CHICAGO (AP) — Sean Burke pitched six sparkling innings and Will Venable got his first win as a big league manager Thursday, directing the Chicago White Sox to an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on opening day. Andrew Benintendi, Lenyn Sosa and Austin Slater homered as Chicago began what it hopes will be a more promising season than a year ago, when it went 41-121 to break the post-1900 major league record for losses.
Venable, 42, stepped into a challenging rebuilding project when he was hired in October. The former big league outfielder was an associate manager for Texas the past two years. Yusei Kikuchi (0-1) pitched six innings of three-run ball in his Los Angeles debut. The Japanese left-hander signed a $63 million, three-year contract with the Angels in free agency. Los Angeles lost on opening day for the 11th time in the last 12 years, including four in a row.
Burke (1-0) allowed three hits, struck out three and walked none. Penn Murfee, Jordan Leasure and Mike Clevinger combined for three scoreless innings before Logan O’Hoppe homered for the Angels against Cam Booser in the ninth. After Ryan Johnson was hit hard in his big league debut for the Angels, infielder Nicky Lopez got the final out of the eighth in his first game with Los Angeles.
With Chicago leading 3-0 in the eighth, Clevinger replaced Leasure with runners at the corners and two outs. The right-hander walked Mike Trout before striking out Jorge Soler, ending the inning. Kikuchi is one of a major league-record three Japanese-born pitchers who started on opening day this year, joining Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers and Shota Imanaga of the Cubs.
Burke became just the seventh pitcher in the last 100 years to start on opening day with fewer than 20 career innings pitched in the majors. The right-hander showed the poise of a veteran when Thursday’s game at Rate Field could have gotten away from the White Sox early. Burke worked out of danger in the first and second innings and then settled into a groove as the Sox opened the 2025 season with an 8-1 victory in front of 31,403 fans.
“It was awesome,” Burke said. “That’s definitely the most fun I’ve ever had pitching in front of these fans at home. Not too much nerves but just a little amped up to start the game. Just making sure I’m making quality pitches. The defense played really good behind me, they were making plays the entire time I was out there, so when they’re in a rhythm like that it makes my job a lot easier.”
Burke allowed three hits and struck out three in six scoreless innings to aid the Sox in Will Venable’s first game as manager. “Will’s our guy,” Burke said. “We love Will. To get the first one out of the way in the first game and just the joy on his face, I think everyone in the locker room was super happy with a lot of emotion.”
Burke, 25, made his fourth career start and fifth overall appearance Thursday. In the process, he joined the Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela (17 2/3) in 1981, St. Louis’ Tom Poholsky (14 2/3) in 1951, Pittsburgh’s Preacher Roe (2 2/3) in 1944, Brooklyn’s Hal Gregg (18 2/3) in 1944, Philadelphia’s Eddie Smith (19) in 1937 and Philadelphia’s Carroll Yerkes (9 2/3) in 1929 as pitchers in the last 100 years to start on opening day with fewer than 20 career innings pitched.
Burke’s 19 career innings entering the day were the fewest for a Sox opening-day starter, eclipsing the previous mark of 61 by Patsy Flaherty in 1903. Garrett Crochet had 73 before his start in 2024. Burke had to navigate through some tough early stretches. The Angels had runners on the corners with one out in the first when Burke struck out Jorge Soler swinging on a 3-2 slider. Burke then struck out former Sox shortstop Tim Anderson — who received an extended ovation before the at-bat in his return to Rate Field — looking with a 2-2 inside fastball.
“Obviously in two-strike counts I’m going to try to put him away but I’m not starting the at-bat with ‘I’ve got to strike this guy out’ when it’s 0-0,” Burke said. “That situation I’m just trying to get them to put the ball on the ground, that was the main thing. Just making quality pitches in the zone, getting ahead of guys.”
The Angels placed runners on the corners with two outs in the second. Taylor Ward bounced out to shortstop Jacob Amaya. The Sox broke through with three runs in the second with a blast and a bloop. Slater, an offseason free-agent addition, led off the inning with a home run to left in his first at-bat with the Sox. “Not a better way to start the season than that,” Slater said.
Lee and Amaya singled with one out. They moved up a base on a groundout and scored when Miguel Vargas blooped a double just out of the reach of diving center fielder Jo Adell. Meanwhile, Burke was locked in. He retired the final 14 batters he faced. Reliever Penn Murfee struck out the side in the seventh.
The Angels had two on with two outs in the eighth when Mike Clevinger entered to face Mike Trout with the Sox still ahead 3-0. Clevinger walked Trout in a nine-pitch battle, loading the bases for Soler. The count went full before Clevinger struck out Soler swinging to end the inning. “When that guy is healthy, a special pitcher,” Lee said of Clevinger.
Insurance in the form of a three-run home run from Andrew Benintendi came in the eighth. Lenyn Sosa added a two-run blast later in the inning. Logan O’Hoppe’s solo home run with two outs in the top of the ninth off Cam Booser accounted for the Angels’ run. With the victory, the Sox are over .500 for the first time since winning the 2023 season opener in Houston.
“This is a new season and a clean slate, and we’re excited to get off to a good start,” Venable said. “These guys put in a lot of work in the offseason and obviously in spring training. And so for that to end in a win to start the season means a lot for us.”
Before the game, the Sox officially selected the contracts of Clevinger, outfielder Travis Jankowski and infielder Nick Maton. They also placed infielders Bryan Ramos (right elbow strain) and Josh Rojas (right toe fracture) and outfielder Mike Tauchman (right hamstring strain) on the 10-day injured list, placed pitcher Tyler Gilbert (left knee bursitis) on the 15-day IL and pitcher Drew Thorpe (Tommy John surgery) on the 60-day IL. Pitcher Jake Eder and outfielder Dominic Fletcher were designated for assignment.
