Levine: Abreu's 14 Pitch At-Bat Key To Win

By Bruce Levine--

(CBS) -- The resurgent Jose Abreu had maybe his most memorable at-bat in the White Sox walk-off win against Minnesota Saturday evening. Dayan Viciedo never gets a chance to hit the game winning home run without the Abreu 14-pitch at bat versus closer Glen Perkins.

"It was really having a reference point," Abreu said through translator Lou Hernandez. "I knew how he had pitched me in the past. I knew his approach from the past. I can take everything into consideration including video and his variety of pitches to have the best at bat possible."

The rest is history, as the Abreu at bat led to the Viciedo home run and fifth White Sox victory in the team's last six games. Abreu had hit the wall in his power game, having gone six weeks without two extra base hits in a game before the game one of the double header, where he hit two doubles.

"I went into that at-bat knowing we needed base runners just to get back into the game," Abreu said. "My thought process was to look for the right pitches and try to get myself on base somehow."

Abreu had raised his batting average 25 points over the August and September downturn in home runs and RBI.

"I have tried to stay focused while finishing the season strong," Abreu related. "The goal every day is winning. Whether you are hitting well or not, you try to remember that doing something to help the team win is the goal."

The 27-year-old Cuban finally got to 100 RBI on Saturday after going the entire month without a run batted in. The soon to be named Rookie of the Year in the American League has no goals that stray from his approach this season going into 2015.
"I will work hard and remind myself not to be satisfied with the results this season," he said. "The goal is to help our team go to the postseason. The playoffs are always the goal, my work is just a part of it."

Abreu did tell CBS Chicago one long-term goal he has other than a World Series victory.

"I want to become fluent in English. My greatest dream is to sing the American National Anthem before one of our games. That would make me very proud."