The Chicago White Sox and Ken Griffey Jr. are parting ways after the White Sox declined his option for the 2009 season. The White Sox will now have to pay Griffey Jr. two million while the Reds pick up the other two million. The White Sox want to go a little younger in the outfield so they didn’t need to bring back Griffey.

One team rumored to be very interested in Griffey Jr. is the Atlanta Braves. We will have to see if anything happens there.

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Jim Thome stepped up with a long solo home run in the seventh inning to send the Chicago White Sox to the playoffs as they beat the Minnesota Twins 1-0 in their one game playoff. It was a blackout at the cell on Tuesday night and it was a pretty black game as neither team had much offense going.

Thome’s solo shot off of Twins starting pitcher Nick Blackburn was a shot to straight away center field. Thome absolutely hammered the ball and there was no question that it was going over the wall. It was a good thing that Thome went yard because the sox only four other hits in the game.

The Twins only had two hits in the game as White Sox starter John Danks pitched eight awesome innings. Danks allowed the two hits and there was only one scoring threat for the Twins. However Ken Griffey Jr. threw out Michael Cuddyer who attempted to tag up and score in the fifth inning. Cuddyer attempted to knock the ball loose as he plowed over A.J. Pierzynksi however A.J. held on and the White Sox got out of the inning.

Bobby Jenks had no problems in the ninth inning as he recorded the save.

Now the Sox will head down to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays in the ALDS. The series will get under way on Thursday. Let’s see if the Sox can stay hot and upset the Rays who won the East Division.

White Sox Blog

It was an up and down day/night as the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Oriole split the two games they played. The first game they played of a suspended game and the Orioles came out on top by the score of 4-3. It was the White Sox who then came back to win the night cap by the same score of 4-3.

In the night cap, Jim Thome hit a solo home run in the sixth inning for the game winning run. The White Sox also got rbi from Ken Griffey Jr. who had a rbi double in the fourth inning. The other two runs that the Sox scored came on a balk and a error.

Clayton Richard tossed six innings and gave up six hits and three runs to get the win for the Sox. Richard even his record for the season at 2-2 with the victory. Octavio Dotel, Matt Thornton, and Bobby Jenks all tossed one inning of reliefe and all three did a great job. Jenks recorded his 26th save of the season in the game.

The Sox are up a half game on the Twins who are out playing against the Seattle Mariners on the West coast. Let’s all hope for a Twins loss!

White Sox Blog

The Chicago White Sox scored 14 runs in the games first five innings and went onto beat up on the Seattle Mariners by the score of 15-3. The White Sox absolutely dominated the entire series as they sweep the Mariners. On Wednesday the Sox used four home runs to finish up the Mariners and the series.

Ken Griffey Jr, A.J. Pierzynski, Nick Swisher, and Alexei Ramirez all went deep in the game. Pierzynski, Griffey Jr., and Ramirez all finished the game with three rbi each while Swisher and Juan Uribe finished with two. Paul Konerko finished with one rbi as well as he didn’t want to be left out.

Gavin Floyd improved to 13-6 as he picked up the win after tossing six inning and holding the Mariners to three runs on six hits. Floyd struckout seven and walked one batter while giving up one home run. Horacio Ramirez pitched a scoreless seventh inning before Adam Russell pitched the final two scoreless innings.

It was a great series for the White Sox who swept the series just like they needed to. The Sox are one game up on the Minnesota Twins and they will be off until Friday when they take on the Tampa Bay Rays.

White Sox Baseball