The Chicago White Sox may not be as good as last year, but one of their pitchers, Dylan Cease, has taken an incredible step forward.
Cease has been so good that he is a legitimate Cy Young candidate.
He will return to the mound on Thursday, and his numbers in his last 13 games are absolutely insane.
“It’s Dylan Cease Bump Day! His last 13 starts: 8-2 Record, 76 Innings, 47 Hits, 5 Earned Runs, 95 Strikeouts, 0.59 ERA (!!!!!)” MLB Network tweeted.
It's Dylan Cease Bump Day! His last 13 starts:
8-2 Record
76 Innings
47 Hits
5 Earned Runs
95 Strikeouts
0.59 ERA (!!!!!) pic.twitter.com/kSiyFK1cxE— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 11, 2022
Holding a 0.59 ERA for 76 innings is incredibly hard to achieve, even for an All-Star, shutdown closer.
Cease is a starter!
He has to face opposing lineups two or three times each time he takes the mound, and rivals still can’t figure him out.
His fastball is just so fast, and his breaking pitches are so good that opposing hitters can barely touch them.
An Incredible Year For Cease
For the year, Cease is 12-4 in 122.2 innings, with an incredible 1.98 ERA.
It’s hard to think about an American League pitcher who has been as consistently dominating as him.
Only Shane McClanahan, Kevin Gausman, and Justin Verlander appear capable of challenging Cease for the Cy Young award.
The White Sox know that Cease can take the ball every five days and put them in a position to win.
The problem, for them, has been winning on other nights in which he is resting.
They are 56-55, much worse than preseason expectations, and currently out of the playoffs if the season ended today.
They are still relatively close to a playoff berth, though, as they are 2.5 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians.
Cease will try to do everything in his power to get the White Sox into the promised land.
It won’t be easy, though.
NEXT: The White Sox Remain Very Much Alive In The Postseason Race