Sox drop home opener, losing 1-0 to the Detroit Tigers

CHICAGO (AP) — Once-upon-a-time Chicago Cub Javier Báez played the role of villain, as the Detroit Tigers spoiled a sterling start from Garrett Crochet and the Chicago White Sox on Opening Day.

Tigers starting pitcher and dark horse Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal pitched six innings of three-hit ball and the Tigers opened a promising season on a winning note, beating the Chicago White Sox 1-0 on Thursday.

Skubal and three relievers combined to retire the final 17 batters. The White Sox did not advance past first base and wasted a terrific start by Garrett Crochet.

Báez singled, stole second base, and scored on Andy Ibáñez’s sacrifice fly in the third. The Tigers finished with six hits.

Play ball! White Sox ready for home opener on the South Side as 2024 MLB season gets underway

Skubal (1-0) picked up right where he left off last year. The 27-year-old left-hander struck out six without a walk in his first opening-day start, after going 4-0 with a 0-90 ERA in his final five outings a year ago.

Shelby Miller pitched a perfect seventh. Andrew Chafin worked 1 1/3 innings before Jason Foley earned the save by striking out Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert Jr.

Crochet (0-1) tossed six sparkling innings in his first professional start, allowing one run and five hits. The 24-year-old left-hander struck out eight and walked none.

Crochet, who has 72 career relief appearances for the White Sox, got the nod for the opener after former ace Dylan Cease was traded to San Diego two weeks ago.

Deivi García worked the seventh. Michael Kopech pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth when he struck out Matt Vierling. But the White Sox opened on a familiar note coming off a 101-loss season.

Chicago White Sox trade Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (strained left groin) was placed on the 15-day injured list, and RHP Miguel Díaz was designated for assignment.

White Sox: LHP Shane Drohan (left shoulder nerve decompression surgery) and RHP Jimmy Lambert (right rotator cuff strain) were placed on the 60-day injured list. Chicago also designated LHP Sammy Peralta for assignment and selected the contracts of RHPs Jordan Leasure, Dominic Leone and Bryan Shaw.

UP NEXT

Tigers RHP Kenta Maeda and White Sox RHP Michael Soroka make their first starts for their new teams on Saturday. The Tigers signed the 35-year-old Maeda to a $24 million, two-year contract to help them win games and mentor the team’s younger pitchers. Soroka gets a fresh start following a trade from Atlanta and hopes to regain the form that made him an All-Star for the Braves in 2019.

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