Monday night's 2-0 victory by the Chicago White Sox over the New York Yankees is an example of why baseball is such a weird, wonderful game. Granted, Monday's outcome was not wonderful for the Yankees, but the unexpected nature of the way things happened adds to what makes the game great to watch.
Who would have expected former New York Met Philip Humber, a 28-year-old journeyman with a 3-3 career record over parts of six seasons to no-hit the Yankees for 6.1 innings?
Who would have expected A.J. Burnett of the Yankees to pitch his best game of the season, eight innings of three-hit, one-run baseball that lowered his ERA by nearly a run, and lose the game?
Who would have expected to see the White Sox, losers of 10 of 11, come into Yankee Stadium and defeat the American League East-leading Yankees?
Crazy stuff. It happens in baseball, though, and that is what makes it a crazy, unpredictable game.
The only run the White Sox were able to get against Burnett came in the fourth, as Chicago snapped a 23-inning scoring drought. Carlos Quentin opened the fourth with a sinking line drive to center field that Curtis Granderson dove for and missed, allowing the ball to roll behind him for a double. A pair of groundouts brought the run home, with Adam Dunn collecting the RBI by chopping a ball to shortstop.
Humber, incidentally, was drafted by the Yankees in the 29th round of the 2001 draft but did not sign. He was chosen again by the Mets in 2004.