While Tristan Peters will ultimately be remembered as the hero of the Chicago White Sox’s 2-1 victory over the New York Mets, his walk-off homer would not have been possible without Erick Fedde’s performance on the mound.
Walk-offs and wild come-from-behind victories have almost become routine on the South Side this season. Peters’ ninth-inning homer off Kodai Senga marked the White Sox’s 11th walk-off win of the season and fifth walk-off home run. He is also one of eight players to deliver a walk-off hit for Chicago, but one of just three repeat offenders, following his game-winning single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the home opener.
It was another example of the White Sox continuing to battle through a sluggish start. In fact, Peters’ walk-off homer marked the second time in three days Chicago had beaten the Mets with a game-ending blast, after Jake Rogers delivered the same heroics Friday night.
The difference Sunday was that, instead of a barrage of home runs, it was the pitching that carried the South Siders across the finish line. The White Sox didn’t score their first run until the eighth inning, when an Andrew Benintendi double brought Miguel Vargas all the way around from first.
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That lead, however, quickly evaporated when Grant Taylor threw just 12 of his 29 pitches for strikes, walking two batters and surrendering the tying run to blow the save. While Taylor was ultimately credited with the win after a rare rough outing, it was Fedde who carried the bulk of the heavy lifting for the pitching staff.
Fedde entered in the third inning and promptly delivered four scoreless frames, striking out two while allowing just four baserunners on three hits and a walk. His stability out of the bullpen was especially important in a game where the White Sox only recorded five hits and were struggling to get anything going offensively.
While the 33-year-old right-hander has flown somewhat under the radar this season, his contributions to the White Sox pitching staff have been invaluable.
Fedde ranks fourth among White Sox pitchers with 118.1 innings this season, despite making just 12 starts across his 28 appearances. While his overall numbers may not jump off the page, he has embraced every role the White Sox have asked him to fill with the same professionalism.
He entered the year as the club’s expected fifth starter, but that plan quickly shifted to having him piggyback off an opener before he was ultimately removed from the rotation and moved to the bullpen full time.
Since making that transition, Fedde has been asked to eat innings as a long reliever, pitch in extra-inning games, and essentially serve as a de facto starter when the White Sox turn to an opener, a strategy they have relied on more heavily since Davis Martin landed on the IL. His contributions have been especially valuable as the White Sox have weathered a grueling stretch that has placed a heavy workload on the bullpen.
But Fedde hasn’t just been a workhorse; he has been remarkably effective as of late. Over his last 15 appearances, he owns a 3.60 ERA across 55 innings, including a current scoreless streak spanning 8.2 innings over his last two outings.
It’s even more impressive considering Fedde does not have an overpowering arsenal. He doesn’t generate many strikeouts or ground balls, and opponents have generally made hard contact against him. But the veteran right-hander has used his experience to his advantage, finding ways to navigate traffic and limit damage when hitters reach base.
Instead of relying heavily on his fastball, Fedde has increasingly turned to his sweeper, the highest-graded pitch in his five-pitch arsenal, throwing it 37% of the time. While opponents are hitting .263 against him overall this season, that average drops to .211 against his sweeper.
In his last two outings against the Cubs and Mets, Fedde has looked especially locked in, attacking every pitch as if the outcome of a playoff game depended on it. In many ways, he is pitching for his MLB career.
The reality is that there may not be a robust market for a 33-year-old pitcher carrying a 4.18 ERA who doesn’t overpower hitters or dominate in any one particular area. But what Fedde has proven in this recent stretch is that he is a gamer, willing to take on any role the White Sox have asked of him.
Will Venable also deserves credit for how he has deployed Fedde. By using him as a long reliever out of the bullpen, Venable has been able to shield Fedde from the top of opposing lineups while limiting him to shorter outings, helping prevent hitters from seeing him a third time through the order.
Will Venable also deserves credit for how he has deployed Fedde. By using him as a long reliever out of the bullpen, he has been able to shield Fedde from the top of the lineup and use him in smaller doses to prevent the opposing lineups from turning over for the third time.
Fedde may not be the biggest name in the White Sox pitching staff, but with the multiple relievers being pushed to fill multiple roles and the postseason drawing closer, his ability to take on whatever role Venable needs could prove invaluable down the stretch.
