The White Sox’ Robbie Grossman hits a sacrifice fly against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 5. Grossman also collected his 200th career double in the game.
Joe Puetz/Getty Images
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — White Sox outfielder Robbie Grossman kept the ball. Another one for his collection.
Grossman, 34 and a veteran of seven teams, saved the souvenir after notching the 200th double of his career in a win Sunday against the Cardinals. Surviving this many seasons in the majors comes with increasingly satisfying milestones along the journey.
Each of them is meaningful.
‘‘One hundred percent,’’ Grossman told the Sun-Times before the Sox’ 5-1 loss to the Rays Tuesday at Tropicana Field. ‘‘As a young player, you just hope you can wear this uniform as long as you can. And when you do reach some of these milestones, you sit back and say, ‘Wow.’ I’m just fortunate and blessed to have played as long as I have and to have had some success with that.’’
Last season, Grossman played a worthwhile role on the Rangers team that defeated Sox outfield sidekick Tommy Pham’s Diamondbacks squad in the World Series. The Rangers didn’t sign Grossman for 2024, nor did the Diamondbacks sign Pham, leaving both in free-agent limbo through the entire offseason.
Now both players – who were rested by manager Pedro Grifol Tuesday — are keeping their careers going with a struggling Sox team that fell to 8-28. The Sox lost for the fifth time in seven games and face getting swept in the series Wednesday by the Rays (19-18), who were swept by the Sox April 26-28.
Michael Soroka (0-4) gave up four runs (three earned), allowing four walks and three hits, including Randy Arozarena’s homer on a nine-pitch at-bat putting the Sox in a 4-0 hole in the third.
Paul DeJong homered against Zach Eflin (2-4, 3.75 ERA) in the seventh. Eflin retired Gavin Sheets on a 3-0 pitch with two on for the third out in the fifth and in the seventh with the bases full to end the inning.
“It’s a matter of us getting the big hit when we need it,” said Grifol, overseeing the worst 36-game start in franchise history.
Grossman waited all winter for a team, and he signed a minor-league deal with the Sox on March 22. His contract was selected on April 4.
‘‘Body feels good, feel great physically, so just fortunate I’m still here,’’ Grossman said. ‘‘I’m glad I have a job. I’m happy to put on a major-league uniform and play.’’
A career .243/.346/.377 hitter, Grossman is batting .211/.329/.377 with a team-high 13 walks in 85 plate appearances. Grifol has used him as a leadoff man 13 times since April 7.
‘‘His [veteran] presence — when he talks, everybody listens,” Sox first-base and outfielders coach Jason Bourgeois said. “He’s always looking for an edge, looking for the margins.’’
Grossman has an assortment of keepsakes, including trophies, baseballs, autographs and signed bats from players such as Tigers great Miguel Cabrera, a former teammate.
He is 10 home runs shy of 100 and 86 hits away from 1,000, and his 440-game errorless streak is the longest in major-league history for a position player. The streak ended when he misplayed a pop fly by Luis Robert Jr. against the Sox on June 13, 2022, at Guaranteed Rate Field.
‘‘It got to a point where people kept asking me about it, and I said: ‘It’s got to end, I’m tired of hearing about it,’ ’’ he said.
A Rawlings glove he used during the streak is in his collection.
The next big achievement for Grossman will be the coveted 10 years of major-league service time. Grossman is close.
‘‘I’ll get my 10 in June,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s something that feels so unachievable. But when you get this close, you sit back and appreciate.’’