White Sox legend returns to Chicago

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- There’s a special feeling Jose Contreras gets whenever his airplane lands at O’Hare International Airport or Midway Airport. It’s a feeling reserved for Chicago in the mind of the one-time rotation stalwart for the White Sox organization.

“I finally feel like I’m coming back home,” Contreras told me during a Tuesday interview at Guaranteed Rate Field with the help of interpreter Kimmy Marroquin. “Chicago is home.

“I’ve lived in Atlanta. I’ve lived in Miami. Any time I land there, I don’t feel the same feeling as when I touch down here in Chicago. I feel this is where I belong, and this is my forever home.”

Contreras returned to Chicago this week to serve as an analyst with Héctor Lozano for Spanish-language audio on NBC Sports Chicago+ during Game 2 of Tuesday’s doubleheader with the Phillies. He had never done broadcast work, but talking baseball is the sweet spot for the eternally upbeat big man.

Here was the real question I had for Contreras, who looks about 15 years younger than his true age of 51. With the White Sox bullpen getting extensive usage through the first 19 games of the 2023 campaign, could he still give the team a few innings?

My inquiry produced a Contreras story about pitching four innings in a recent game at Cooperstown, where Ozzie Smith was his manager, and how he was hitting 91 mph on a handful of fastballs.

“I’m ready to pitch any time,” said Contreras with a broad smile. “I’ll put on the uniform. They would need to remove the pitch clock because I still need a little more time.”

The biggest claim to fame for Contreras was his 15-7 record and 3.61 ERA for the 2005 World Series champions on the South Side of Chicago. He started Game 1 in the Division Series against the Red Sox, in the Championship Series against the Angels and in the World Series against Houston for a team that finished11-1 in the postseason after winning 99 regular-season contests.

An All-Star appearance in ’06 followed up that performance. All this success came after Contreras struggled mightily for the Yankees in ’04 and continued struggling after the White Sox acquired him in a trade. But the White Sox knew what they had in the right-hander.

“Any team would have traded me for two sacks of oranges because I was not doing well,” Contreras said. “But [White Sox manager] Ozzie [Guillén] said, ‘No, I’m sticking with you because you are going to give me what I need.’

“That’s why the ’05 team means so much to me. They believed in me. The manager believed and so did the rest of the team.”

So did the fans. In fact, 18 years later, when Contreras comes to Chicago for even a few days, those fans recognize him immediately. Some thank Contreras for being part of the championship. Some try on his World Series ring, thanks to Contreras’ largesse.

It’s of little wonder Contreras considers Chicago home and the White Sox as family. Contreras is devoted to his own family and is soon to welcome his fourth grandchild. But in a few years, when his son, Joseph, is in college, he’ll be ready for a bigger role within his baseball passion.

“I will live and die on the baseball field,” Contreras said. “I will do anything and everything I can for this sport. I have spoken with [White Sox executive vice president] Kenny Williams about other opportunities I have with this organization, but I want to take the time and focus on my family while everyone is together at home.

“When I come here, I feel like I’m really in my community. The people love me here.”