Meet the Sox

Cliff Politte

Cliff Politte entered the 2005 season with a 4.50 career ERA, including a mediocre first season in Chicago.  On top of these issues, he had failed in his stint as a closer in Toronto and had a six-decision losing streak.  

He’d have you believe that he was a completely fungible arm in the bullpen.  In 2005, though, his contributions couldn’t have been replaced.

Politte was one of the big reasons why the Sox jumped out to a huge lead in the first half.  Before the All-Star break, his name was mentioned in some All-Star discussions, which is nearly unheard of for a setup man.  But they had their reasons such as…

• Allowing only 17 hits in 35 innings while striking out 34.
• His ERA was 1.02, his WHIP was 0.74
• He was 6-0, bringing back memories of Barry Jones
• He hadn’t blown one save.
  

Middle relievers do blow saves, even when they’re pitching the eighth with no intention to pitch the ninth.  So basically, Politte won six games without being a vulture for a single one.  

In short, he had one of the greatest runs I can remember a Sox reliever having, and he looked the part.  Cliff had the mid-90s fastball that had a lock on bat handles, and the slider that had just enough of a speed difference to get batters to dive.  

He was also one of the luckier ones, as he nearly allowed twice as many flyballs as grounders yet managed to induce six double plays.  He just came up with some big pitches when he needed to, and that extra pop helped him out of those jams.  

Politte didn’t have that extra pop this year, and he suffered accordingly.  Given his elbow problems, 2005 may be his one season in the sun.  He couldn’t have asked for a better one, with the White Sox winning the World Series, and they wouldn’t have done it without his help.  

He handled his departure with grace, and I’d love to see him bringing that heat again, even with some other team.  He definitely deserves another chance, because we saw what he could do with an opportunity.