CLEVELAND — Everyone thought that White Sox reliever Grant Taylor’s day was done after the eighth inning Saturday. He already had thrown 31 pitches through three innings, and Sean Newcomb had been warming up.
Even the official scorer in the Progressive Field press box mistakenly announced that Newcomb was entering the game in the ninth.
But he didn’t. Taylor went back out to finish the job.
“[Pitching coach] Zach Bove gave me a look I know kind of means, how do you feel, what do you got,” Taylor said. “And I gave him a nod.”
Taylor retired the Guardians’ 2-3-4 hitters — Jose Ramirez, Chase DeLauter and Jo Adell — with the greatest of ease, sealing the Sox’ 3-0 victory in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. He faced 13 batters, allowed two hits and struck out six in his first four-inning outing since 2024 at Single-A Kannapolis.
“I don't know what else to say about him,” manager Will Venable said. “He's a beast out there. “I thought he actually got better as that outing went on.”
“That’s the best I’ve probably seen anyone pitch,” catcher Kyle Teel said. “That was just unbelievable.”
It came four days after Taylor threw 54 pitches in 2 ⅓ innings to close out a Game 1 victory against the Astros in the wild-card series. Through three playoff game, guess who leads the Sox in innings pitched and batters faced. It’s Taylor, the guy finishing games, not starting them.
What the White Sox are doing with their pitching staff isn’t normal. For normal teams — you know, teams with a rotation — the starting pitcher goes, say, five, maybe even (gasp) six innings. It does happen.
“We would’ve liked to do that,” general manager Chris Getz said earlier in the week. “But if we were trying to win games, we had to lean on the strengths of the club, and we’ve done that.”
For the Sox, piecing together a plan to get 27 outs must be as tedious as doing your taxes. But it’s working. On Saturday, left-hander Hagen Smith started — or opened or commenced or got the ball rolling? — with 2 ⅔ innings. He retired the first eight batters he faced before walking three in a row. What happened?
“Sometimes it can be trying to do too much, trying to be too perfect,” Smith said. “That’s kind of what I ran into in the past.”
Venable turned to lefty Bryan Hudson, who retired DeLauter on a lineout to left. Then it was righty Jordan Hicks’ turn. He struck out Adell and Angel Martinez before walking pinch-hitter Nathaniel Lowe. In came lefty Anthony Kay, who allowed a double to Travis Bazzana and a walk to Austin Hedges. But he got Sox killer Brayan Rocchio to line out to right.
After Kay retired the side in order in the fifth, it was Taylor time.
“I was in the zone early,” Taylor said. “And even when I did fall behind, I was able to make good pitches to get right back into the count and get some soft contact.
Every game could be considered a bullpen game for the Sox, who used an opener 31 times in the regular season, more than any other MLB team. Sox relievers made 214 appearances with at least 1 ⅓ innings, breaking the major-league record set by the 2018 Rays (204). And the Sox’ bullpen led the majors with 766 innings, the third-highest total in major-league history.
But how long can the Sox get away with this? It worked in their two-game sweep of the Astros, which was followed by two days off. The Sox also have days off Sunday and Tuesday before back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday (if necessary). So in the short term, they can use the schedule to their advantage and use pitchers longer more often.
If — by the grace of Pope Leo — they advance to the AL Championship Series, though, this won’t cut it. That series has a 2-3-2 format, and the Sox won’t have enough pieces to put together for three consecutive games.
But the Sox aren’t looking that far ahead. They only look at the next game on the schedule, and though Smith and Taylor, their most-used pitchers this postseason — won’t be available for it, they could come back for Game 3 at Rate Field and pitch another three or four innings.
The Sox don’t expect their method to become the newest trend in baseball. They do, though, like the trend it has created.
“I think for the most part, [pitching] will stay relatively normal to how it’s been,” Taylor said. “But I think it’s what’s worked for us, and we’re going to rely on it.”
