CHICAGO -- After White Sox reliever Michael Ynoa struck out Ian Kinsler looking for the second out of the seventh inning in the Tigers' 11-8 victory Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field, Jose Abreu started yelling to his rookie teammate.
"When I strike out a guy, I didn't know. Abreu was yelling, 'Hey, the ball,'" said Ynoa with a smile concerning his first career strikeout in his Major League debut. "I was like, 'What ball?' And he was like, 'The ball. You struck him out.'"
Ynoa came up from Triple-A Charlotte before Tuesday's game, taking Tyler Danish's roster spot. There appears to be something about Ynoa reaching the White Sox that brings about inclement weather.
Ynoa was called up on April 10, but that game against the Indians was postponed and the right-hander returned to Charlotte. It rained before Tuesday's loss but it didn't prevent Ynoa's debut.
"It felt very good, but when I got there to the mound, I was a little scared," said Ynoa, who struck out two over two scoreless innings. "I'm sad because we lose, but tomorrow is a new day."
The clubhouse locker for Ynoa featured the lineup card and three baseballs as part of his first-game memorabilia. His mother and father also were in attendance.
Promoting Ynoa keeps the White Sox at 13 pitchers, a necessity in the short-term with the bullpen working seven innings Monday after James Shields' five and then having to pick up the slack Tuesday with Miguel Gonzalez lasting 3 1/3 innings. Manager Robin Ventura doesn't feel short-handed without the extra position player.
"Not necessarily," Ventura said. "If we had a regular DH, it would seem that way, but there's not really a whole lot of pinch-hitting opportunities in there other than the ones we had last night."