Santiago keeps spirit high during White Sox struggles
CHICAGO -- After taking the loss in the White Sox 6-2 defeat Tuesday night against the Tigers, starting pitcher Hector Santiago wasn't dwelling on the season-high four errors the White Sox committed or the five walks he issued.
Instead, he was trying to pick up his teammates.
After the game Santiago tweeted several things, including: "I think tonight is forgotten about. We play our heart out everyday we leave it all on the field. I know it doesn't look like it but we do"
I think tonight is forgotten about . We play our heart out everyday we leave it all on the field . I know it doesn't look like it but we do
- hector santiago (@HecSantiago53) July 24, 2013
"We're giving everything we've got," Santiago said Wednesday of the tweets. "We're not out there just standing in there, filling a spot. We're out there diving all over, Alexei [Ramirez] is diving, I mean guys are, you know, it's not easy to make every single play. Sometimes you get a little in-between hop, stuff like that."
Santiago said that the White Sox clubhouse consists of a close-knit group of ballplayers, and his tweets reflected the bond he has with his teammates.
"You're here every day with these guys ... you grind it out in Spring Training with them for two months, 2 1/2 months or whatever it was," Santiago said. "I mean, most of us have played together for years and it's friends and family, pretty much you can consider them family."
In a season that hasn't gone the way the White Sox had hoped, manager Robin Ventura appreciates Santiago's positive message.
"Yeah, Hector's always [positive]," Ventura said. "I think, you know, his personality is just that way. You don't really see him down too often or ever. I don't remember a time when he's been down. You know, he gets it and he's a good teammate. He's a good pitcher, competitor and all that other stuff. You don't ever see him taking the low road."
"You just get to know each other," Santiago said of his teammates. "It's like the next guy next to you is your brother."