The White Sox entered their four-game series against the Twins Monday at Guaranteed Rate Field with a one-game lead over them in the American League Central, and for 24 hours owned the best record in the AL.
All very nice and well, especially for a team that finished 72-89 a year ago.
Which is exactly why that 30-16 mark was only worth the paper it was written on.
“Yeah, we have the best record, but that ain’t putting no trophies in our pocket,” shortstop Tim Anderson said Monday. “That ain’t doing anything for us.”
And overtaking the defending champion Twins to pocket a trophy would be a substantial feat. The Sox were 2-4 against them this season, and 22-41 against them since the start of 2017. The Twins’ 41 wins are their most wins against any opponent during that span.
“Every game’s a new game,” Anderson said. “Every day’s a new day. And today is one of those nights where it’s a new night. So we’ve got to go out and compete, from the beginning to the end. Every pitch, every out and every inning. And I think the guys are ready. They know what we’re facing, they know what’s on the line. There’s no secret what we’re trying to do here. So it’s all about coming together and keep competing at a high level.”
Anderson is relishing the moment of playing in big games, finally, after four losing seasons with the Sox. First baseman Jose Abreu, like Anderson a strong MVP candidate, has played on nothing but losing teams his first six years in the majors, all on the South Side.
Monday’s matchup against the Twins (30-18) marks the first time the teams met in September when tied in the standings or separated by one game since Game 163 of the 2008 season, known as the Blackout Game in these parts, also the last time the Sox have played in the postseason.
“Tonight,” Anderson said, “is playoff ball.”
Along the way, there will be individual awards to decide, and Anderson has graciously said Abreu should be the MVP frontrunner in a field that also includes Twins DH Nelson Cruz and himself, among others.
All well and good, Anderson said, and if Abreu gets it — and Anderson says Abreu deserves at this point with 14 games to play and he hopes he gets it — the team will share it.
“We’re all on the same team; it’s a win for both of us,” he said.
That said, for a pair of team-trophy starved stars, winning is the thing.
“You don’t get much from personal goals,” Anderson said. “You try to get something you can share with the squad. Championships we remember way more than batting titles or whatever else comes with individual awards.
“Forget those individual stats, I want a championship.”
Beating the Twins would be important step toward that goal.
