CHICAGO -- The final pitching line for Carson Fulmer last night wasn’t perfect, as the right-hander allowed two runs over three innings in relief of starter Carlos Rodón.
But Fulmer kept the Tigers close and ate up innings, allowing the White Sox to rally from a seven-run deficit for a 12-11 victory. Fulmer, the team’s top pick in the 2015 Draft and the eighth selection overall, is pitching with the highest level of confidence in his four-year career.
“I’m right where I need to be,” said Fulmer, who fanned five and induced 11 swinging strikes, per Statcast, among his 54 pitches Friday. “Getting a lot of swings and misses, weak contact. I’m getting ahead. I’m attacking the zone. Feeling really, really good.
“Obviously, it’s been a huge learning experience for me. I’ve been up pretty much every year and I’ve taken a lot from each time I’ve been up. But I have a great opportunity. I’m going to stick here for a while and help this team throughout the year. I feel a lot more confident, a lot more comfortable. A lot of times I’m facing these guys for the fourth or fifth time, so I have a better strategy now.”
Fulmer, 25, isn’t thinking about a return to the rotation after the White Sox designated Ervin Santana for assignment Friday. He’s happy with how his arm is bouncing back out of the bullpen and the fact that he is more likely to end up as a closer one day.
“Absolutely. I think I have a closer mentality,” a smiling Fulmer said. “I like the situations. I get pretty fired up sometimes. That would definitely fit my way of pitching.”
A look back at Friday
Here’s some of the good and the bad from the White Sox comeback victory Friday night, punctuated by Tim Anderson’s first career walk-off home run.
Anderson extended his hitting streak to seven games and raised his average to an American League-leading .402 entering Saturday. He is a Major League-best 10-for-10 in stolen bases.
The 21 hits for the White Sox were their most in a single game since they had 25 on Sept. 14, 2017, in Detroit
James McCann is 9-for-18 over his past four games, including three multi-hit efforts. His 2-for-4 showing Friday raised his average to .362.
During a five-run sixth inning, the White Sox produced the following exit velocities per Statcast:
José Rondón (home run): 100.9 mph
Anderson (double): 101.7 mph
Jose Abreu (homer): 104.6 mph
McCann (single): 112 mph
Yoán Moncada (single): 109.8 mph
Rondon (inning-ending double play with the bases loaded): 100.4 mph
Let's also not forget the Tigers hit five home runs off White Sox pitching. White Sox starters rank last in the Majors with a 6.64 ERA and .293 average against and sit second to last with a 1.63 WHIP.
They said it
“I'm having a lot more fun than I was last season. And the numbers are better.” -- Anderson, on the difference between his 2018 and '19 seasons