CHICAGO -- It took Chase Meidroth six pitches on Opening Day to leave a 417-foot imprint upon the 2026 White Sox season.
A high-intensity follow-up delivered by John Schriffen, the television play-by-play voice of the South Siders on Chicago Sports Network (CHSN), arrived immediately thereafter.
“It goes 3-2. This one is drilled to left field. Bauers looking up. Let’s go!” Schriffen bellowed on the broadcast after the startling leadoff homer from Meidroth against Jacob Misiorowski. “That is how you start 2026. Chase Meidroth with a bomb.”
Schriffen’s home-run call represented the reaction in the moment of White Sox fans from Milwaukee to Chicago, high-fiving and boisterous. Schriffen’s high-energy excitement has been embraced by supporters of the team in his third season on the job. There are others who don’t go all-in for that broadcasting style.
• Schriffen draws on childhood experience as MLB's sole Black TV play-by-play announcer
Almost no announcer, in any sport, gets a 100 percent approval rating -- but don’t look for Schriffen to change. Not when the 2026 White Sox enter the season with optimism and confidence, regardless of their 1-3 start. And not when Schriffen feels a “night and day” positive difference from Year 1 to Year 3 in his comfort level.
“Everyone is allowed to have their opinion,” Schriffen told MLB.com during an interview in Milwaukee. “I think because the first year I was trying to get people to like me so badly, I got to the point where I know what I do, I know what I can bring to the table and I’m excited with what’s happening within the organization.
“You focus on those things. There’s always going to be critics and people won’t be happy with whatever it is. That’s what is great about sports: We are allowed to have an opinion. It’s focusing on what I can control and not worrying about the outside stuff.”
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Steve Stone, who has been one of the best analysts in the business for over five decades, enters his 19th season as a White Sox broadcaster. Gordon Beckham, who is working during the Marlins series, and Dan Plesac also lend their expertise, as will Brooke Fletcher and Connor McKnight via their strong pregame, in-game and postgame roles. There’s a talented village putting together nightly efforts on White Sox broadcasts. Schriffen also has reached out to fellow accomplished broadcasters such as Jason Benetti, who he replaced in the White Sox booth.
“I’ve talked to Jason. I’m thrilled for him to be the voice of Sunday Night Baseball. He’s earned it,” Schriffen said. “He’s one of the best voices in the game and he’s a great guy.
“He’s helped me with just my process and understanding that even a guy at his level, he’s constantly tweaking the way he goes about his business and the way he changes how he prepares for games. That helped keep me grounded in understanding that if a guy that level is continuing to change things, I can continue to tweak things every year as well.”
Year 3 for Schriffen marks the final year of his current contract. But the affable announcer, who also broadcasts college basketball for ESPN and handles UFC events, isn’t worried about the future.
“That’s where you get in trouble,” Schriffen said. “Even talking to baseball players, if you try to get ahead of what’s in front of you, where your feet are right now, you lose sight of what’s going on. That’s the beauty of where we are.
“I get to come to the ballpark every day. Whatever happens in the future, that’s going to happen. All I can control is being prepared, bringing the energy and having a great relationship with everybody around me. And with that, keep going.”
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Keep going with a familiar level of excitement for a team and fan base he truly cares about. “No, that’s me, right?” Schriffen said. “And you can see, there was a difference in both home run calls [Thursday]. Meidroth’s home run was ‘Oh my goodness, let’s start this season with a bang. I’m excited.’ The [Munetaka Murakami] home run call [in the ninth], was ‘Wow, look at the power this guy brings but we are down. Let’s hope we can continue this with a positive taken from this game.’ “I’m just ready for Year 3. The first two years were getting my process down, the rhythm of Major League Baseball, the White Sox, understanding this incredible city. Now, I have that process down and it’s building a better foundation with Stoney. Building a better foundation with Brooke and Connor and other guys I’ll be sharing the booth with. Getting involved with the fans more. “Whenever you can feel more comfortable, you can now start branching out into other things,” Schriffen added. “That’s what I’m looking forward to most this season.” |
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It was later in Saturday night’s game when LaMond Pope, my friend and another expert writer on the White Sox beat, encouraged me to stop looking at my phone. He smiled and pointed to the field, where William Contreras was hitting.
Good advice, indeed.
In Contreras’ previous at-bat, he almost took me out with a foul ball. We were seated in the second row of the American Family Field pressbox, straight up from home plate, and when Contreras made contact, I joked how that ball was coming in my direction but not near me.
Little did I know. … I moved at the last second, showing I still have some sort of reflexes at 60, the ball missed me and put a sizable dent in the wall. Contreras owns five or six of those dents, so beware when he’s hitting.
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• Kansas City had a beautiful tribute to Terrance Gore, and the Royals honored his family prior to Monday’s home opener. Beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. • A hearty Mazel Tov to the University of Michigan men’s basketball team on making the Final Four and to the men’s hockey team making the Frozen Four, not to mention the vast success of the women’s basketball team. As I’ve said previously, they might as well all win national titles. • Updated Thursday forecast in Chicago for the White Sox home opener: 61 degrees with a chance of rain. |
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“I don't know yet, I haven't decided. Take it on the road for now.” -- Tristan Peters, on the future destination of the ball from his first career hit |
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