After having one of the worst seasons in major league history in 2024, there are extremely low expectations for the White Sox in 2025. However, when expectations are low, that is when a team can surprise you and be better than expected. Now, it's only one game, but Sean Burke looked outstanding and showed why he was chosen to be the Opening Day starter.
Before Burke was announced as the Opening Day starter, some speculated that it would be Davis Martin, as he had a fantastic end to the 2024 season, or Martin Perez, who has had a very solid track record in the major leagues. However, first year manager Will Venable went with Sean Burke, who was phenomenal in his short stint at the end of last season.
Before getting the promotion to Chicago, Burke's statistics weren't overwhelming in AAA. While he looked better than the stats showed, he had a 4.62 ERA over 16 starts. In those 16 starts, he threw 64.1 innings, striking out 86 batters. He had a phenomenal .199 batting average against, but his WHIP was slightly elevated at 1.29. While the ERA and the WHIP weren't great, hitters were having a tough time hitting him, as he was striking out a lot of batters while not giving up many hits.
But, once Burke was promoted to the big leagues, he was dominant. In his 19 innings in the big leagues, Burke was 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA. He struck out 22 batters, while hitters hit just .174 against him. His WHIP improved from AAA, as it was 1.000. This was a fantastic start to his major league career, as you couldn't write it up much better.
Now, Burke carried that into the 2025 season, as he earned a quality start and the first White Sox Opening Day win since 2022.
Burke went six innings, striking out three batters, while walking none. He gave up three hits and had one HBP. Outside of a shaky first inning, Burke was dominant, even without some of his best swing and miss stuff. While the Angels aren't a great team, he still looked great against major league hitting.
You couldn't have asked for a better start from Burke, as he has helped get the White Sox their first winning record in a long time. While the team may not win a ton of games this year, games like yesterday are fun to watch as a fan and when the younger guys start coming up, it may turn into must watch TV.
