Lillibridge saves game for Sox
A better White Sox game you are not likely to see all season long.
You did see it, right?
Between the Bulls playoff game, the Blackhawks playoff game, the Cubs game maybe, not sure if the Fire played, here's hoping you were able to bend the antenna far to the right and pick up the Sox-Yankees game. At least the final two outs.
It took me a while, but I managed to track it down on Channel 101. Think they were calling it Comcast SportsNet Plus-Minus.
There was no audio in the top of the ninth, but Ken Harrelson and Steve Stone were back on the air in the bottom of the inning and here was Hawk's last call:
“You gotta be bleeping me!”
Well put.
How else to describe not one, but two improbable defensive plays by Brent Lillibridge to preserve the White Sox' 3-2 win?
They were back-to-back catches, and they were the stuff of legend.
Hate to get too hyperbolic, but in 18 years covering the Sox, I've never seen anything quite like this.
With the Sox clinging to the 1-run lead in the ninth, Gavin Floyd came back out intent on earning a deserved complete game.
Floyd (102 pitches) was gone after yielding Derek Jeter's leadoff single, and that's when it started getting dicey for the White Sox.
Playing the matchup game, manager Ozzie Guillen went to Matt Thornton and the lefty continued to struggle, walking Mark Teixeira after Curtis Granderson sacrificed Jeter to second.
On came Sergio Santos, and Alex Rodriguez's drive to deep right field looked like a game-tying double, minimum.
But there was Lillibridge, a natural second baseman who pinch-ran for Carlos Quentin in the eighth inning and assumed his position.
He chased down A-Rod's drive and kind of stuck his glove out, making remarkable catch No. 1.
Robinson Cano was next for New York, and he appeared to win the game with a sinking drive toward the corner.
But there was Lillibridge — again — and his diving snag saved Santos, saved the White Sox and even saved their season, according to ESPN baseball analyst Rick Sutcliffe.
Here's what ESPN's Buster Olney said: “Somebody is going to do a (heck) of a lot of work to surpass Brent Lillibridge for Web gems of the year: Back-to-back game-saving catches. Wow.”
Again, well put.
The stars of this game figured to be Floyd, who was outstanding while allowing 2 runs on 4 hits in 8-plus innings to go with 10 strikeouts, and Paul Konerko, who hit a 2-run homer off overpaid Rafael Soriano in the eighth to put the Sox in front.
Sorry boys, this is Lillibridge's game.
“Finally I found my closer, Lillibridge,” Guillen told reporters.