Grady Sizemore noticed that his first game as interim manager for the Chicago White Sox on Friday was “way more intense” than his major-league debut as a player on July 21, 2004.
“When you’re playing, you’re just worrying about yourself,” Sizemore said before Saturday’s City Series finale against the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field. “But last night, you’re trying to worry about everybody. You’re trying to think a couple innings ahead. So it was a lot more stressful.
“I feel like I was a lot more passionate last night than I probably ever was as a player. I just got caught up in the moment and caught up with the crowd and the way the guys were playing. It felt like a playoff game. I was screaming a bunch. And I was probably more into it than I should have been, but I was just going with the emotions.”
Sizemore’s first game in the new role capped a week that will stand out in Sox history. The stretch included tying an American League record, ending a lengthy losing streak and changing the manager and some of the coaching staff.
“I don’t think this is in the blueprint plans before the year,” catcher Korey Lee told the Tribune on Saturday. “You get thrown some stuff and it’s about how you react to it and how you go forward.”
The Sox lost their 21st straight game Monday, falling 5-1 to the Oakland Athletics and tying the AL record for consecutive losses held by the 1988 Baltimore Orioles.
The Sox snapped the slide Tuesday by beating the A’s 5-1, putting to rest whether they would catch the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies’ major-league mark of 23 straight losses.
“The biggest thing that I think everyone in the clubhouse took (from it) was you can’t take a win for granted,” first baseman/right fielder Gavin Sheets said Friday. “A major-league win is extremely difficult at any time. We certainly won’t be taking wins for granted anymore.
“We stayed together as a clubhouse. It sucks for anybody to go through that. I’d be lying if I sat here and said everyone was having fun. No. The streak, it was a miserable time. But we stayed together as a clubhouse, supported each other through it and obviously ended it. Now we’re looking forward to the future.”
The Sox likely played their final game in Oakland on Wednesday, losing 3-2. The A’s plan to play in Sacramento next season.
It also turned out to be Pedro Grifol’s final game as manager. The Sox fired Grifol on Thursday along with bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third-base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar.
Photos: Cubs beat White Sox 7-6 in Round 2 of City Series at Guaranteed Rate Field
“You never want to see that for anybody,” left fielder Andrew Benintendi said Friday. “I’ve known Pedro now for four years, along with some of those other guys. Obviously you don’t want to see anybody (go through) that because, in the end, we’re the players on the field and we were hoping to play better for him.
“But it’s part of the game, I guess. You wish them nothing but the best moving forward.”
Sizemore, who made three consecutive All-Star teams from 2006-08 as a Cleveland outfielder, moved from major-league coach to the interim manager position.
“Shagging (batting practice) and stuff, I’ve had a lot of time to talk to him,” starting pitcher Garrett Crochet said Friday. “Everybody in this clubhouse has a ton of respect for him, as we did for Pedro. It’s tough to see (Grifol) go, but at the same time we’ve got to keep playing ball. And Grady’s our manager, so we’re just going to play hard for him.
“Everybody’s got a ton of respect for him. The guy knows the game better than anybody in this clubhouse. With him at the helm, we feel like we’re in a really good position.”
Sizemore’s first game came in front of an energetic sellout crowd Friday.
“The fans are incredible, Chicago fans are die-hard,” Lee said. “It was one of my first experiences to get to see what they bring, and it makes you want to play that way every day and it makes us want to bring a playoff team here.”
The Sox fell short of completing a comeback, losing 7-6. Sizemore took plenty away from the evening.
“There’s a lot to learn from,” he said. “You kind of go over that game and look at every angle, moves you did make, moves you didn’t make. Try not to second-guess anything and try to learn from it. You watch it, you learn from it and you apply it to the next day.”
Sizemore is embracing all that comes with the title, including the spotlight.
“I want to represent this organization and (Chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) and the fans and do my best to give them the kind of baseball they deserve,” Sizemore said. “I really want to put on a good show for them and bring the energy every night.
“I’m not great in front of a camera. I don’t always say the right thing. But I’m trying to embrace the role and be a good spokesman and a good leader for this team, this franchise and this city.”
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