Chicago White Sox Use Innovative Pitching Strategy in Playoffs

Cleveland fans of a certain generation grew up with a clear understanding of baseball pitching staff roles. The top pitchers were starters tasked with managing most of the game, while the best reliever closed out the final inning. Setup men, usually a left-hander and a right-hander, bridged the gap between starter and closer. Meanwhile, the least effective pitcher served as the mop-up man, sparing better relievers from overuse.

Traditionally, this structure guided teams through the regular season. Once in the playoffs, managers expected the top three or four starters to pitch deeper into games. However, baseball’s strategies have shifted over time. For instance, the Boston Red Sox pulled ace Sonny Gray in a wild-card game early, prompting frustration.

The 2026 Chicago White Sox represent this changing approach with their “no-rotation” rotation. Manager Will Venable announced that left-handed reliever Hagen Smith would start Game 1 against the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Division Series. This comes after Smith successfully opened the wild-card victory in Houston, leading a league-high 32 opening appearances for the Sox this season.

Venable indicated that Sean Burke might start Game 2, following his four-inning stint in the Astros series, with starters Anthony Kay and Erick Fedde available in relief. Beyond Burke, Venable’s choices remain fluid.

“I think the way it’s set up with these off days, we’re going to leverage the arms that we want to leverage when we want to use them,” he explained. “…expect us to mix and match and use our best arms in the most optimal way.”

This strategy contrasts sharply with approaches like Ozzie Guillén’s 2005 postseason run, where starters pitched the majority of innings. In today’s team, Smith and Grant Taylor often bookend games, with Jordan Hicks, David Sandlin, and Sean Newcomb handling middle innings. Kay, Fedde, and Davis Martin play unpredictable roles.

Once, the 2005 White Sox used a traditional strategy to capture the World Series with dominant starting pitching. Players like José Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, and Jon Garland had a combined ERA of 2.84 across 12 starts, helping secure an 11-1 record. During one standout game, Buehrle pitched after being called upon in the 14th inning, securing a win against the Astros.

Though managers no longer expect starters to pitch full games often, Buehrle’s performance remains iconic. In the World Series, advance scout Bryan Little contributed a report that guided both Contreras and Buehrle to seven-inning wins and ensured a bullpen victory in extra innings.

Venable’s bullpen-first strategy reflects the team’s season-long approach. General Manager Chris Getz recognized early that their starting rotation lacked dominance. For example, opening-day starter Shane Smith was demoted after three starts. Throughout the season, Martin, Burke, Kay, and Fedde carried the rotation with mixed usage. Taylor emerged as a closer option capable of handling three innings if necessary, while Domínguez led the team with 12 saves before his midseason trade.

Though bullpen strategies and openers—pioneered over the past decade—aren’t new, the 2026 Sox have expanded upon this concept. Cubs’ Craig Counsell also employed openers in recent postseason games, but perhaps no team has been as experimental as this year’s Sox.

“We weren’t trying to re-create the wheel,” Getz shared, emphasizing, “We were trying to optimize the group that we had.”

Despite skepticism and critique of this approach, including from Guillén, the team’s success without a traditional rotation could lead to lasting admiration from fans. Geoff Blum noted the occasional free drinks as a Sox legend, suggesting that success can maintain goodwill.

While the ’05 Sox and the ‘85 Bears hold legendary status, Blum thinks their World Series win still brings notable recognition. This unconventional success story underlines adaptation in baseball strategy.