White Sox's Sean Burke Drops Legendary Quote Ahead of MLB Wild Card Game 2 Start vs. Astros

Sean Burke led the Chicago White Sox in innings pitched this season and will take the ball Wednesday with a chance to close out the Houston Astros in Game 2 of their Wild Card Series.

And it's all he's focused on.

"This is my life," he told James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I don't have family, no girl, no kids. This is all I do."

He did it well this season, posting a 3.34 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 172.1 innings. It was quite an improvement from the 2025 campaign when he finished with a 4.22 ERA and 1.44 WHIP for a White Sox club that finished in last place in the American League Central.

Chicago went from three straight seasons with more than 100 losses to the playoffs in 2026 in no small part because of Burke's reliability. Now he will be tasked with starting his first postseason game and has a golden opportunity to help his team advance to the Division Series.

After all, the momentum is on the White Sox's side after Tuesday's 6-3 victory.

White Sox vs. Astros (09/29/2026)

01:59

They threw five different pitchers with Hagen Smith serving as the opener and going three innings. From there, Jordan Hicks, Sean Newcomb, David Sandlin and Grant Taylor went the rest of the way.

Houston took a similar strategy and ended up pitching eight different arms with nobody going longer than three innings.

If Burke pitches as the White Sox hope in Game 2, it will have a much more traditional feel with fewer bullpen arms taking the mound and a starter going deep into the game.

It would likely also mean the end of the series after just two contests.