Cease, Sox 'right where we need to be' ahead of Opening Day

MESA, Ariz. -- Dylan Cease looked in midseason form for his final start of the Cactus League season Friday, blanking the A’s for six innings and guiding the White Sox to a 12-0 win. And being in midseason form bodes well for the Chicago ace, who earlier in the day was named as the team’s Opening Day starter.

“It means a lot,” Cease said after leaving the game. “I'll be doing a lot of reflecting in the upcoming week, thinking about my journey. It's one of those really incredible honors, and I'm very excited for it.”

It may seem like a quick journey for the veteran of four big league seasons, as he’s annually lowered his ERA since 2019, from 5.79 down to 2.20 in 2022. But Cease remembers the length of the journey.

“Being a kid and playing, and then playing in high school, and getting through the Minor Leagues -- it’s just a lot of steps,” Cease said. “When you make it, it almost doesn't feel real. It's definitely one of the special things. To get to the big leagues is always a dream, but all of these things that keep happening on top of each other is just making it more and more special.

“It's a challenging game,” Cease added, stressing the adversity players have to navigate to find success. “Thankfully, as a pitcher, I’m more the casino than I am the gambler, but it's still challenging.”

He seemed to be holding all the cards Friday, clearly happy to close out his Cactus League season on a high note.

“It was a great, long tune-up,” Cease said. “Got my curveball out there a lot. Slider was pretty solid. I don't like the [three] walks, but a lot of double plays and some good weak contact. Getting through six is good. I think we're right where we need to be.”

Cease admitted he wasn’t exactly surprised to learn he’d be on the mound Opening Day, while noting at least a couple guys on the staff are “more than worthy.” Manager Pedro Grifol could only hope all his decisions are as clear-cut as this one.

“It's great to have options,” Grifol said of the viable contenders in his rotation. “Our guys are strong, good, they’re hungry. Dylan had a great year last year. Years like that you don’t see often. He was second in the Cy Young voting. He's deserving [of the start].”

Part of Cease’s success has come from focusing on being ready for each start and not getting too far ahead of himself. With his next start on Opening Day, he’s turning his attention to a moment ripe with anticipation.

“We're facing the World Series [champions], and they obviously have a great team,” Cease said. “It's good to see kind of how we stack up. Have a good showing and show that last year was not who we are. This is a new year.”

Among the trio of relievers completing the shutout was Aaron Bummer, who made his 2023 Cactus League debut. Bummer pitched a scoreless eighth, allowing one hit and striking out two.

Back from the Classic
Kendall Graveman made his first appearance since pitching in the World Baseball Classic Friday, closing out the game with a scoreless ninth, yielding two groundball hits and striking out one.

“The first couple of [Cactus League outings], I was getting hit,” Graveman said. “I found every barrel in Maricopa County. I got off some barrels today. Got some softer contact and ground balls, which is my game.”

The international experience of the World Baseball Classic got to Graveman, giving him new highlights to top his career reel.

“I played in the College World Series,” Graveman said. “I played in Big League World Series. The WBC tops both of them as far as atmosphere goes.”

He had one standout moment, but it was the overall experience that really hit home for Graveman.

“The grand slam by Trea Turner, that's a memory that'll probably stick with me forever,” he said. “But just being a part of that team. Getting to see those guys work on a daily basis. That's something that resonates with me. That was impressive to see.”

The other aspect unique to the Classic was the experience of representing the United States on the field for the first time.

“You got the whole country rooting for you, not just one city,” Graveman said. “I think the whole United States was rooting for us.”