(670 The Score) For much of the four hours and nine minutes of winner-take-all baseball played in Oakland on Thursday afternoon, White Sox manager Rick Renteria leaned forward with his hands over his knees.
Renteria's mind churned as he made the moves -- and there were many, many moves -- that he believed best positioned the White Sox to win the decisive Game 3 of their wild-card series and advance to the American League Divisional Series. Then, he watched with that anxious pose in the visiting dugout as his best-laid plans fell apart.
The White Sox lost 6-4 to the Athletics, ending their breakout year in heartbreaking fashion and leaving questions for -- and about -- Renteria.
It started in the bottom of the first inning, with Renteria pulling rookie right-hander Dane Dunning from his start after just four batters. The White Sox then went all hands on deck, turning to their bullpen.
Renteria gave the ball to rookie left-hander Garrett Crochet, the No. 11 overall pick in the MLB amateur draft in June. Crochet took the mound in a playoff game Thursday before he ever pitched in the minor leagues. Renteria's plan was for Crochet bridge the gap into the fourth inning.
But Crochet exited with one out in the second inning because of left forearm tightness. That injury left the White Sox with significant concerns for the long-term future of a prized pitching prospect and also began digging "quite a bit" of a deep hole in their pitching plan for Game 3.
"You're trying to keep the ballgame there so that we can try to tack on multiple runs," Renteria said. "We're trying to minimize the damage on their side and give us room to see if our offense can put up a huge number on the board.
"All we tried to do was use our best guys moving forward, and I think all our guys are our best guys. But we have to keep the game there."
The White Sox tied a playoff record by using nine pitchers Thursday. After Crochet's injury, they burned key reliever Aaron Bummer, who worked into the third inning. Rookie Codi Heuer relieved him to get out of a jam, and the White Sox led 3-0 entering the fourth inning. But it soon unraveled.
Heuer allowed a two-run home run to Sean Murphy in the bottom of the fourth, which pulled the A's within 3-2 and caused Renteria to make another change. With the White Sox clinging to a one-run lead, he called on Carlos Rodon, who only recently returned from a shoulder injury. Rodon didn't retire a batter, instead allowing two walks and a hit.
The second walk issued by Rodon was intentional, as Renteria decided to give Chad Pinder a free pass to load the bases. That marked the third batter whom Rodon faced, reaching the minimum and allowing Renteria to call on rookie right-hander Matt Foster. That move backfired as well. Wit no margin for error, Foster walked in a pair of runs to give Oakland a 4-3 lead.
With the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth, Renteria called on the reliable Evan Marshall, who had a 2.38 ERA in 23 appearances in the regular season. He eventually gave up the game-deciding two-run single to Pinder after a pair of walks and a catcher's interference call.
"We handled the bullpen as good as we could possibly handle it," Renteria said.
"When we bring these guys in, we don't do it expecting they're going to fail."
Marshall, Jimmy Cordero and Alex Colome kept the A's without a run in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, but the White Sox couldn't climb back. The A's scored all six of their runs with two outs. Meanwhile, the White Sox were 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 runners on base.
Renteria was leading a team in the playoffs for the first time in his five seasons as a big league manager. The White Sox promoted Renteria from bench coach to this role in October 2016, citing his reputation for player development and communication. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn has defended Renteria's work often, even as his in-game decisions have come into question through the years.
After the White Sox went 35-25 in the regular season, Renteria is a strong candidate to win AL Manager of the Year in 2020. He's also a man under fire in Chicago -- especially after this final loss of the year. At the least, he seems to have the support of the players.
"I think he's the right guy," shortstop Tim Anderson said.
After three tough years of rebuilding, the White Sox emerged this season, with their young core of talent meshing with a veteran cast to earn the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2008.
The White Sox rebuilt their organization with the hopes of winning well beyond 2020, and they believe this marked the beginning of sustained success. But that belief didn't make the sudden ending sting any less.
Renteria returned to his office near the visiting clubhouse in Oakland and began thinking about next season -- and the hopes of another chance in the playoffs.
"You want to be a part of it as often as you possibly can," Renteria said.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.