White Sox Pitcher Gets Six-Figure Payday in Regular Season Finale

In the grand scheme of things, Sunday’s game between the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies was rather meaningless.

The White Sox had already clinched a postseason berth. The Rockies had already surpassed 100 losses, and the Cleveland Guardians had already clinched the AL Central title, locking the White Sox into the No. 6 seed.

The game was largely a formality, with players getting an opportunity to pad their stats and finish the regular season strong. The biggest thing the White Sox gained as a team was momentum. Sunday’s win put them at 84-78 and gave them three consecutive series victories to close out the year.

The hope is that the White Sox carry that confidence and momentum into Tuesday’s Wild Card Series opener against the Houston Astros.

But for one White Sox pitcher, the regular season finale was significant for a completely different reason. Left-hander Sean Newcomb earned a six-figure payday Sunday afternoon, thanks to a very intentional effort by White Sox manager Will Venable.

Newcomb signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the White Sox in the offseason. He originally hoped to land a spot in Chicago’s starting rotation.

The White Sox gave him an opportunity in spring training, but as the competition played out, the need for a long reliever became more pressing after Mike Vasil went down with a season-ending elbow injury. Chicago decided Newcomb would be best served in the bullpen.

For much of the season, Newcomb was the MVP of Chicago’s pitching staff. He was Venable’s Swiss Army knife, pitching in high-leverage spots, serving as an opener and eating innings as a multi-inning reliever when the rest of the bullpen was taxed.

And the more he pitched, the more money he made. Newcomb’s contract included a $100,000 incentive when he reached 60 innings pitched, with another $100,000 for every 10 innings beyond that.

Newcomb entered Sunday with 89.2 innings pitched on the season. Given how valuable he is and Chicago’s need for fresh arms during the upcoming Wild Card Series, it would have been easy for the White Sox to rest him and use their low-leverage relievers to close out a game that had no bearing on the standings.

But before Venable turned things over to right-hander Trevor Richards, Newcomb entered the game, threw 17 pitches, faced three batters and recorded two outs. That got him to 90.1 innings on the season and earned him an extra $100,000.

It’s small things like this, putting the players first, that create a good culture for an organization and a manager. Venable did a nice job of getting his guy paid without compromising his bullpen for the postseason.

While it was a meaningless game for most, it was a large payday for Sean Newcomb. And it set an example for other players of why the White Sox are an appealing landing spot in free agency.