By Woodrow Carroll
The Chicago White Sox second home game of the this season well could end up being the least attended home game of the season.
It has been the case more than once in previous seasons for the Sox, and, for Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs in the northern climes.
The Sox were 6-3 and in first place through Sunday, two games ahead of Cleveland and Detroit, each 4-5.
The Chicago Cubs were 5-4 through Sunday and tied for second place with Pittsburgh, each one-half game behind St. Louis.
The White Sox started this season in Detroit by winning two of three games. In Chicago Tuesday of last week, the Sox opened the home portion of this season by playing host to the Seattle Mariners. The 36,948 in attendance for the home opener were treated to fine weather, excellent by early-season standards, and a 3-2 White Sox victory.
Those who follow the White Sox know that Wednesday’s second game of the Mariners’ series would not be a sellout. The gate for that game was 12,291. The weather didn’t help because the game suffered a 47-minute weather delay. Weather at this time of the year covers a multitude of atmospheric sins. The Sox won, 6-4.
In each of the White Sox three season-opening series against Detroit, Seattle, and Tampa Bay, the Sox won two of three games.
• The San Francisco Giants closed with a 107-55 (.660) regular-season record last season for the best record in MLB, and, yet, the Giants went no where in the playoffs. The playoff format in 2021 did the Giants no favor.
Locked in a best-of-five playoff series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 106-56 (.654) and the second-best record in MLB, the Giants lost that deciding game five of the playoff series, 2-1.
A bit of stability did return to the baseball playoffs in 2021. The truncated MLB 2020 with its 60-game regular season schedule, featured a playoff with 16 teams. The Sox went to Oakland in the 2020 playoffs, and, after an opening victory, dropped two straight. Exit the Pale Hose!
The Giants, Dodgers, and Tampa Bay Rays each won 100 or more games last season. None of the three clubs reached the World Series. For that matter, the White Sox were 93-69 (.574) and were eliminated in the first round by the Houston Astros. In fairness to the Astros, Houston’s regular season record was 95-67 and the reason the White Sox opened in Texas. It’s fun to play with statistics even if stats can be misleading in an accurate understanding.
The White Sox ended with the best won-loss record at home of any team in the American League last year. In contrast to the Sox’ 53-28 record at Guaranteed Rate Field was a 40-41 record on the road. The Sox were the only division champion in either league with a losing record on the road.
• The Atlanta Braves ended where the other clubs wished they could have finished, namely, World Series champions! Atlanta closed with a better record on the road at 46-35 as opposed to a 42-38 showing at home. What the Braves did was finish with a flourish. The Braves captured the NL East, then went 11-5 in the playoffs to cap off with a World Series conquest of the Astros in six games.
• Ten games each with AL Central foes are on tap for the White Sox. Four games in Cleveland will be followed by three in Minnesota this week. Kansas City will come to Chicago for three games.