Notes: Sox scrimmage; parrot flies; '21 slate set
CHICAGO -- Edwin Encarnación homered off of Aaron Bummer, Danny Mendick stole home, catcher Yermín Mercedes played third base and baseball truly returned to Guaranteed Rate Field during a Summer Camp intrasquad game Thursday afternoon won by Encarnación’s home squad, 2-0.
Relievers Steve Cishek and Carson Fulmer were also among the hurlers who pitched in the four-inning contest. There was no crowd noise pumped in, making for a sort of fanless silence players will have to process during this 60-game season abbreviated by the coronavirus pandemic.
“It was a little weird. It's just so quiet out there,” Cishek said. “If you like the sound of the crack from a bat, then you'll really love being here in an empty stadium, because it just echoes for days. It's a little awkward, but it's kind of fun.”
• Collins confident he'll find room on Sox roster
“Everything has been crisp,” White Sox bench coach Joe McEwing said of the first week of Summer Camp. “Guys are getting after it, getting their work done under tough circumstances, and I think they are understanding that it’s a sprint. It’s a sprint to Opening Day. It’s a sprint to the season.”
Mendick swiped home after getting the first intrasquad hit, then he moved to third on Tim Anderson’s single and made the break when Anderson was caught off first but stayed long enough in a rundown. Mercedes had two nice grabs on line drives to third, and Eloy Jiménez made an over-the-head catch of a Luis Basabe fly ball to left.
Encarnación even broke out his parrot celebration after getting encouragement from his teammates in the dugout as he rounded second. That sort of excitement and talk from the bench will be heightened during the course of this upcoming campaign.
“I enjoy going on Twitter or social media and seeing that someone in Japan hit a homer, and you can hear the dugout just going nuts, and I think it's great. It's hilarious,” Cishek said. “This is kind of how we're going to have to work through things, so it's just going to be our new normal for a while.”
“You can get yourself going just by the situation of the game,” Bummer said. “That's kind of my goal, regardless of whoever is in the stands, regardless of whatever the situation is. I'm going to put myself up to go out there and get the job done.”
This browser does not support the video element.
White Sox announce 2021 schedule
A seven-game West Coast road trip starts Chicago's 2021 schedule, with the announcement coming from Major League Baseball and the team Thursday. The White Sox open the season at the Angels from April 1-4, then head to the Mariners from April 5-7.
Chicago will open the season against an American League West opponent for just the third time in the past 12 seasons and on the road for the seventh time since 2010. Following the season-opening trip, the White Sox will open Guaranteed Rate Field with seven games in eight days, beginning with the April 8 home opener vs. Kansas City.
Interleague Play for the White Sox comes against the National League Central, with the annual Crosstown Series against the Cubs featuring a pair of three-game weekend matchups: Aug. 6-8 at Wrigley Field and Aug. 27-29 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
OK, Boomers: White Sox select Schaumburg
The White Sox chose Boomers Stadium in Schaumburg, Ill., to host their remaining player pool players in 2020. The site will serve as a training facility for players not on the White Sox active roster but who are eligible to be recalled or have their contract purchased by the club.
Schaumburg’s facility, which opened in 1999, will host workouts, practices and intrasquad games beginning July 15. Coaches, trainers and support staff from the White Sox player development department will oversee the squad there.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a high-quality facility like Boomer Stadium located close enough to our ballpark to allow our players to prepare and work out for the 2020 season,” said White Sox general manager Rick Hahn in a statement. “The White Sox organization is very appreciative of Patrick Salvi, his excellent staff, and of course, the people of Schaumburg for being so welcoming to us.”
Workouts at Boomers Stadium are closed to the public. The White Sox will release a roster of players scheduled to be assigned there prior to the start of next week's workouts.
Due to workload and other demands on the ballpark and playing surface, the White Sox organization will provide several enhancements to the Schaumburg facility, including:
• Installing an all-weather hitting and pitching tunnel in right field
• Full upgrade of the playing field to MLB dimensions and specifications
• Conversion of the suite level “Schaumburg Club” to a strength and conditioning area for player use
• Renovation of the clubhouses and training areas to meet social distancing protocols
• Creation of multiple food-service areas, including on-site dining and “to-go” options
• Two health screening and testing locations for players and staff.
Third to first
• Manager Rick Renteria traveled to California on Thursday for a family funeral. He will rejoin the team as soon as possible after he clears the necessary protocol upon his return.
• McEwing, who handled the manager’s Zoom call Thursday with his trademark upbeat manner, spoke of Anderson doing specific exercises during the quarantine to open up his hips and put his body in a better position defensively at shortstop. McEwing added Anderson’s work already is paying dividends.
“He looks amazing,” McEwing said. “He’s grown into a man, not just on the field, but off the field. I couldn’t be happier or prouder of him. It’s like, ‘OK, you can leave the nest now. You are on your own.’”
They said it
“I'm just glad he's on our side now, and I'm glad that he got one [off me] when it didn't count.” -- Bummer, on Encarnación’s home run
“The parrot made an appearance on the South Side.” -- McEwing, on the Encarnación home run