White Sox have a surprising pitcher emerging
Anthony Kay is giving the White Sox something they weren’t supposed to have in April – a starter who can miss bats and hold a lead. And it’s not Noah or Hagen. On Thursday at Kaufmann, Kay went 5.
2 shutout innings in a 2-0 win – 3 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, and a 100-pitch grind that still ended with zeros. That outing pushed his early line to 14 2/3 innings, 2. 45 ERA, 1.
16 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts. MORE: MLB insider Buster Olney ranks the top 5 free agent signings ever The Fastball Is Playing Up Mar 29, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Anthony Kay (18) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Let’s start with the cheese.
Sox Machine clocked Kay’s heater at 96. 3 mph on average with a 98. 4 mph top end, and Kay admitted the obvious: “Yeah, you have a little bit more confidence when it’s 97, 98, compared to 93, 94.
” That velocity plays because it’s not just straight gas—Statcast has his 2026 four-seamer at 95. 8 mph with 15. 1 inches of induced vertical break and 7.