Robert: 'Every time we take the field, we feel invincible' originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
When "GoldenEye" came out in 1995, Luis Robert was not alive, nor would he be for another two years.
So who knows if he's ever heard of Boris Grishenko.
But Robert and these White Sox share a key trait with the minor James Bond villain: a feeling of invincibility.
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"Even though we started the season a little slow, since the moment we started the season, we felt like we feel right now. We're filled with confidence," Robert said Tuesday night. "Of course, once the results start going your way, you feel that confidence enhance.
"But with the lineup that we have right now — everybody can hit a homer, everybody can run, everybody can steal a base — I would say yes. I will say that I think that every time we take the field, we feel invincible."
Now, know that Robert was asked directly if the White Sox feel invincible at the moment. He didn't pull that one out unsolicited. But given the ridiculously high level of confidence these talented young South Siders have been showing for years, it's no surprise that invincibility is within the realm of possibility.
And indeed, the White Sox are playing like an unstoppable force right now. They've got the American League's best record, a 22-5 mark in their last 27 games and three-game lead in the AL Central standings after Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. The White Sox have a chance to clinch the franchise's first playoff berth in more than a decade on Wednesday.
After a tense, playoff-style win over the Twins on Monday, Game 2 of this huge four-game set was far less playoff-y, if only because the White Sox didn't have much trouble with the visitors from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Rookie starting pitcher Dane Dunning limited them to two runs and three hits in seven sterling innings. The White Sox manufactured a trio of runs in the third inning to break a 1-all tie, then made it look easy with solo homers from Tim Anderson and James McCann later on.
For Robert's part, he drove in two of those three third-inning runs with a single through a drawn-in infield. And he swiped a pair of bases, none more memorable than his steal of third, which ended with an, um, unorthodox slide.
But, hey, the only things that hurt after that were Eloy Jiménez's sides. From laughter.
So maybe Robert's onto something with the whole invincibility thing.
The White Sox are steaming toward October, with the best offense in the AL and seemingly as good a chance to win the pennant as any team. You don't need to be invincible to win a championship, just better than 29 other teams.
But is it too much to ask for both?
"Something that's so fun about this lineup is you just try to get it to the next guy," McCann said. "There's never a moment where you're in the box and you're like, 'I have to get this done.' There's a guy behind you that can get it done.
"The term 'hitting is contagious,' that's part of what it means. You're not trying to do too much because you know the guy behind you has got your bat. That's something that's so fun.
"You look up and down our lineup and there's no breaks."
Of course, Bond fans will know that shortly after declaring himself invincible, Grishenko was proven very much the opposite. But Bond villainy is rarely set up for long-term success the way these White Sox are. Even if invincibility doesn't equal a championship in 2020, this team is very much here for years to come.
Once Robert learns to stop sliding with his face, the White Sox might truly be unstoppable.
