It wasn’t the most significant sporting event of an otherwise eventful Thursday. It was definitely not the most anticipated Opening Day in baseball. But if you’re someone who deals with the likes of Chicago winters, any reason to see some omen of summer is cause for celebration. So even though the Cubs, who had already played and lost twice the week before a world away in Tokyo were still more than a thousand miles away, extending their March in the Phoenix metropolitan area with a stateside-opening series against the Diamondbacks, there was reason enough for celebration when the White Sox took the field at what is now known merely as Rate Park. Because as last season proved nothing, certainly victories, are Guaranteed.
The White Sox were coming off the losingest season in modern major league history, having eclipsed even the expansion 1962 Mets with a 41-121 showing that began scant better than it had evolved. The Pale Hose (been a while since that nickname was invoked, no?) went 0-for-March last year before finally winning their fifth game of the season. After that, they went on the first of many tailspins that eventually saw them fall to 3-22 en route to an ignominious history.
But with a new season comes new hope. A new manager, the almost naively optimistic Will Venable. New players–after a season like 2024, you’d change out as much as you could. And at least yesterday, they got results, as the hometown CHICAGO TRIBUNE’s Lamond Pope crowed this morning:
Sean Burke became just the seventh pitcher in the last 100 years to start on opening day with fewer than 20 career innings pitched in the majors.
Burke showed the poise of a veteran when Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels at Rate Field could have gotten away from the Chicago White Sox early.
The right-hander worked out of danger in the first and second innings and then settled into a groove as the Sox opened the 2025 season with an 8-1 victory in front of 31,403 at Rate Field.
“It was awesome,” Burke said. “That’s definitely the most fun I’ve ever had pitching in front of these fans at home. Not too much nerves, but just a little amped up to start the game. Just making sure I’m making quality pitches. The defense played really good behind me, they were making plays the entire time I was out there, so when they’re in a rhythm like that it makes my job a lot easier.”
Burke allowed three hits and struck out three in six scoreless innings to aid the Sox in Will Venable’s first game as manager.
“Will’s our guy,” Burke said. “We love Will. To get the first one out of the way in the first game and just the joy on his face, I think everyone in the locker room was super happy with a lot of emotion.”
In fairness, things couldn’t have teed up any better for Burke, Venable and their comrades-in-arms. The Angels are coming off a 99-loss season of their own. Their own desperate moves to infuse new talent, bringing in veterans like newly crowned “ace” Yusei Kikuchi and one-time South Side favorite Tim Anderson, suggest it may be another pretty long and unsuccessful summer in Orange County. Tickets for Angels games beyond their own home opener next week are hovering at levels even I could consider–though the price of gas or a train ticket kinda cancels out those possibilities for now.
Perhaps TRIBUNE columnist Paul Sullivan summed up the sentiment of those in the less balmy climes of Chi-town are feeling this morning:
(O)pening day is the proverbial day of hope, and the Sox hope to prove the experts wrong with the greatest comeback season ever. No team that has lost 121 games has ever made the postseason the following year. Of course, no modern-day team had lost 121 games before, but that’s neither here nor there.
Oddsmakers have put the Sox over/under at 53.5 wins, the lowest total set by sportsbooks in 35 seasons, according to ESPN. I’m not a gambler, but I’d take the over. Even a very, very bad team can go 54-108 with a few breaks. As Jack Brickhouse might say, the Sox are due.
We’ll see if such optimism can extend to at least April. But at least on this morning White Sox fans can wake up knowing that, for one of the few times since the days of Brickhouse’s announcing tenure, they’re behind one of the statistically best teams in baseball.
Courage…