The 2024 World Series matchup is between the Yankees and Dodgers, and several former White Sox players are still fighting for their respective teams in the postseason. Most notably, Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon and Dodgers right-hander Michael Kopech each started their team's close-out games in the championship series.
While the pair of hurlers are the most recognizable names, the Yankees' bullpen contains the bulk of South Side alumni. Four different relievers the Yankees have used this postseason once pitched in the White Sox organization. For two of those pitchers, their time with the White Sox came as recently as this season.
Jake Cousins
The White Sox signed Jake Cousins as a free agent on December 5th this past offseason. He was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training and put together some good results. Over seven games and seven innings of Cactus League Action, he owned a 1.29 ERA, and 1.00 WHIP, struck out 11 batters, and allowed only two free passes. Despite the success, he was unable to crack the White Sox Opening Day roster.
Getting left off the Opening Day roster is nothing new for Cousins. The 30-year-old right-hander made his first career Opening Day roster back in 2022. After splitting the 2023 season between the Brewers and Astros organizations (made nine appearances over three stints with the Brewers before getting claimed off waivers), Cousins looked like he could be a serviceable piece of a depleted White Sox bullpen. He owned a 3.08 ERA in the 52 innings in the MLB. However, Getz opted to trade him to the Yankees in April for cash considerations before he threw a single pitch for the big league club.
Cousins turned into an excellent weapon out of the Yankees bullpen, logging 38 innings in 37 games. During that stretch, he posted a 2.37 ERA, recorded a save, and limited opponents to a .154 batting average. He also struck out 34.2% of the hitters he faced.
The postseason hasn’t been as kind to Cousins. He made his first appearance in Game 2 of the ALDS, going 0.1 innings with a walk and no runs allowed. Yankees manager Aaron Boone turned to him again in Games 4 and 5 of the ALCS against the Guardians. In Game 4 Counsins allowed two runs on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts during an eventful sixth inning. In Game 5 Hmatilon entered the game in the seventh inning and proceeded to fire 1.1 innings of scoreless ball, which included punching out Jose Ramirez, Lane Thomas, and Jhonkensy Noel in the eighth.
Ian Hamilton
Ian Hamilton is the only name of the bunch that isn’t currently on the Yankees active roster. However, he did see some action out of the bullpen earlier this postseason. Hamilton pitched 0.1 of an inning in the ALCS against the Guardians and allowed one run on a walk. He also threw 1.1 scoreless innings in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Royals allowing one hit and striking out three.
The 29-year-old right-hander was selected by the White Sox in the 11th round of the 2016 draft out of Washington State. Hamilton and fellow pitching prospect Ryan Burr instantly gave the White Sox farm system a historical flair. He made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 2018 but never got an extended look with the team. He appeared in just ten games in 2018, posting a 4.50 ERA with five strikeouts, two walks, and a pair of home runs allowed in eight innings.
He wouldn’t pitch in the big leagues again until 2020, with the White Sox in the thick of the AL Central Division race. Hamilton threw just four innings, allowing two runs on four hits with five walks and four strikeouts. He was later placed on waivers and claimed by the Seattle Mariners before the end of the season.
His next MLB opportunity came in Minnesota but Hamilton once again received very little runway with the Twins. He made one appearance throwing 2.2 innings. The Yankees were the first team to give him an extended look in 2023. Hamilton made 39 appearances (58 innings) for Aaron Boone’s squad, which included three starts. During that stretch, he posted a 2.64 ERA and a career-best 28.9 percent strikeout rate. He took a slight step back during the 2024 regular season, posting a 3.82 ERA across 35 appearances (37.2 innings) but lowered his walk rate from 10.9 to 8.6 percent.
Tommy Kahnle
As the White Sox were cleaning house during the 2017 trade deadline, hard-throwing right-hander Tommy Kahnle was dealt to the Yankees in a trade package that included David Roberston and Todd Fraizer. The White Sox got Ian Clarkin, Tito Polo, Tyler Clippard, and Blake Rutherford in return, none of whom are currently with the team.
Despite being the smallest piece the Yankees received at the time, he turned into the most valuable asset of the deal. Kahnle has spent six of the last seven seasons in the Yankees bullpen, with the only exception being a brief stint with the Dodgers in 2022.
This season he posted a 2.11 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 42.1 innings of work. Boone has used Kahnle six times this postseason and in seven innings the 35-year-old has yet to allow a run.
The right-hander earned a save in Game 4 of the ALCS after throwing a scoreless ninth inning.
Tim Hill
The White Sox inked Tim Hill to a one-year deal worth $1.8 million in December. The front office had hoped that the 61.6 percent ground ball percentage with the Nationals the previous year, which ranked fourth in the National League, would translate to a hitter-friendly park in Chicago.
Hill struggled mightly with the White Sox posting a 5.87 ERA in 27 games. In 23 innings Hill served up 41 hits as opponents batted .387 against him. The White Sox DFA’d him on June 12th and released him a week later after he went unclaimed.
Things weren’t all bad for Hill. The 34-year-old produced a 63.8% ground ball rate with the White Sox, which was one of the MLB's highest marks. He also managed to limit hard contact, with an average opponent exit velocity of just 87.2 mph. Similar to former White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer, Hill often fell victim to lackluster defense or soft contact that would find a hole.
Manager Pedro Grifol said the decision to move off Hill came down to how Justin Anderson and Jared Shuster were throwing.
“At times we put him into situations that he had to throw more than normal, but that’s where we’re at. We like what Anderson’s doing, we like what Shuster’s doing,” Grifol explained. “So it’s not so much what he’s done, but it’s what he brought to us and also what these guys have been doing back there. We like Anderson. We like Shuster. These guys have done well up here and we can only keep eight back there. We can’t do more than that.”
The Yankees signed Hill to a minor league deal on June 20th and were rewarded with a 2.05 ERA in 44 innings. Opponents batting averages against Hill dropped to .225 while he was pitching in the Yankees bullpen and his walk rate dropped from 8.5 percent to 5.2.
That success carried over to the postseason. Hill owns a 1.59 ERA in 5.2 innings, with a pair of strikeouts and a 1.24 WHIP.
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