For the first time since March 30, 2023, the White Sox have a winning record. The South Siders opened the new season with a commanding 8-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels in front of a lively crowd of 31,000.
While the team is not projected to win many games coming off a record-breaking 41-win season, the energy felt different.
“It’s a new team. A new manager,” starting catcher Korey Lee told MLB.com after finishing the day 1-for-3. “Fans were unbelievable today. It felt like a new year. Flip the page. IT’s the 2025 Sox, and now we are ready to rock.”
With the 2025 season officially underway, here are some of the biggest takeaways from Opening Day.
Sean Burke Makes The Most Of His Opportunity
When 25-year-old right-hander Sean Burkewas named the team’s Opening Day starter, the news came as a bit of a surprise to some. Burke only had three career starts under his belt before taking the ball to start the season.
After overcoming some early jitters, Burke settled in and cruised through six innings, retiring the final 14 hitters he faced. However, the Angels put the pressure on him early, putting runners on the corners in each of the first two innings.
Burke escaped the first inning jam by striking out Jorge Soler and Tim Anderson to end the firs,t then wiggled out of the second inning by getting Taylor Ward to ground out to short.
The club’s 13th-ranked prospect showed excellent command throughout the afternoon, allowing no runs on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks.
“A lot of poise. He’s under control at all times,” White Sox manager Will Venable told reporters. “He likes those moments where he has to find another gear to get him through that stuff. And he’s got the stuff to do it. Just really fun to watch him go to work and fight through some adversity there.”
Offseason Additions Make An Early Impact
When the White Sox signed Austin Slater this offseason, Slater told the media that the team had said he was one of their top targets.
One of the things that drew the White Sox to Slater was his high walk rate and splits against left-handed pitching. Slater wasted no time endearing him self to the South Side by launching a 392-foot homer off of Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi for the team’s first homer of the season.
Benintendi Picks Up Where He Left Off
There were rumors that the White Sox were trying to trade Andrew Benintendi this offseason. However, entering the third year of his $75 million contract after posting a .686 OPS in his first two seasons in Chicago made finding a trade partner difficult.
Benintendi was beginning to show signs of life at the plate at the end of the 2024 season, hitting .263 with 13 homers after the All-Star break. But after fracturing his hand during Spring Training, there were concerns that he would miss the start of the season.
Despite the setback, Venable had the former All-Star batting third as the team’s designated hitter on Opening Day. After a pair of early strikeouts, Bentendi connected for a two-run homer in the eighth inning to help put the game out of reach.
It’s an encouraging sign for a White Sox team that is hoping he can boost his trade value before the deadline.
Sosa and Vargas Reward White Sox Faith
The White Sox faced intense competition for roster spots this spring, with every infield position up for grabs—except for Andrew Vaughn’s hold on first base. Lenyn Sosa and Miguel Vargas played a pivotal role in shaping the 26-man roster for Opening Day.
Both Sosa and Vargas are out of minor league options, meaning they would have to be removed from the 40-man roster and placed on waivers if they didn’t make the team.
The White Sox did not want to risk losing Vargas after trading away a valuable asset in Michael Kopech to acquire him. Vargas, who added 20 pounds of muscle over the offseason, opened the year as the team’s leadoff hitter. He made his presence felt, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
The White Sox already have a 163-game sample size of Sosa, who entered the year with a career .229 batting average and a -1.7 WAR over the past three seasons. However, he showed promising signs last year, making hard contact with an expected .278 batting average, ranking in MLB’s 89th percentile. Over his final 62 games, he hit six home runs while batting .278.
Sosa also helped his case by having a solid showing playing shortstop in the Venezuelan Winter League. In 113 plate appearances, the 25-year-old slashed .392/.451/.765 with nine homers and 26 runs batted in.
It looks like those results have carried over into the 2025 season. Sosa went just 1-for-4 but his one hit was a towering two-run homer to left center field in the eighth inning. But the box score didn’t tell the whole story.
Sosa’s first three at-bats included a 104 mph line drive to shortstop, a 106.4 mph flyout to center field, and an 85 mph grounder to third base. Sosa is just 25 years old an looks like he is starting to find a rhythm at the plate. It will be interesting to monitor his development as the season progresses.
A Shakey Bullpen Prevails
The White Sox bullpen entered the season with plenty of question marks. The unit, which finished the season with the third-worst ERA in baseball, saw plenty of changes this offseason.
Will Venable handed the game to the bullpen in the seventh inning with the White Sox clinging to a three-run lead. Penn Murphy set the tone by striking out Tim Anderson in a six-pitch battle, then fanned Luis Rengifo and Logan O’Hoppe before passing the baton to Jordan Leasure in the eighth.
Leasure ran into a bit of trouble after retiring the first batter he faced when Yoan Moncada was tapped to pinch hit for Kevin Newman. Moncada drew a six-pitch walk and then advanced to third on a Nolan Schuanel single. With runners on the corners and two outs, Venable lifted Leasure from the game in favor of Mike Clevinger.
The former White Sox starter was making his first appearance out of the bullpen since 2022. Greeting him when he entered the game was three-time league MVP Mike Trout. Clevinger and Trout engaged in a fierce nine pitch battle that ended in a walk to load the bases for Jorge Soler.
With the game in the balance, Clevinger blew a 94 mph fastball past Soler on a full count to escape the jam.
Cam Booser entered the game in the ninth inning but fell just one out shy of finishing off the complete game when he served up a homer to Logan O’Hoppe. However, Booser responded nicely in his White Sox debut by striking off Kyren Paris for the final out of the game.
