Right-hander Dylan Cease’ much-anticipated major league debut got off to a shaky start and ended after five innings on a high note — with his sixth strikeout — against the Tigers Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.
In between, there was a nice run of Cease showing his upper 90s fastball (he touched 100 on one pitch on the scoreboard gun), sharp curve and some effective changeups mixed in. A home run by Jeimer Candelario with two outs in the fifth cut the Sox’ lead to 4-3.
Moments later, Cease struck out Harold Castro to end the inning, and his day, at 101 pitches, 61 for strikes, was complete. Cease’s line: Five innings, four hits, three earned runs, four walks, one hit batter and six strikeouts. Cease got 13 swings and misses from Tigers hitters.
The pitch count was too high for five innings and the walks too many, but as debuts go, the Sox and Cease, the No. 18-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline, will probably take it considering the rough patch of lost fastball-command in the first. A crowd of 26,023 seemed approving, giving the 23-year-old right-hander a rousing ovation as he walked off the field in line for a win.
Cease retired JaCoby Jones on a short fly to center and Christin Stewart on soft one-hopper behind the mound to start his career before walking Nicholas Castellanos and Brandon Dixon and hitting Candelario with a cutting fastball near Candelario’s hand. Castro then singled home two runs to put the Tigers in front 2-0.
Sox catcher James McCann doubled home Jose Abreu (double) against lefty Daniel Norris in the first, and the Sox tied it in the second on Leury Garcia’s RBI double.
The Sox went ahead 4-2 in the fourth on Sanchez’ double into the left-field corner scoring Eloy Jimenez from first. Sanchez then scored on Ryan Cordell’s sacrifice fly.
Sanchez singled home Jon Jay, and Cordell’s safety squeeze bunt scored Jimenez with the Sox’ fifth and sixth runs.
Cease was the third player in major-league history to wear 84, joining Prince Fielder with Texas from 2014-16 and J.T. Snow with Boston in 2006.
