(670 The Score) White Sox left-hander Dallas Keuchel was unhappy about being pulled by manager Tony La Russa after just 86 pitches and having fired five scoreless innings Saturday in his team’s eventual 3-2 win against the Yankees.
“I had enough to go at least six,” Keuchel told reporters. “With how many games we’re playing, I thought I had at least 100 pitches tonight. That didn’t happen. I’m not very happy with that, but that’s the competitor in me.”
On Sunday, La Russa detailed his thinking, explaining that the 34-year-old Keuchel’s track record in the sixth inning and in the third time through the order in his Chicago tenure has been poor. Keuchel had allowed four hits and walked three in the five scoreless innings he pitched Saturday.
Of note is that Keuchel has a $20-million vesting option for the 2023 in his contract should he reach 160 innings pitched in 2022. He has pitched 26 innings in six starts this season. He’s pacing behind reaching 160 innings to date.
On Monday, White Sox television analyst Steve Stone weighed in on the topic on the Mully & Haugh Show, sharing advice to Keuchel about what he should’ve made clear in his postgame comments Saturday.
“I think perhaps that message might not have been for you or the media per se,” Stone said of La Russa publicly noting Keuchel’s struggles in the sixth inning and beyond. “Because I think the media has all the stats that everybody else has. I think that message might have been for Dallas Keuchel, who because he has, he has an incentive in his contract (of 160 innings).
“Personally, this is how I believe this should have worked. And again, this is just my feeling, having been part of a winning organization that won a lot and had a lot of winning players, which was the Baltimore Orioles when I got there (in 1979), I think the postgame for Dallas should have been like this. ‘You know, as a starting pitcher and veteran, I would’ve liked to have gone longer. However, we won the ballgame, and that’s the most important thing. And, oh by the way, Kendall Graveman came in and faced six guys in two innings. I’m not sure I could’ve done that at that point with my pitch count. But I applaud all these guys that went out there and busted their butts to win that ball game against a very good team.’
“That is what a team guy actually says. That’s what a guy who is worried about winning for the team as opposed to piling up his own personal innings, that’s what he says. Personally, that’s just me. He chose a different route. And I think Tony chose a different route to say something to Dallas that maybe he didn’t say to him face to face.”
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