'I can't wait': Broadcaster Schriffen looks ahead after 1st season with Sox

DETROIT -- Criticism is a natural part of the gig for John Schriffen as the first-year television play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox.

Add in an historically brutal 2024 for the White Sox, who reached 40 wins against their much-publicized 121 losses with a 4-0 victory over the Tigers at a wet Comerica Park on Saturday afternoon, and it wasn’t always the easiest of rides for the soon to be 40-year-old in his debut as a Major League Baseball team broadcaster.

But with one game remaining on the ledger, Schriffen looks back with pride over his body of work and already is looking ahead to the ‘25 season. He shared that positive outlook with MLB.com during an interview Friday, where a recent pregame tailgate he attended at Guaranteed Rate Field illustrated that anticipation.

“I’ve gone to most of the tailgates this season, the big ones put together by the fans,” Schriffen said. “The last one of the season, I was out there and it was an awesome turnout. We are talking hundreds of people and a fan came up to me and said, ‘Early on, I may not have been your biggest fan, and actually one of your biggest critics. But you’ve really come around, and I’ve come around on you just because the way you stuck it out.’

“He said, ‘Even though this season has been so tough, in a week, what are we going to do? I look forward to baseball and as bad as we’ve been, I still watch every night and that’s my life.’ He said, 'That’s what keeps us all coming back because we love this game.'

“That's when it hit home and just how amazing Chicago fans are and the White Sox fan base,” Schriffen said. “This is what people live for, and it’s a privilege and an honor to be the person who actually can bring them the game every night, so I can’t wait for next season.”

• Get to know new White Sox play-by-play announcer Schriffen

Schriffen taped all his games, studied his work closely and made some changes along the way. His biggest adjustment was tempo and pacing throughout, slowing things down and letting the game come to him a little more.

Help can come from a number of places over the course of a 162-game campaign. Steve Stone, the expert White Sox television analyst, almost instantly became a primary source of knowledge, advice and encouragement as someone who Schriffen refers to as a close friend.

“He’s been there. He’s seen everything there is in the game. Not just the game but in life,” said Schriffen of Stone, who agreed to a multi-year deal to stay with the White Sox as announced Thursday. “He became a great mentor and a friend to me that I have valued so much.”

“We’ve said this a lot about [catcher] Korey Lee, and I’ll say the same about John,” Stone said. “If he makes the improvement he made during the course of this season, from this year to next, he’s going to be what I think he has the ability to be, which is one of the top play-by-play guys in baseball. This was a tough year for everybody. John came into a difficult situation and I think after some early struggles, he really made the most of it.”

Seattle’s Dave Sims, Milwaukee’s Brian Anderson and the Dodgers’ Joe Davis were other accomplished broadcasters who reached out to Schriffen. Davis spoke with Schriffen about taking over in a major market and following Hall of Famer Ken ‘Hawk’ Harrelson and Jason Benetti in the broadcast booth, much as Davis followed the iconic Vin Scully.

Taking himself off X, formerly known as Twitter, might have been Schriffen’s biggest move for peace of mind. He still had contact with fans, at the gym, at the ballpark, at the grocery store and around Chicago, but avoided the social media negative vibes.

“Maybe the biggest mistake I made was trying too hard and I wanted that approval early on,” Schriffen said. “What I’ve learned is I don’t really care what people think about me anymore. As long as I’m OK with who I am, the product I’m putting out over the air, and the work I’m putting in on an everyday basis, that’s all that matters to me.

“When I put things in perspective, I realized my biggest mistake was even listening to that stuff and even allowing that to get into my head. It’s not that I didn’t want to talk to fans anymore. I love talking to fans. There’s too much toxicity going on on social media that it wasn’t worth it for me.”