CHICAGO – The White Sox learned a lot about how to build a winning culture during the 2020 campaign, and that knowledge didn’t just come from their 35 wins in 60 games.
Take the team’s last 10 regular season competitions as an example. The White Sox became the first American League team to secure a playoff spot with a home win over the Twins on September 17 and had a three-game lead at AL Central at that time. They lost eight of the next 10 games, including four in a row in Cleveland, and fell to seventh place in the AL.
Four months later, with White Sox pitchers and catchers reporting to Camelback Ranch on Wednesday and the entire team ready for action on February 22, that difficult stretch was remembered and processed instead of being completely erased.
“When we won the playoff spot, we can have – I wouldn’t necessarily say that we lost the foot of the accelerator, but it was like a relief, like, ‘We did it. We made it to the playoffs, ‘”said Lucas Giolito, ace of the White Sox team, on Tuesday, from Arizona, by phone from Zoom. “So we all know that we started a bad stretch immediately after that. It was definitely a great learning experience.
“After last year, we are really going to adopt this mentality that we need to step in the throat, we need to try to kill other teams until the end. It doesn’t matter what our record is, it doesn’t matter if we’re in the playoffs, if we’re leading the division. What matters is that we go out there hoping to win a game every day – whether it is April or September or the postseason – and we have that killing instinct, that killing mentality as a whole and we just got the job done.
“I don’t think there is any more room for an early celebration. That’s sure.”
Any mention of the word “rebuild” has also been removed from the White Sox vernacular. That phase of consistent but important defeat ended when Giolito made six perfect entries during a game 1 win at Oakland in the AL Wild Card Series.
Now, the main goal of the White Sox goes much deeper than just making it to the playoffs. With Tony La Russa about to start his second race as a White Sox coach, the goal is to win big and win big now.
“We want to win a ring. We want to win a World Series, ”said Giolito. “For that to happen, we definitely need to improve in many areas. With the acquisition of players and coaching, we are already in a very good position. But AL Central is not sloppy. Other teams are also putting some pieces together, so we just have to stay focused on our day to day, on what we need to do each day individually and as a team to improve. Building the winning culture. I think we took the first steps last year.
“But there is still much more room to grow. That is what we intend to do. Continue to grow, get closer as a team, play a really solid baseball. Consistent baseball. And, ultimately, we want to win a World Series. This is obviously the goal. “
Giolito arrived in Arizona a week ago and has already met with most of the new coaches and talked to new teammates, such as right-handed Lance Lynn and right defender Adam Eaton. Giolito likes the vibration that is being presented.
With the Cubs taking a step back after a hugely successful six-year race, the South Siders have a chance to make Chicago a White Sox city. This etiquette does not concern Giolito as much as the process required to become a champion team.
“Yes, it would be nice for more people to care about the White Sox in Chicago,” said Giolito. “But the only way to do that is if we win. I wouldn’t say that there’s a lot of talk to have, because all of this will fit together if we win games and go deep and, hopefully, win a ring. “