Lights out: Burke sets down 13 straight to aid Game 2 comeback
This browser does not support the video element.
CLEVELAND -- Even though things didn’t exactly go to plan for the White Sox early on Monday night, right-hander Sean Burke more than made up for it with a dominant showing in a bulk relief role.
Burke struck out six over 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit while retiring 13 in a row at one point, to help lead the White Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Guardians in Game 2 of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field. After losing at least 100 games in three straight seasons, the White Sox are one win away from heading to the AL Championship Series for the first time since 2005.
“It’s a credit to the coaching staff for setting us up with the plans we had,” Burke said. “Personally, just the talks on how to game plan and how to attack hitters with what I’ve got. It’s just been really good and it came against these guys, who we've seen all year. We’re able to be creative and get guys out.”
With the Guardians having a lefty-heavy top of their order that includes Steven Kwan, the switch-hitting José Ramírez and Chase DeLauter, Chicago opted to go with lefty Anthony Kay to open the game. But Kay gave up a leadoff single to Kwan and walked Ramírez before DeLauter grounded out to put two runners in scoring position.
The White Sox then went to fellow lefty Sean Newcomb to face the left-handed-hitting Nathaniel Lowe after intentionally walking Jo Adell. Newcomb got Lowe to hit a comebacker to the mound, but Newcomb made an errant throw to first that got past Munetaka Murakami, allowing two runs to score on the play. Newcomb, though, settled down to strike out Angel Martínez and Travis Bazzana to escape further trouble.
“As we evaluated their lineup, our game plan changed a little bit,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “It was kind of some combination of Kay plus Newcomb to get through DeLauter a second time, and then go ahead and pop Burke in there. We talked all series about how if you give them free passes and make errors, they're going to make you pay for it. And that happened there early, but Newcomb did a nice job of settling down.”
Newcomb got through a scoreless second, but Burke was brought in after Newcomb gave up a one-out single to DeLauter in the third. Despite coming in with a runner on base in the middle of an inning, Burke promptly punched out both Adell and Lowe to begin an incredible run of retiring 16 of the first 17 batters he faced. His 13 batters retired in a row is tied for the second-longest streak by a reliever in a postseason game behind Madison Bumgarner's 14 in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series.
“Tip your cap to Burke, what an unbelievable performance for him,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. “We just weren't able to get anything going. I mean, he retired 13 straight at one time. He was mixing and matching, criss-crossing away, criss-crossing in. The curveball was really good tonight.”
This browser does not support the video element.
Burke didn’t allow a hit until he surrendered a two-out single to DeLauter in the eighth inning. The only other baserunner to reach against him was Bazzana, who worked a one-out walk in the fourth. Burke’s fastball velocity ticked up during his outing and he kept Cleveland off-balance with his knuckle-curve, cutter, slider and sinker.
“I feel like his fastball was riding a little more than it usually does,” Kwan said. “It's already a [fastball with great ride], but today it just had a little extra life on it. He was throwing the offspeed for strikes, getting ahead early.”
But after having thrown 83 pitches (53 strikes), the White Sox turned to closer Grant Taylor, who threw four scoreless innings in a rare 12-out save in Game 1. Taylor, though, gave up an RBI triple to Adell on the first batter he faced before getting Lowe to fly out to left to escape the jam in the eighth. Taylor came back out for the ninth and tossed a 1-2-3 frame to pick up his second save in three multi-inning appearances this postseason.
This browser does not support the video element.
The White Sox also have the advantage of another off-day on Tuesday, which will allow them to reset the bullpen. They didn’t have to use lefty Hagen Smith, who threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 1, which means he can either start Game 3 or be used in a multi-inning relief role. And they’ll be playing in front of a frenzied crowd at Rate Field.
“I'm expecting the most rowdy crowd that we've played in front of in my life,” Burke said. “Our fans are the best. Chicago is a sports town, and people care, and it's going to be amazing.”