The White Sox pitcher on the mound in the ninth inning Friday night had Yankees second baseman Brendan Ryan grinning between pitches.
Well, he was smiling -- until he struck out on an 85 mph fastball. Then Ryan flipped his bat to the side as Sox designated hitter Adam LaRoche left the mound with a mischievous smile on his face.
With Sox pitchers having thrown 207 pitches heading into the ninth inning of a 13-6 loss to the Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field, Sox manager Robin Ventura opted to save his bullpen more work by using the 35-year-old veteran slugger instead.