White Sox – Gio a No-No

Lucas Giolito was coming off his best start of the season when he shut out the Tigers last Thursday, striking out 13. But the follow up he had on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates was a career-defining performance. The White Sox struck early on against the Pirates with three runs in the 2nd inning, but with Giolito at the mound, the White Sox only needed one.  The trust and mental link that Giolito and C James McCann have were locked in from the first pitch.

Two years ago, Giolito had an ERA of 6.13 and was considered one of the worst pitchers in all of the MLB. He rededicated in the offseason heading into 2019, working new arm slots and getting acclimated with C James McCann. Well, it paid off substantially as Giolito cut that ERA in half to 3.41 in 2019. He was named to the All-Star team for the first time and was a Cy Young candidate. 

In 2020, the White Sox as a team had super high expectations and were finally ready to come out of their rebuild, with Giolito prepared to be the ace of the staff. Although, Giolito definitely had fans and analysts doubting the 2019 breakout when the Twins shelled him on opening night (3.2IP 6H 7ER 3BB 3SO), leaving the White Sox struggling to recover. 

Since that start, Giolito has given up 8ER over his next six starts, and the White Sox are now viewed as one of the more dangerous playoff teams. The White Sox have it all coming together and have been having historic grade success on the field with all these pieces that management has put together. Jose Abreu hit four straight HR in Wrigley this past weekend. The White Sox hit four home runs in a row in one inning, and overall have hit 28 home runs over an eight-game span.

With the offense breaking records, it was the pitcher’s time to shine. Giolito stepped onto the mound and channeled all the good energy into his best career pitching performance of his career.

Giolito pitched the first no-hitter of his career and the first no-no of the 2020 season. Giolito did let one baserunner in the game; he had a four-pitch walk to SS Erik Gonzalez in the fourth inning. One baserunner away from a perfect game.

Regardless, Giolito has made his mark in baseball, and the White Sox record books. As the White Sox’s notoriety rises, it will be important for Giolito to maintain his resolve against more talented teams moving forward. But with Giolito, Keuchel, and Cease in the rotation and an offense that cannot be pitched to, the White Sox are shaping up to be a real World Series contender. 

The White Sox have another game with the Pirates tomorrow and are sending out Dallas Keuchel to the mound against Trevor Williams.