Six Pack of Stats: White Sox 8, Guardians 2
It’s the Martín Maldonado Show!
I mean, Martín Maldonado WENT OFF. Cleveland gotta take a hard look at themselves in the mirror after this one, as it falls to 4-5 against [checks notes] the WHITE SOX this season.
FLEX!
Top Play
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Andrew Benintendi clubbed an RBI double in the fourth that turned runaway game to rout, adding 14.7% WPA to the effort.
Top Performer
Benny and Martín Maldonado led all hitters with 11.0% WPA apiece, but the king tonight was Erick Fedde, clocking in with 15.4% WPA.
Hardest Hit
Josh Naylor smacked a screaming, 109.2 mph grounder to Andrew Vaughn in the third, which AV picked and got the fielder’s choice out at second. The hardest safe hit of the game was Maldonado (!!!!!!) and his 107.7 mph single in the fourth.
Weakest Contact
Martín Maldonado was everywhere tonight, including the column we find him more often topping. His night of extremes also saw a 51.6 mph tapper back to the pitcher.
Luckiest Hit
Nicky Lopez makes it two straight lucky games, as his deep (catchable) fly ball defied Cleveland’s astute defensive placement and fell for a .160 xBA double.
Toughest Out
Andrew Vaughn lined out in the fifth, a 102.7 mph punisher to right that should coulda, at .760 xBA.
Longest Hit
WHAT! Martín Maldonado takes this category as well, with an eighth-inning homer yanked down the line and dropping 373 feet away — a homer in all 30 ballparks.
Futility Watch
White Sox 2024 Record 25-63, worst 88-game start in White Sox history (3 1⁄2 games ahead of the next-worst, 1948 White Sox) and tied for 23rd-worst start all-time
White Sox 2024 Run Differential -157 tied for 55th-worst 88-game start in MLB history
White Sox 2024 Season Record Pace 46-116 (.284)
Race to the Worst “Modern” 162-Game Record (2003 Tigers, 43-119) 3 games behind
Race to the Worst “Modern” Record in a 162-Game Season (1962 Mets, 40-120) 5 games behind
Race to the Most White Sox Losses (1970, 106) 10 games ahead
Race to the Worst White Sox Record (1932, 52-109-1*) 6 1⁄2 games ahead
Race to the Worst American League Record (1916 A’s, 38-124*) 9 games behind
*record adjusted to a 162-game season
Glossary
CSW called strikes plus whiffs
Hard-hit is any ball off the bat at 95 mph or more
LI measures pressure per play
pLI measures total pressure faced in-game
Whiff a swing-and-miss
WPA win probability added measures contributions to the win
xBA expected batting average