CHICAGO — He’s thinner. The beard is cropped tighter. Maybe the fastball velocity isn’t what it was a few years ago.
But the compete-level, the athleticism, the pitch-ability – it was all on display Friday night. Daniel Norris was back in the Old English D, No. 44 on his back, doing what he’s always felt he was meant to do, be a big league starting pitcher.
Norris, who signed back with the Tigers on a minor league deal late in July after being released by the Cubs and, pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings in his first game back.
Unfortunately for Norris and the Tigers, Chicago starter Michael Kopech upstaged him throwing six no-hit innings and the White Sox went on to win the opener of a three-game set 2-0 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Kopech struck out 11 in his six innings. As has been the Tigers' theme most of the year, he bullied them with fastballs. He threw 56 four-seam fastballs with an average velocity of 96 mph. The Tigers swung at 28, whiffed on 17 and took 11 for called strikes.
They only put two in play. The two baserunners, Akil Baddoo and Miguel Cabrera, reached on walks.
But White Sox manager Tony La Russa made the very unpopular decision to pull Kopech after six innings. Kopech didn’t pitch in 2020 and threw just 69 innings last season. He’s already over 100 innings this year with eight weeks left in the regular season.
And the most pitches he’s thrown in a game is 100. He was at 85.
Still, the decision sat poorly with the South Side faithful, who booed and chanted, “Fire Tony,” especially after Javier Baez greeted new pitcher Reynaldo Lopez with a ringing single to right-center to start the seventh.
The White Sox broke the scoreless tie in the seventh against reliever Alex Lange. After one-out singles by Yoan Moncada and Josh Harrison, and a two-out walk to AJ Pollock, Andrew Vaughn dropped a single in front of a diving right-fielder Willi Castro, scoring the two runs.
The Tigers managed three hits, two by Baez, and were shut out for the MLB-leading 16th time. After striking out 39 times in the three-game series against the Guardians, they fanned 14 times Friday.
Norris had made just two starts since 2019, when he made 29 starts for Ron Gardenhire’s Tigers. He made 38 relief appearances for the Tigers and 18 for the Brewers last season and made one spot start in 27 games with the Cubs.
But in his heart, he’s always been a starting pitcher. And he unleashed his full repertoire Friday. He was throwing his four-seamer (89-92 mph) up in the zone and his two-seamer down. With his much-improved slider and change-up, he was working the east and west quadrants.
He allowed four hits and two walks, but he induced six ground-ball outs including two double-plays.
And did we mention the athleticism?
In the fourth, Eloy Jimenez topped one down the third-base line. Norris bolted off the mound, scooped it up in front of third baseman Jeimer Candelario and in the same motion spun and threw to first base.
Jimenez beat it out, but it was an incredible play.
That inning ended with Norris snaring a liner hit right back at his head by Moncada, saving a run.
Norris will get at least one more start, tentatively set for Wednesday at Cleveland.
