Davis Martin sees his success as nothing more than the result of everything else that’s happening around him.
Just to be clear, though, he sure is doing his part.
Martin pitched two-hit ball over six sparkling innings, and the White Sox beat the Twins 6-2 on Thursday afternoon.
Martin gave Chicago another terrific start a day after David Sandlin dominated in a 15-2 romp.
“It’s a fun team,” Martin said. “I think you talk about our offense bangs, we play great defense, it leads to these types of things. I don’t think it’s anything that I’m doing different, it’s a byproduct of a team doing a lot of good stuff together. It’s a good team to be a part of, it’s a fun team and it’s exciting every start date waking up knowing that you’ve got a chance to win.”
Martin is emerging as a star in his fourth season, and the White Sox are winning at a rate they haven’t in years.
After three straight seasons with 101 losses or more, Chicago is 29-27. The White Sox improved to 15-10 in May with their 12th win in 16 games and secured their first winning month since May 2023.
Martin (8-1) set a career high in wins. The right-hander gave up one run while lowering his ERA to 2.00 through 11 starts. He is 4-0 with a 1.21 ERA in five outings at Rate Field.
It’s a big improvement for a pitcher who debuted in 2022 and started the following season in the minors before having Tommy John surgery. He went 0-5 in 11 appearances in 2024 and won seven games last year.
“It’s incredible to watch,” center fielder Tristan Peters said. “I feel like it makes my job easy out there. Especially seeing it from center field, too, just the way his ball moves. No wonder people are struggling to hit it.”
The only Twins player to get a hit off Martin on Thursday was Tristan Gray. He singled in the third and doubled in the fifth.
Martin also made a slick play in the fourth when he barehanded Kody Clemens’ chopper toward the shortstop side and, off his back foot, fired to first to get the runner.
“I realized it was hit a lot softer than I expected, so I kind of had a play at it,” he said. “Knew that I had to barehand it, it was barehand or nothing, found it, glove tap and go.”
The Sox’ Colson Montgomery singled in a run in the first. Randal Grichuk chased Twins fill-in starter Simeon Woods-Richardson with a three-run double to cap a four-run third, making it 5-0 and sending the White Sox to their 13th win in their past 16 home games.
Munetaka Murakami added an RBI double in the fourth. The slugger finished 1 for 2.
The Twins turned to Woods-Richardson (0-7) because rookie left-hander Kendry Rojas was a late scratch due to elbow soreness. The White Sox revised their lineup with the righty starting and tagged him for five runs in 2 2/3 innings, sending his ERA soaring to 7.74 through 10 starts and 12 outings.
Chicago grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when Miguel Vargas walked with two out, stole second and came around on Montgomery’s single.
The White Sox broke it open with four in the third.
They had the bases loaded with two out when Tristan Peters drove in a run with an infield single. Grichuk then lined a double to right, making it 5-0, and that was more than enough for Martin.
“It’s been great stuff,” manager Will Venable said. “He pops those 98s and you’re not really surprised by it. But it’s cool to see that he’s got that in the tank and getting to a good fastball along with the good offspeed stuff and getting it all for strikes makes him very effective.”