Steve Webb
Game 82, 6/27/2024: Dodgers 4, White Sox 0
CHICAGO, IL — You just got “Stoned”! In a dominant display of pitching, righthander Gavin Stone completely shut down hitters on Wednesday night, twirling the first complete game of his career. It was a masterful performance as the Los Angeles Dodgers shut out the Chicago White Sox 4-0 at Guaranteed Rate Field. Needing just 103, pitches, Stone not only preserved the heavily taxed bullpen, he announced to all who had any doubt that he is in this rotation to stay. Just wow.
Before Stone even toed the rubber, this game was essentially over. In the top of the first Shohei Ohtani hit ANOTHER lead off home run. Which means he drove hin ANOTHER run. Which means he is now alone in the Dodger record book, having driven in a run in ten straight games. It’s not quite “Mookie Who?” yet, but it’s getting there. Dave Roberts will have an “interesting” conversation with these two guys once Betts returns to the lineup, for sure. Ohtani’s solo shot to right-center field came on a 3-2 cutter from Sox starter Erick Fedde, giving the Dodgers an immediate 1-0 lead and setting the tone for the rest of the game.
The bottom of the first saw Dodgers’ pitcher Gavin Stone strike out Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr., with Tommy Pham lining out to center fielder Andy Pages. Stone’s dominance continued throughout the game, as he effectively neutralized the White Sox’s lineup.
After the two teams traded zeros in the second, the the third inning saw the Dodgers break the game open with a series of well-placed hits and smart baserunning. Kike Hernández led off the inning with a single, followed by Austin Barnes’ single. Shohei Ohtani then walked, loading the bases with no outs. Teoscar Hernández hit a sacrifice fly to right fielder Gavin Sheets, scoring Kike and advancing Barnes to third. With the score at 2-0, Freddie Freeman stepped up and delivered a clutch two-run double, scoring both Barnes and Ohtani, and extending the Dodgers’ lead to 4-0.
That was it for the scoring in the game. The story for the rest of the night was the performance of Stone. The White Sox threatened in the bottom of the second when Gavin Sheets doubled sharply to center fielder Andy Pages with one out. Sheets advanced to third on a groundout by Paul DeJong, but Korey Lee’s flyout ended the inning without a run.The bottom of the fourth was equally uneventful for the White Sox, with Andrew Benintendi striking out, Luis Robert Jr. lining out sharply to shortstop Miguel Rojas, and Gavin Sheets flying out to left fielder Teoscar Hernández.
The fifth inning saw the Dodgers’ hitters go down in order as Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández, and Freddie Freeman couldn’t add to the lead. In the bottom half, Paul DeJong singled to center, but Andrew Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning, leaving DeJong stranded.
And so it went for the rest of the night. Throughout the game, Gavin Stone, held the White Sox scoreless, filling up the zone and getting strike after strike with his lethal mix of fastball and changeup. The White Sox hitters struggled to mount any significant offensive threats, with Stone’s dominant performance at the forefront. It was very nearly a “Maddux,” referring to former Dodger Greg Maddux‘s uncanny ability to pitch a complete game in under 100 pitches. On this night it took Stone 103, but it was every bit as impressive as one of the Professor’s starts back in the day. Stone’s final line for the night: 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. About as good as it gets.
With this victory, Stone becomes the first Dodger rookie to throw a complete game shutout since 2013. I dunno, that seems, um, pretty good, wouldn’t you say? The Dodgers have an off night on Thursday, no doubt to have presidential debate watching parties, but they’re back in action on Friday as they roll into San Francisco for a three-game weekend series with the rival Giants. Looks like it’s going to be a Landon Knack day on Friday, and then Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton to finish off the month. Friday’s game has a 7:15 first pitch, and then it’ll be a Fox game on Saturday, followed by an afternoon game on Sunday.
