“It just hurts you to see what they’re going through”- Former White Sox catcher reflects on team's painful season and future approach
A.J. Pierzynski, former catcher of the Chicago White Sox, recently talked about the turbulent season his former team is going through. The Chicago side currently has a .239 winning percentage, far and away the worst in the major leagues.
Pierzynski played 19 seasons, winning a Silver Slugger award and two All-Star call ups in the process. He also represented the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves in his playing days. This is apart from his time in the windy city, where he won the World Series in 2005.
Speaking to MLB Network Radio, the former White Sox player talked about watching the team's fall from grace as a fan.
"As someone that won a World Series with the White Sox almost 20 years ago, and still roots for them and wants them to do well, it just hurts you to see them going through what they're going through. Possibly the worst team of all time, that's something you should never say with an organization like the White Sox."
With his former team typically refraining from making big money signings, Pierzynski talked about a change in approach that can help change their fortunes.
"I think they gotta get more outside the box, if you're not going to spend money. In today's game, you gotta have stars and you gotta have studs. If you're not going to spend, you have to figure out something that no one else is doing or what's the next thing that's coming and jump ahead of it. Right now, they're playing catch up, you need to be forward thinking, think 2-3 years down the road."
Finally, A.J. Pierzynski explained how the Chicago outfit could take a page out of the Tampa Bay Rays' model of business.
"Look at the way the Rays have done it. What are they doing better than everyone else? They figure out what players do well and put them in the roles to succeed. Try to figure that out and you go from there."
White Sox win in Oakland to break 21 game losing streak
The Chicago White Sox saved themselves the indignity of matching or potentially surpassing the record for the longest losing streak in American League. They did so by beating the Oakland Athletics 5-1 in Game 2 of the series on Tuesday.
The record stays with the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies team that lost 23 on the bounce.
Tuesday's win was the first for the Chicago side since they beat the Minnesota Twins on July 10, being on the end of six consecutive series sweeps in between. Despite avoiding the infamous record, the Sox still are very much on course for one of the worst seasons in major league history, sitting at a 28-89 win/loss record.
The White Sox invite the Chicago Cubs to the Guaranteed Rate Field for their next game, the first of a two game series.
With ace Garrett Crochet on the mound for the hosts, this is as good a game as any for the hosts to fancy their chances of getting one over their cross town rivals.
With the visitors gathering momentum off late and aiming for a potential playoff position though, it would not be surprising to see the Cubs add to the hosts' misery come Friday.