Fresh start helps White Sox extend home win streak
Soaked in beer and preparing for a trip back to Class AAA Charlotte on Friday night, Lucas Harrell couldn't have been happier.
And who can blame him?
Getting word earlier in the day to head up to U.S. Cellular Field from Louisville, the seven-year minor-leaguer nearly floated to the South Side.
And once Harrell landed, all the 25-year-old starting pitcher did was deliver 6 quality innings while becoming the first White Sox pitcher to win his debut in 11 years.
"When the opportunity came up and they told me about it this morning, I was definitely excited," Harrell said after the Sox kept rolling with a 6-1 win over the Athletics. "To be in this organization for so long, it was nice to get here and also get the team a win."
Harrell was understandably a little too pumped up early in his first big-league start, which explains the 5 walks. But to his credit, he made pitches when he had to.
"(Catcher) A.J. (Pierzynski) came out to me and he just said, 'Be yourself. Do what got you here; use your sinker. Throw the ball over the plate,' " Harrell said. "Get early contact, because that's the kind of pitcher I am.
"I just kind of did those things and that got me back in the groove."
Harrell got his traditional beer shower on the field as he did a postgame TV interview, and now he's headed back to Charlotte to clear a roster spot for Edwin Jackson, who was acquired in a trade from the Diamondbacks on Friday morning.
"That's a big day for him," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of Harrell. "He went through a lot of tough times in the minor league, and I know how bad he wants to pitch in the major leagues. It was a special day for everyone.
"To come out this way, he can't be better than that."
The Sox can't be any better on their home turf, either.
Friday's win was their 12th straight at the Cell, the longest streak since 1989. They've also won 19 of their last 20 at home,
"One thing about it, we pick each other up," Guillen said. "We really do. We don't have to just wait for one guy to do the damage. Right now, we're clicking and everybody's doing little things to help. We have one stolen base and a basehit, we take the lead. All the little things are big for us at the end of the game.
"Yesterday we hit 4 home runs. Today, we just played the game. We win in different ways, and that's good."
Scot Gregor's game tracker White Sox 6, A's 1Cool hand Lucas: Making his first major-league start, Lucas Harrell allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 5 walks in 6 innings. He became the first Sox starter to win his debut since Kip Wells did it on Aug. 2, 1999.Home run: The White Sox won their 12th straight game at U.S. Cellular Field, their longest home winning streak since July 1-Aug. 5, 1989.Viva Viciedo: Rookie third baseman Dayan Viciedo had the first 3-hit game of his career. He's batting .378 with 5 doubles, 2 home runs and 6 RBI in his last 11 games.False463512White Sox starter Lucas Harrell got the win in his major league debut by going 6 innings allowing only 4 hits and 1 run.Associated PressFalse <div class="infoBox"><h1>More Coverage</h1><div class="infoBoxContent"><div class="infoArea"><h2>Stories</h2><ul class="links"><li><a href="/story/?id=397699">Cooper, Sox aim to assist Jackson <span class="date">[07/30/10]</span></a></li><li><a href="/story/?id=397510">Is there more to White Sox trade for Jackson? <span class="date">[07/30/10]</span></a></li></ul></div></div></div>