successful and a guy like the one who has long wanted to debut to appear and making history is crazy. It’s awesome. “
Kopech, who first appeared as a starter before undergoing Tommy John surgery, protected a 7-6 lead by throwing a perfect sixth and seventh inning in relief. The right-hander threw 21 of his 33 throws for the attacks, ventured three of them and pulled off the maximum at 99.4 mph with his fast ball, by Statcast. He also mixed in 10 sliders. The right-hander left after Mike Trout walked to open the eighth, but Evan Marshall and Liam Hendriks finished the box goalless.
Friday’s effort marked Kopech’s second win in his fifth professional appearance.
“I didn’t even know I was going to win. I thought that was Foster, “Kopech said, referring to Matt Foster, who nearly threw himself into a fifth-place embossing to start Dallas Keuchel, but allowed two inherited runners to score the error. two and three bases from Adam Eaton in the right field. “That’s great. I’m excited about that. “
“The first reason he was out there, we think he could help us,” Kopech’s La Russa said. “The more he threw, the more obvious it was that we would ride him.”
The Russian, meanwhile, won the No. 2,729 victory as coach and the first with the White Sox since 1986. The White Sox won a 7-1 lead behind the third grand slam of Jose’s career. Abreu, who gave him 199 home runs overall – but watched as the Angels reduced the deficit to one scoring six runs (three wins) against Keuchel in four more innings.
Hendriks grabbed his first save of white socks by throwing 1 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and two runs allowed to ninth-placed Shohei Ohtani. He received the assistance of Luis Robert in the eighth, as the center dragged the long journey of Jose Iglesias to the right field with two runners in and two out.
Therefore, it was a rewarding experience for La Russa, who on Saturday will manage the match number 5,095 of the regular season. But it was not easy.
“I’m delighted. That’s why they keep the score, “La Russa said.” For the boys to come out today and let them go like us, and for them to come closer, they have a very good team there, and for us to hang out there, we’ve got some of the heroics. of our lifeguards, it is well deserved. I had so many doubts that now I’m just starting to enjoy them. “
After going 14-0 against the Southern starters in 2020, the White Sox improved to 1-0 against the starters for leftists this season defeating Andrew Heaney. The White Sox have not lost to a match started by a left-winger since September 28, 2019, when Tyler Alexander started at the Tigers, though he did not consider the final decision.
Regular suspects such as Abreu and Tim Anderson, who started the ninth of five races, contributed to this continued dominance of the southern spike. But Mercedes, which added four RBIs to its five hits, was a new addition to offensive firepower.
“So I don’t want to do too much,” said an ecstatic Mercedes. “Every bat, I want to stay in my space, to stay there. You have one or two successes, just stay there, don’t overdo it. That’s what I’m thinking. “
“It made history,” Abreu said through performer Billy Russo. “We, as white socks, are very proud of what he did today.”