Thanks to a walk-off home run from Leury Garcia and yet another Cleveland loss to the Brewers, the White Sox saw their magic number drop to 9 this afternoon.
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By The Numbers – 39
In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees. By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues. Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.
Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #39. 77 different players have donned #39 while playing in Chicago, 31 for the White Sox and 46 for the Cubs.
First acquired in 1989, Roberto Hernandez, donning #39, made his major league debut on September 2, 1991, getting the start and going 7 innings for the victory in the White Sox win over the Royals. He appeared in 9 games in the final month of the season, making the only 3 starts of his career, and finished the year with a 7.80 ERA. In 1992, Hernandez split the year between Triple A and Chicago, eventually supplanting Bobby Thigpen as the team’s primary closer. He finished the year with 12 saves and a sparkling 1.65 ERA. Hernandez had another great year in 1993, saving 38 games in 70 appearances with a 2.29 ERA as the White Sox won their final AL West title. During the ALCS against the Blue Jays, Hernandez threw 4 scoreless innings in 4 appearances, earning 1 save.
In the strike-shortened 1994 season, Hernandez struggled. His ERA jumped to 4.91 and he saved only 14 games before the season ended on August 12, despite leading the league in games finished. When baseball returned in 1995, Hernandez bounced back somewhat, once again leading the league in games finished and lowering his ERA by nearly a full run to 3.92. 1996 was a true return to form for Hernandez. He led the league in games finished for the third straight year and lowered his ERA by 2 full runs to 1.91. He earned his first All Star selection and, with 38 saves, finished 6th in Cy Young Award voting. Hernandez was well on his way to another strong season in 1997, with 27 saves and a 2.44 ERA, when he was included in the infamous White Flag trade on July 31, joining Wilson Alzarez and Danny Darwin in going to the Giants for the collection of Brian Manning, Lorenzo Barcelo, Mike Caruso, Keith Foulke, Bob Howry, and Ken Vining.
On the other side of town, Andrew Chafin wore #39 for the 11 months he was a member of the Cubs. Acquired on August 31, the trade deadline of the shortened 2020 season, Chafin pitched in 4 games over the final month, posting a 3.00 ERA and retired the only batter he faced in the Wild Card series against the Marlins. In February, Chafin re-upped with the Cubs and became sort of a cult hero. On June 24, he was part of a combined no-hitter against the Dodgers. In 43 appearances for the Cubs in 2021, Chafin recorded a 2.06 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 39.1 innings of work before being traded to the A’s on July 27th.
20 Years Of Remembrance
It was a normal Tuesday morning, 20 years ago this morning, when someone stopped by my desk to say that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center and that we were under attack. Little did I know that for once, Chicken Little was right and the sky really was falling.
Most of the morning remains a blur. Updates were hard to get through traditional sources and most of the news I was getting was from the old Warren Ellis forum on Delphi and whatever incarnation of the Bendis Board was up at the time. At one point, I went out to my car to get an update from the Howard Stern show, which at the time was on a one hour tape delay here in Chicago, but we were one of the few markets that cut away from the show in order to simulcast a news station.
We all know what happens next: the Pentagon gets hit, another flight crashes in Pennsylvania, and, eventually, the towers fell. We went to a pretty deserted Superdawg for lunch that day, listening to the radio for updates the entire time. I remember the eerie drive to the gym after work, as people were as polite as they’ve even been on the roads.
The legacy of that day is messy. Two long, ill-advised wars followed. The nation united in a way that it is unable, or unwilling, to do today, as the COVID pandemic, our biggest tragedy since the 9/11 attacks, continues to rage as the right battles against both masks and vaccinations.
It’s a day that, for a little while, unified the country, but at great cost. A day we would all like to forget. A day we never will.
We’re Down To 12
The White Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead against the Red Sox tonight, thanks in part to a 3-run homer from Jose Abreu, and held on for a 4-3 victory. Meanwhile, the Brewers used a 6-run 5th inning to power past the Cleveland ballclub 10-3. Combined, those two efforts drop the White Sox magic number down to 12.
