CLEVELAND — The visitors’ clubhouse at Progressive Field wasn’t filled with despair after the White Sox’ loss Saturday night.
There certainly was sadness after the team lost its third consecutive game and let the Guardians off the hook after they had dropped the first two in the American League Division Series. But there were lots of hugs and handshakes and enough smiles to belie the feeling.
‘‘More to come,’’ an optimistic Davis Martin was overheard saying.
Sean Burke took an undeserved loss in Game 5, allowing the only runs on a two-run home run by Jose Ramirez, who hit a pitch that was almost in the dirt. That didn’t stop Burke from going person to person in the clubhouse, thanking, consoling and congratulating teammates, whichever fit the moment.
‘‘These are my brothers,’’ Burke said. ‘‘I’ve played on a lot of teams in my life. This is definitely my favorite team I’ve ever played on.’’
Miguel Vargas, who led the Sox by far with a 1.129 OPS in the series, felt the same way, making the end of the season harder to swallow.
‘‘We just love each other so much in this clubhouse,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s not going to be the same next year, for sure.’’
Indeed, it won’t. It never is. Though much of the Sox’ young core figures to return, there are few guarantees. Some highly respected veterans, such as Erick Fedde and Randal Grichuk, probably won’t be back, and some highly rated prospects, such as Caleb Bonemer and Roch Cholowsky, could join the team. It might be great, but it won’t be this.
‘‘It was a pretty unique group,’’ Grant Taylor said. ‘‘The contributions we had to the clubhouse, even from guys that weren’t on the field, like [injured] Mike Vasil, everyday guys, just having a good time. We were friends, which is not what you get out of a clubhouse a lot of times.’’
‘‘This is so different than last year for us,’’ said Chase Meidroth, referring to the third of three consecutive seasons with more than 100 losses. ‘‘This is a family; this is a brotherhood. We wanted to win for each other. I didn’t love baseball like this last year.’’
That was evident in the clubhouse after the game. Though the Sox struck out 21 times, setting the MLB record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game — postseason or regular season — there was some positivity and a feeling of ‘‘We showed you’’ amid some teary eyes and raw emotions.
‘‘We proved we’re a good team,’’ Burke said. ‘‘We believed throughout the season when people were doubting us and said this wasn’t sustainable or this was a fluke. More importantly, we proved to ourselves that we can do this.’’
‘‘Starting from last year in the second half, we all believed that we could be a winning playoff team,’’ Colson Montgomery said. ‘‘And we carried that mentality into this year.’’
‘‘We stuck together,’’ Vargas said. ‘‘The vibes in the clubhouse, everything was so awesome, sharing the time with the guys this year. We created a brotherhood here that is going to be forever. It’s a tough one, but it’s just the beginning for us.’’
Those who expect to be back expect to be better.
‘‘I’m still swinging at the high-velocity pitches and breaking balls down, and the chase is there,’’ Munetaka Murakami said through a translator. ‘‘So I’ve got to be better in all the mechanics and all the aspects of baseball.’’
‘‘Get better next year; we’ll be ready,’’ Meidroth said. ‘‘Being here [was a] good experience for next year, coming to camp and knowing what you need to do to get where we’re at today.’’
‘‘Obviously, not the result we hoped for in this series, but this core will be together for a little bit,’’ Burke said. ‘‘As sad as it is now that the season’s over, there’s so many bright spots to look forward to and such a good future to look forward to for the White Sox.’’
Sox fans have heard that before, and it has led to anything but. Team history is littered with one-offs. In 126 seasons, the Sox have made consecutive postseason appearances once, in 2020-21, and the first season was shortened by the pandemic.
It sounds as though these Sox expect to make it two.
‘‘We’ll be back next year,’’ Meidroth said, ‘‘and this group will keep getting stronger.’’
‘‘We know we probably should’ve got the job done,’’ Montgomery said, ‘‘but you’ve got to take away what we did this year. There’s a lot to be proud of.’’