Will Venable guides White Sox to swift turnaround

When the St. Louis Cardinals selected Saturday, Sept. 12 for the team’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, it was no coincidence that the Chicago White Sox would be in town.

These White Sox had lost more than 100 games in each of the previous three seasons, including the most losses (121) in MLB history in 2024.

What better way to almost ensure a victory before a large Busch Stadium crowd there to honor a pair of Cardinal heroes?

But the White Sox arrive in St. Louis on Friday, Sept. 11 in first place in the American League Central Division.

The swift return to playoff contention has been guided by Will Venable, one of just two Black managers in MLB. Dave Roberts of the L.A. Dodgers is the other.

Without much fanfare, Venable was named manager during the winter of 2024 and followed up last year’s 102-loss season with a first-place run that has now lasted for more than two months.

Before opening a three-game homestand against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, the White Sox held a 2½-game lead over the hard-charging Cleveland Guardians. Their 75-68 record would also qualify for a wild-card berth.

Can the young White Sox hold up under the pressure of the pennant race?

“There’s no shying away from the position we are in,” Venable recently told MLB.com.

“I understand the questions and these are the things that we are going to be talking about. I’m so proud of our group and happy to be in the position that we are talking about. 

“We also have to figure out how for it not to be a distraction. There is an objective and it is to win tonight, and that’s all there is. It’s going to be up to me and the leadership in our group, in our player group, to find a way to be focused.”

Venable is not a stranger to pennant races and postseason success.

He was a bench coach for the Boston Red Sox during the 2021-22 seasons, before becoming Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy’s associate manager.

Bochy used the word “invaluable” to describe Venable during the team’s 2023 World Series title campaign, which included a drama-filled regular season.

After starring in baseball and basketball at Princeton, Venable played nine years in the majors. He batted .249 with 81 homers and 135 stolen bases, mostly for the San Diego Padres.

He was hired by the Chicago Cubs in 2017 as a special assistant to team president Theo Epstein, then served as first base coach and third base coach. The road to Chicago then went through Boston and Texas, and now Venable is a leading candidate for AL Manager of the Year.

“Will has been fantastic. He’s been a great partner to me. He’s been a great teammate to the coaching staff and the players,” Chris Getz, White Sox general manager, said last Saturday.

“[We] definitely want him to be part of what we continue to build right now.”

Hopefully, that means an extension of his three-year deal is coming soon.

The Cardinals are clinging to hope they can shockingly secure a National League wild-card slot so the weekend series with the White Sox should be thrilling.

The White Sox then head to Cleveland for a showdown that could determine the favorite to win the AL Central.

My guess is Venable has his guys ready for the biggest week of the season for fans of the South Siders — which include me.

The Reid Roundup

The Arizona Cardinals visit the L.A. Chargers on Sunday, Sept. 13, and there is still just a 50/50 chance that Jeremiyah Love returns for the season opener after suffering a high ankle sprain…Luther Burden, Chicago Bears wide receiver, returned to practice last week after suffering a groin injury during a training camp practice. No word on whether he is 100%… Jameson Williams, a Detroit Lions wide receiver who last year had career highs with 1,117 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns, is being touted among the NFL players most likely to blast off during the 2026 season… L.A. Rams running back Kyren Williams and the team left Tuesday night on a 16-hour flight to Australia for Thursday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. I doubt Williams and the Rams play well.

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