DETROIT -- When White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson stepped to the plate with two outs in the ninth inning of Sunday's near-no-hitter at Comerica Park, he had one thing on his mind.
"Just try not to let this happen. Try not to let him throw a no-hitter," Anderson said.
And he didn't let it happen. Anderson delivered a two-out double off Matthew Boyd to right field over the head of Nicholas Castellanos for Chicago's first and only hit of a 12-0 loss to the Tigers.
"He pitched a heck of a game," Anderson said. "I was looking for something slow. I figured he was going to throw me a changeup there because he had been doing it the whole game, and I was able to get a good pitch to hit."
Boyd kept the White Sox off balance with his changeup and really worked the outside of the plate. Anderson said he was expecting to get an off-speed pitch on the outer edge, and was able to sit on it and drive it to end Boyd's no-hit bid.
"He wasn't coming close to us the whole game," Anderson said.
Anderson has been on a tear lately, batting .418 in September. He went 9-for-20 in the four-game series at Detroit this weekend, with two stolen bases and a handful of nice defensive plays.
As a key part of Chicago's youth-focused rebuild, Anderson has had a solid turnaround from a tough start to the season, on and off the field.
Anderson's best friend, Branden Moss, was killed in early May. Anderson honored his friend, whom he considered to be like a brother, by wearing "B. Moss" on the back of his No. 7 jersey for Players Weekend in late August.
"I think a lot of the things that were going on early in the year are kind of behind him," White Sox manager Ricke Renteria said. "I think it's allowed him to free himself up a little bit more, emotionally and mentally. He's feeling like he's in a good place.
"He's playing really good on both sides of the baseball right now, I think. That may be more experience, more time, more knowledge that he's gained just being a part of something that's very demanding."
Anderson's turnaround at the plate has been good to see for Renteria, who is treating September as an evaluation period for the youthful roster. It's safe to say that Anderson has performed well, and the organization is excited about his future.
"If you were to look at him now and you looked up at the board and you saw the season he's had, you'd say, 'This guy never had any struggles,' because the numbers right now are showing pretty well," Renteria said. "I think that the reality is, some of the moments that he's had, certain things he's had to deal with, I think he's going to realize he's capable of overcoming a lot."