From the Locker Room: James McCann

Whether with his play-calling or hitting, the catcher was a White Sox hero on Thursday

CHICAGO — James McCann played an integral part in Lucas Giolito's victory today, as they've worked closely together in the past, and you could even see the careful concentration Giolito exerted as he looked for McCann's signs.

"He knows me so well," Giolito said postgame. "He can kind of pick apart in the middle of an inning what pitch we need to know to throw, or what pitch we need to get back on track. Throwing to Mac is a good thing for me, for sure."

Case in point: McCann, knowing Giolito was at his pitch limit in the seventh and sensing the Tigs would be drooling for meaty fastballs, McCann called nine straight changeups — yes, nine — to get Detroit to swing out of their stirrups.

After the inning, McCann recalled that Giolito asked, "How many changeups are you going to me make me throw in a row?"

"I'm going to make them hit it before we change," McCann told Giolito.

To be fair, after the game, McCann admitted he'd never been so bold as to noncuple-up on changeups before.

"No, today, that's the first time," McCann smiled. "My exact thought process was that they knew [Giolito] was at his pitch count. They were up there thinking fastball, and I was going to make them prove they could hit something different."

McCann helped his battery-mate out today at the dish as well, with two hits in four at-bats, including a single in the first inning that scored a run to help put the White Sox up, 3-0. He then singled in the third inning off Alexander, and was driven in by a Danny Mendick double, pushing the score to 4-0. 

Video courtesy of the Chicago White Sox.