Friday was a night of firsts for the White Sox in Anaheim. It was the team’s first win of the year. Andrew Vaughn made his MLB debut and got his first walk. Yermin Mercedes got his first MLB hit and ended up with a whopping five of them.
If Mercedes wasn’t busy making history, the story of the game would have been Michael Kopech. Kopech came on in relief for his first MLB appearance (or any non-spring training appearance) since Sept. 5, 2018. Kopech retired the first six batters he faced and was firing upper 90s fastball with good command.
Kopech started his third inning of work against Mike Trout. He got ahead of Trout, but walked him and that ended Kopech’s day. Kopech finished with three strikeouts, one walk and no hits allowed in two-plus innings.
Beyond Kopech’s impressive performance, this gave a view into how Kopech will be used this year. Tony La Russa leaving Kopech out to start a third inning shows he will give Kopech longer outings than a typical reliever. Kopech has a chance to start at some point this season, but that probably won’t be any time soon. Still, La Russa may allow Kopech to rack up some decent innings as he rebuilds his endurance.
On the hitting side, Jose Abreu’s grand slam made him the early star of the night for the White Sox, but Mercedes’ five-hit day was storybook stuff. Mercedes lifted a single over the infield for his first MLB hit in the third inning. He was clapping his hands and grinning as soon as he left the batter’s box.
Mercedes, who DH’d and batted seventh, finished 5-for-5. The first four were singles before he had a 2-RBI double in the ninth inning. Three of his hits came with two strikes.
Mercedes made his MLB debut last season, but got just one plate appearance. He was frequently on the taxi squad, but playing time was hard to come by. It’s safe to say the 28-year-old will get more playing time this season after a five-hit day.
Meanwhile, Vaughn’s MLB debut was mostly uneventful. He was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He scored a run after walking in the fourth inning. His play in left field went on without any issues.
There’s not much more to say about this one for Vaughn. He was fifth in the batting order, which showed confidence from La Russa.
Photo credit: Clinton Cole/FutureSox
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Book It. Cue the Music in Chi Town: “Lord Won’t You Buy Me a Mercedes Benz”! The Sox right now should go out and buy the man a spanking new Mercedes Benz and give it to him as a present. The guy’s story is LEGEND right now and he will be the fan favorite for all pudgy guy’s in history who wish that they could rake the ball like him:)