Sheets sparkles in first major-league game; Giolito unloads on Donaldson
In his major-league debut Tuesday night, Gavin Sheets was the star of the game for the White Sox in a 7-6 victory over the Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field.
But let's start with Lucas Giolito's scathing postgame comments directed at Minnesota's Josh Donaldson.
In the first inning, the veteran slugger gave the Twins a 2-0 lead with a home run off Giolito. After he crossed the plate and approached the dugout, Donaldson rubbed his hands and yelled, “It's not sticky anymore.”
That was an obvious shot at pitchers being subjected to suspensions for doctoring the baseball. Giolito didn't think it was funny.
“I saw it after the fact. He's a (bleeping) pest,” Giolito said. “That's kind of a classless move. If you're going to talk (bleep), talk (bleep) to my face. Don't go across home plate and do all that, just come to me.
“We won. The W's next to my name. They're in last place.”
Sheets helped the Sox beat their struggling rivals, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.
He singled in his first at-bat, delivered an RBI groundout the second time up and followed that with a run-scoring bloop double.
“It was awesome, the whole night,” Sheets said. “Obviously, to get the first hit out of the way early was awesome and got a lot of action in right field. It was a fantastic night.”
Coming through with 2 RBI made his night easier.
“It was kind of nice,” Sheets said. “It switched from making your debut to being a big part of the game and that was really nice for me to step in the box. It wasn't as much about, 'Hey, I'm in the big leagues.' It was, 'Hey, I've got to get a job done here.'
“That was nice for me, it kind of settled me in and I love at-bats with runners in scoring position. It was great to get the job done in those situation.”
The White Sox's offense was in need of a boost, and Sheets provided one after arriving from Class AAA Charlotte earlier in the day.
“To see the smile on his face and joy he brought to his teammates, it was a special day,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He has a chance to be a productive major-league hitter.”
Burger watch:
If the White Sox are looking for more offensive help from Class AAA Charlotte, Jake Burger is the likely target.
Back after missing the last three seasons due to an Achilles injury and COVID-19, Burger was 4-for-4 Tuesday night, raising his batting average to .317. He also hit his 10th home run in 41 games.
“He's a big, strong guy with big forearms and he hits the ball hard, really hard.” Gavin Sheets said. “We hit 3-4, so I've had a front-row seat this whole season with it. And great teammate, great person. It's been fun to watch.”