Hungry For More: White Sox Intend To Win 11 Games In October

The Chicago White Sox got their first taste of postseason baseball last year. "First experience in the playoffs for us, and it tastes good, not going to lie." Eloy Jimenez told NBC Sports Chicago. It was just a small taste but after being eliminated by the Oakland A's in the Wild Card Round the White Sox are hungry for more. " "That’s why this year we came hungry," Jimenz said. "And right now, how we play, we show people that we are hungry right now.” Jose Abreu added, "There is a hunger to win and we intend to do just that." A division title and a trip to the postseason aren't good enough anymore. The White Sox have a new goal in mind, win 11 games. The road to 11, starts today in Houston as Lance Lynn takes the ball. The 2021 rendition of the White Sox is not the game team as last year. They are deeper, hungrier, and desperate not to make the same mistakes as last year. “At the end of the day, that was one of the biggest lessons for this team,” Liam Hendriks told reporters last week, “is losing last year and coming in with that experience and knowledge of how to do it. That experience of being there and the heartbreak of going home earlier than you anticipated.” Liam Hendriks played a role in knocking out the White Sox last year. He closed out Games 2 and 3 for the A's. But the sting of losing is fresh in his mind too. His A's were knocked out in the ALDS against the Houston Astros, and this year he wants revenge. Houston presents a tough challenge for the White Sox. They bludgeoned the White Sox during their four-game series at Minute Maid Park in June. The White Sox also have a sub-par record on the road and a losing record against teams over .500. They open the American League Division Series with a chance to prove it is a fluke and they are as good as advertised. With a Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa at the helm, a starting rotation spearheaded by All-Star starter Lance Lynn and a revamped bullpen that features two All-Star closers in Hendriks and Craig Kimbrel, there is no reason these new-look White Sox can't make a deep run. The White Sox were also without Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez during their regular-season series in Houston. These two add a potent offensive threat that adds to the difficultly for opposing pitchers to navigating around their lineup. While this is strictly a business trip the White Sox plan on playing loose and soaking in the moment. They have worked hard to get to this point. “Just really prepare, do our homework,” shortstop Tim Anderson said, “and the biggest thing is just enjoy the moment. Those are the moments you want to be in and a lot of focus and just have fun with it. We have fun, we’ll be the team that has the most fun, then obviously there’s a great chance that we’ll come out on top.” Unlike last year there will be fans in the stands. The White Sox can expect a rowdy atmosphere in Houston and an electric sea of black when they return home. “It’s definitely different,” center fielder Luis Robert said of the playoff atmosphere, through team interpreter Billy Russo. “It’s higher, stronger and something you don’t feel in the regular season games.” Yasmani Grandal has first-hand experience playing in Houston during the Postseason from his World Series battles against them as a member of the Dodgers. He noted that he 'loved the rowdiness' of the Houston faithful. The stage is set. The dust of the regular season has settled and the White Sox lineup is healthy with their sights set on one clear object Rick Hahn described it best by saying: "If we don't wind up winning 11 more games this month, we will have not have accomplished everything that we felt this team is capable of doing.”