(670 The Score) In 2021, White Sox reliever Kendall Graveman was a part of the Astros team that sent his current teammates home. Houston defeated Chicago, 3-1, in the best-of-five American League Division Series and advanced to the World Series before losing to Atlanta last season.
While he was only with the Astros for a few short months after a midseason trade from the Mariners, Graveman saw a mindset from his Houston teammates that he believes helped elevate them to another level. And it’s a focus and trait that Graveman is now trying to instill with the White Sox.
“I learned one of the reasons why they’re good is because they talk baseball all the time,” Graveman said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Wednesday afternoon. “After a win or a loss, they’re always communicating about the game that was previously played. After a game, they’re always communicating on the plane, in the hotel. They’re talking about the next day’s starter amongst their hitters. And that’s why it’s one of the best lineups. And like I said, that’s what I’m trying to create over here with our pitching staff. That culture goes a long way. Those guys live and breathe and they just wanted to play ball, and they wanted to win.
“We (the White Sox) had Paul Konerko come talk to us in spring training, which was an honor to listen to him. But he even brought up in his (speech), when two teams are equally talented, a lot of times it comes down to how well the other team has prepared. And so those moments come up and you have a better understanding of what might be going on in the baseball game. And I think that the reason Houston has been in the World Series three out of the last five years is because of that reason right there. Yes, they’re talented. Yes, they have good baseball players. But they have a different knowledge of the game most of the time when I was there … I didn’t realize that playing against them, but being in the locker room, I started to understand.
“That’s when you have dominant teams – when you get that culture created.”
Graveman signed a three-year, $24-million deal with the White Sox in November. He has been a key member of their bullpen, posting a 1.46 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 11 appearances while emerging as the main setup man for star closer Liam Hendriks.
The White Sox are off to a 10-13 start and visit the Cubs on Wednesday evening. The game can be heard on 670 The Score, with pregame starting at 6:05 p.m.