2021 Chicago White Sox season
The 2021 Chicago White Sox season was the club's 122nd season in Chicago and 121st in the American League, and their first under new manager Tony La Russa since 1986. The White Sox played their home games at Guaranteed Rate Field. On September 23, after a win against the Cleveland Indians, the White Sox clinched the American League Central division for the first time since the 2008 season and became the first Major League team of the 2021 season to clinch their division. They finished the regular season with 93 wins, the third most  in the American League and their most wins as a franchise since the 2005 season. By winning the American League Central, it secured the team their first back-to-back postseason appearance in franchise history after having clinched a wild card berth in the previous season. They lost to the Houston Astros in the 2021 American League Division Series. Regular season. City Connect Jerseys. On May 28, the White Sox unveiled the City Connect Jerseys. They wore the jerseys for the first time on June 5 against the Detroit Tigers. The Jerseys are black with white stripes and the hat  logo has a "CHI" instead of the "SOX" logo. The jerseys pay homage to the South Side of Chicago. White Sox team leaders. Game log. On November 23, MLB announced that the White Sox would face the New York Yankees in the first MLB at Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa on August 12. This game was originally scheduled for August 13, 2020. The White Sox won the game 9-8 on a walk-off two run home run by Tim Anderson. Awards and Honors. Yermín Mercedes was named the AL Player of the Week on April 5 after  going 9-for-14 with a .643 batting average, a 1.643 OPS, 1 home run, and 6 RBIs. Mercedes was then named the Rookie of the Month in the month of April for the number of games played. Liam Hendriks was named the AL Reliever of the Month in the month of May after not allowing an earned run in 11 2/3 innings pitched for the White Sox while striking out 19 batters and recording eight saves in eight opportunities. Hendriks later earned AL Reliever of the Month honors again for September/October after going 8-for-8 in save opportunities while  only allowing six hits, no walks, and striking out 21 batters in 13 2/3 innings. For his efforts, Hendriks won the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award for the second year in a row while becoming the second White Sox player to win reliever of the year and the first since Bobby Thigpen in 1990. José Abreu was named the AL Player of the Month in August. Abreu batted .330/.382/.661 hitting 10 Home Runs and 25 RBI's with an OPS of 1.043. Despite not having a great season stat-wise, Dallas Keuchel won his 5th Fielding Bible  Award for the pitcher position and passed former White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle for most Fielding Bible Awards won by a pitcher since the Award was first handed out in 2006. Keuchel also won his 5th Gold Glove Award. Keuchel had a career-high 12 defensive runs saved, most by a pitcher since Buehrle had 12 in 2012.