Fitbit VII – Week 32
A disappointing, if misleading, week, thanks to some unforeseen circumstances. The week got off to a strong enough start on Sunday, as the White Sox and Cubs wrapped up their crosstown series at Guaranteed Rate Field and I finished 11 steps shy of 5500. Monday, I brought my car in for service (this will become important later) and ended the day with 3900 steps. Tuesday was a bit worse, as I came in with 2500 steps. Wednesday, with my Fitbit charger still in my car from vacation, my battery died overnight, leaving me with only 86 steps. I got my car back on Thursday, letting me recharge and capturing 2200 steps once that was complete. Friday continued the disappointment, finishing 9 steps shy of 3800 while Saturday was a near duplicate, with 13 steps over 3800.
Total steps: 21,952
Daily average: 3136
Return To The Playoffs!
On Tuesday, with the White Sox magic number sitting at 17, the team sent out post-season invoices to their season ticket holders for the first time since 2012. For the low, low price of $1640, I will receive 2 tickets to a potential Wild Card game (which, if that is needed, something is wrong with this world), 3 potential Division Series games, 1 Championship Series game, and 1 World Series game, along with parking for all games. My seats are actually better than my normal seats, one section over in the same row and seats better aligned to my needs.
I assume only electronic tickets will be issued. I would hope commemorative tickets will be sent out should a good run occur late in to October.
Hall Of Fame Batting Leaders
Thanks to the corona virus, the Hall of Fame Class of 2020, former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Expos and Rockies legend Larry Walker, former Cardinal and Brewer backstop Ted Simmons, and union boss Marvin Miller, finally get their day in the sun in Cooperstown alongside, well, the empty class of 2021. With two new hitters joining the list of Hall of Famers I’ve seen play live and an additional historical game identified, let’s check back in with the leaders on the offensive side of the ball amongst Hall of Famers for all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2020.
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jim Thome | 35 |
| Frank Thomas | 15 |
| Vladimir Guerrero | 6 |
| Ivan Rodriguez | 4 |
| Chipper Jones | 3 |
| Harold Baines | 3 |
| Carlton Fisk | 3 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jim Thome | 110 |
| Frank Thomas | 54 |
| Ken Griffey Jr | 32 |
| Continue reading → |
Book 36 (of 52) – Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones – James Clear
In Atomic Habits, James Clear provides the tips and tools on how to successfully set up new habits or to stop existing bad ones. He provides plenty of examples of how making small, manageable changes can lead to large results, especially when those habits are stacked on top of each other.
At the end of the day, there’s nothing new here. But, he does give some good hints and tricks on how to implement these small changes so that they are more likely to stick. Anyone who has looked at my step results over the past two years can tell you that getting good intentions to stick is an area where I could use some improvement.
Down To 17
While the White Sox were idle today before starting a three game series in Oakland tomorrow, Cleveland dropped their series opener against the Twins, 5-2, bringing the magic number down to 17.
Prolific Authors – 2 Books
Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school. This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span. Today, we start things off with the 35 authors I’ve read twice.
Max Barry
An Australian author, I’ve enjoyed the two novels of his I’ve read, Jennifer Government and Company.
Laura Caldwell
I have no idea how I came across the work of this local author, but I must have enjoyed it enough to go back for seconds. Unfortunately, she passed away last year.
The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay – Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon
Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, the most recent of the two works of his I’ve read. I have another, Wonder Boys, waiting in the to read pile, so he rise up some day.
Matthew V. Clemens
The co-author, with Max Allan Collins, of the final two chapters of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.
Felicia Day
The first author here that I’ve happened to meet in person.
Cameron Dokey
She makes the list based on two entries in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.
Diane Duane
Living in Ireland, she is responsible for a Star Trek: The Next Generation book and a Spider-Man novel, of all things.
Warren Ellis
The comic writer, currently in exile after being called out for abusing women, makes the list thanks to two prose novels.
David Fisher Continue reading →