Mendick debuts: 'I couldn't even feel my legs'

CLEVELAND -- There will be more involved and significant baseball moments for Danny Mendick with the White Sox during the final month of the 2019 season.

But on the same day when he received a September callup, the utility/outfielder made his big league debut as a pinch-runner for Zack Collins, who had tripled, in the ninth inning of Chicago's 6-5 victory over the Indians on Tuesday night. He didn't score and didn't really move much off third, but it still was the culmination of a long journey for the 25-year-old.

"It was awesome," Mendick said. "Running out there, I couldn't even feel my legs. I was so excited. It was cool to get in there. That was the debut. I'm happy."

Mendick's parents and his friends from college are in Cleveland to watch him in action. He had more family coming in for the final two games of the series.

Over 133 games for Triple-A Charlotte this past season, Mendick hit .279 with 26 doubles, 17 home runs, 64 RBIs, 66 walks, 19 stolen bases and 75 runs scored. He earned this callup, and it's a process beginning back when he was not even recruited out of high school.

Attending Monroe Community College at that point was more about a desire to keep playing baseball as much as fulfilling a big league goal. By the time he reached his senior year at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and was getting looked at by scouts, he realized that his Major League dream could become a reality.

The White Sox took him in the 22nd round of the 2015 Draft, and even Mendick admitted that selection put him as more of a filler guy. People doubted what he could do throughout his career, but Mendick considers that doubt a part of the game.

"I am who I am, and I am the player I am," said Mendick, who is rated as the club's No. 26 prospect by MLB Pipeline. "I only hope I can get better and help the White Sox win a World Series. That includes any role that it takes."

"I'm going to certainly give Danny some starts," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "Give him an opportunity to enjoy being in the big leagues, show everybody what he's about. He's earned it and done a great job this year. We are happy he's here. We'll figure out a way to make sure we have opportunities for him."

Both the lineup card and the jersey No. 20 Mendick wore in Tuesday's victory now will be a part of his personal memorabilia. And the philosophy getting him to the Majors also will stick with him forever.

"Never stop. Everyone that I always talk to it's dream big and never stop," Mendick said. "Worst-case scenario, if baseball ended for me a couple of years ago and I didn't make it here, I could have said I gave it 110 percent and I am where I am.

"Now, I can say I gave it everything I got, and I made it. That's what I would say to others: Give it everything you got and at the end of the day, you can sleep at night because you know. That goes in life."

Palka keeps the faith
Daniel Palka doesn't need to be reminded that his start to this season is not in the ballpark of what's expected. But the second-year outfielder, who is 1-for-53 with the White Sox this season after going 0-for-4 Wednesday night, has managed to keep his usual upbeat attitude during these extreme struggles.

"At the end of the day, you have to realize how lucky we are to be skilled enough to play this game professionally," Palka said before Chicago's 8-6 loss to the Indians. "There are ups and downs in everything.

"It was just part of it. It's not going to define me or be who I am or what I contribute to the team. It's a steppingstone to get past."

White Sox honors
Luis Robert, the No. 5 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, was named the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year on Wednesday. Yermin Mercedes, a catcher for Charlotte, and Class A Winston-Salem right-hander Jonathan Stiever were named the White Sox Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for August/September, as voted on by Chicago-area media.

Mercedes, 26, hit .317 with seven homers, 28 RBIs, 17 runs scored and a 1.065 OPS over 24 games. Stiever, 22, went 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 26 innings over five starts for the Dash.

Birthday greetings
Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, the iconic voice of White Sox television broadcasts for more than three decades, turned 78 on Wednesday.

He said it
"Hoo boy, that was exceptional stuff we saw, especially early on." -- Cleveland manager Terry Francona, on White Sox starter Dylan Cease and his career-high 11 strikeouts on Tuesday