TAMPA -- The White Sox clubhouse was closed to the media when the group of six reporters arrived following the South Siders’ 8-3 thumping of the Rays on Monday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Their celebratory noise after a season-high fourth straight victory, although not quite as loud as other wins, still made its way to the hallway without need of an invitation.
This postgame party has become commonplace for the White Sox after every victory. They were fewer and far between during the season’s first half, when Chicago went into the All-Star break at 32-65. It’s been nothing but good times since Friday in Pittsburgh.
But here’s the first rule of this White Sox postgame victory extravaganza: The White Sox don’t really talk about the postgame victory extravaganza.
“It’s private,” said a smiling Andrew Benintendi, who went 1-for-4 with two runs scored against the Rays.
“We have a lot of fun after wins, which you should. It’s a big league game,” added left fielder Brooks Baldwin. “So every game you can win is big.”
When asked if he could provide more specific information about the boisterous clubhouse victory routine, Baldwin smiled and went silent.
“Not exactly, no,” Baldwin said with a laugh. “It’s a lot of fun between our guys.”
Let’s go back to a focus on the game for some concrete information. Baldwin put the White Sox on the board in the second with a two-out, three-run homer off Shane Baz, connecting on the first pitch of the at-bat. Luis Robert Jr. added a two-run single during a three-run third, also coming on the first pitch.
Over the first four innings, the White Sox had seven at-bats that lasted just one pitch in their adjusted aggressive approach. It was more specifically tailored toward Baz, who they knew would be attacking early in the count.
“Pitching is so good now; you have to be ready to go from pitch one,” Benintendi said. “There have been games where I had four at-bats and saw five pitches, or something like that -- five total. So, it’s like if the first one is there ...
"The whole pitch count thing is kind of out the window. It used to be to get [the starter’s] pitch count up and get to the bullpen. Now, it’s like do we want to get to the bullpen with these guys being so nasty? Be aggressive early in the zone.”
Miguel Vargas added a two-run homer in the fifth as the culmination of a seven-pitch at-bat against Baz -- so not every trip to the plate was the same. The White Sox have scored 35 runs since the All-Star break, leading to four now-traditional clubhouse eruptions.
A little information was gleaned from Monday’s search and discovery. The celebration started the second or third week of the season, basically centering on a player of the game. The previous player of the game will select the player for the next game, looking for whoever stood out or helped the most to win.
When asked if manager Will Venable was part of the party -- usually lasting 5 or 6 minutes -- the code of silence once again was enacted.
“Um, I don’t want to talk too much about it,” said White Sox reliever Dan Altavilla with a smile. “It’s a lot of fun. Brings the guys together. It’s been great.”
“We do some fun things,” Benintendi said. “Enjoy it for about an hour, [then] you turn the page.”
Enjoy it, they have. Over the past four days, especially.
Even if this win streak gets into double-digits or the rebuild eventually gets to a place where the White Sox are consistently winning 85-90 games per year, their commitment to raucous enjoyment won’t change.
“Every single time, it’s great. Everybody is into it. It’s not like, 'We've got to do this.' It brings a lot of excitement to the clubhouse,” Altavilla said. “It’s something we look forward to whenever we win. It brings the guys together. It just gives us more excitement to go out and try to produce a win on the field so we can have some fun.”
This 4-0 run is the best second-half start for the White Sox since going 5-0 in 2005 when they went on to win the World Series. It’s worth noting. It’s worth enjoying.
“Winning's a lot of fun,” said shortstop Chase Meidroth, who had a career-high four hits, including a career-high three doubles. “So, you know, chalk it up and do it all again."
“They should be celebrated,” Venable said. “It's just a really nice moment for them to come together, and be a unit. Wins are going to be celebrated here."