Rookie Right-Hander Helps Snap White Sox Months Long Series Skid

It took 77 days but the White Sox finally snapped their streak of 20 consecutive series losses. Sunday's 4-3 victory over the Athletics was a day filled with first for the South Siders. 

It marked the White Sox first series win since they took two of three against the Rockies on June 28-30 at home, the first time the White Sox had won back-to-back games since June 27 against the Braves, first series win for interim manager Grady Sizemore and first career start for 24-year-old right-hander Sean Burke. Fittingly Burke picked up his first MLB victory, which was clinched by rookie reliever Fraser Ellard’s first career save. 

Burke’s allowed just two runs on five hits in his five innings of work. He struck out five and walked a pair. The 2021 third-round pick got off to a hot start, coming within one strike of an immaculate inning. After fanning Lawerence Butler and Brent Rooker on six pitches he had JJ Bleday down 0-2 but just missed outside with a curveball. Bleday would go on to hit a double but Burke managed to keep the A’s off the board for the first four innings. 

Burke showcased a good curveball that accounted for seven of his 15 whiffs on the day. He was able to keep hitters off balance with a variety of looks including a looping curveball he would drop in for a strike as well as a much tighter version with a sharp break. While the curveball was the story, it was a well-balanced attack that featured 30 fastballs, 30 sliders, and 23 curveballs. 

“I’m comfortable. I believe in all my stuff,” Burke told reporters after the game. “I know that I have good secondary stuff too, so there’s going to be times where I can still climb the ladder with heaters or blow a fastball by guys. But when guys’ reports call for spin, I’m comfortable doing that too.” 

Burke only needed 85 pitches to get through five innings, but those frames didn’t come without a little traffic on the basepaths. The White Sox No. 29 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, had to operate with a runner in scoring position in the first, second, fourth, and fifth. Burke, who was making only his second MLB appearance since coming out of the bullpen on September 10th, was able to pick up two huge strikeouts to end the fourth inning with runners on first and second. 

His only blemish of the day came via a two-run homer from Rooker in the fifth inning. After allowing the home run, Burke served up a double to Bleday but was able to regain his composure and put himself in position for the win by inducing a Seth Brown ground out. The defense played a clean game behind him with no errors on the day. 

“Another good game,” Sizemore said. “Played well all around. Great job by the pitching staff. The defense was good. Got some bug hits when we needed them.” 

It was a feel-good victory for a team that hasn’t had many of them this season. Fresh off an Andrew Benintendi walk-off homer from the night before, the offense picked up right where they left off with three runs in the first inning. Andrew Vaughn got things started with a RBI bloop single to right field, then Gavin Sheets cleared the bases with a 399-foot blast to right field for his 10th homer of the season. 

However, the biggest hit of the game came off the bat of Bryan Ramos. With the White Sox bullpen clinging to a one-run lead in the sixth inning, Ramos delivered with a solo home run to extend the lead to 4-2. The ball traveled 397 feet, barely clearing the center field wall, but turned out to be a massive insurance run. Oakland cut the lead to one in the ninth inning before Ellard slammed the door. 

“We do the job together,” Ramos said. “We got the win.”