Indians fall to White Sox; Guillen gets 600th win
10/3/2010CHICAGO — Paul Konerko had two hits in what could be his final game with the White Sox, manager Ozzie Guillen got his 600th win and Chicago closed out a winning yet disappointing season with a 6-5 victory Sunday over the Cleveland Indians.
Alexei Ramirez homered in the first inning and capped a three-run second with an RBI double. Juan Pierre had three hits and drove in three runs, and Edwin Jackson (4-2) got his first win in more than a month.
Chris Sale worked two innings for his fourth save in as many chances, despite giving up a two-run homer to Drew Sutton with two outs in the ninth.
The White Sox ended the season on a 9-2 run and wound up with 88 wins while finishing second in the AL Central after so many twists and turns. Between the slow start, the 25-5 run into the All-Star break and a late fade that knocked them out of the playoff race, this would have been a wild year even without all the drama surrounding Guillen and general manager Ken Williams.
They have apparently worked out their differences at least for now, and Guillen will be back next season, something that was not a given a week ago.
Whether Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski will return is another issue. Both have expiring contracts, and could be nearing the end of a run that included a championship in 2005.
They were showered with cheers during pregame introductions, when they stepped to the plate, and when they were lifted.
Pierzynski, who was 0 for 2, came out just before the start of the fourth inning. Fans roared as he walked off the field, and there were hugs and high-fives from teammates and coaches in the dugout.
Konerko got similar treatment when he got lifted with one out in the seventh, the crowd chanting “Paulie! Paulie!” as he walked off the field.
By then, he had singled twice, leaving him with a .312 average. He finished one of his best seasons with 39 homers and 111 RBIs.
For the Indians, it was a fitting end after they won just 69 games in their first season under manager Manny Acta.