Yesterday we looked at the leaders in games I attended in the first half of this year on the offensive side of the ball. With the second half slated to kick off today, let’s look at the pitchers.
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Chris Sale | 2 |
| 14 tied with | 1 |
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| 16 tied with | 1 |
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jesse Crain | 1.04 |
| Jake Peavy | 1.13 |
| Ricky Nolasco | 1.17 |
| Vance Worley | 1.29 |
| Chris Sale | 1.71 |
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Chris Sale | 31 |
| Continue reading → |
As we close the books on the disappointing first half of the 2013 season, here are the offensive (and believe you me, it has been pretty offensive) leaders for the games I attended:
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Adam Dunn | 4 |
| Alex Rios | 2 |
| 19 tied with | 1 |
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Alexei Ramirez | 18 |
| Alejandro de Aza | 16 |
| Conor Gillaspie | 12 |
| Dayan Viciedo | 11 |
| Alex Rios | 10 |
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Alejandro de Aza | 11 |
| Adam Dunn | 5 |
| Continue reading → |
With the All Star Game on the agenda for tonight, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 16 games I’ve been to in the first half. It’s been a disappointing 3 months for both Chicago teams, although one of them was expecting it.
| Team | Won | Lost | Winning Pctg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Minnesota Twins | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Cleveland Indians | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Chicago Cubs | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 1 | 1 | 0.5 |
| Chicago White Sox | 6 | 8 | 0.429 |
| Seattle Mariners | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Miami Marlins | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Kansas City Royals | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Houston Astros | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Stadium Name: Qualcomm Stadium
Location: San Diego
Home Team: Padres
Years in Service: 1969 – 2003
Visits: 1
San Diego Stadium opened on August 20, 1967 as the home of the AFL’s Chargers and opened for baseball the following spring for the final season of the minor league San Diego Padres. The following season, San Diego’s expansion team, also named the Padres, moved in and stayed as the main tenants until the end of the 2003 season. The stadium was renamed in 1980 for local sportswriter Jack Murphy, who had championed support for the building of the stadium, after he passed away. That name stuck until 1997, when the naming rights were sold to technology company Qualcomm.
In 2003, I was in San Diego for what, to date, was my 3rd and final Comic Con. On the afternoon of July 17, I skipped out on the con and took the trolley out to Mission Valley to take in the day’s contest between the Padres and the Diamondbacks. I don’t remember much about the game, which the Diamondbacks won handidly 9-1, other than Curt Schilling taking the bump for the Dbacks. The park, one of the last remaining cookie cutter stadiums that popped up in the late 60s and early 70s and designed to house both baseball and football teams while doing service to neither, did not really register one way or the other and hold’s no particular space in my memory. I do seem to remember a giant outdoor escalator, but that might have been Candlestick.
Name: Andy Gonzalez
Rank: 296
Position: 3B/OF
Year With White Sox: 2007
Andy Gonzalez joined the White Sox organization as their 5th round draft choice in 2001. He worked his way up through the system and eventually made his major league debut on April 25, 2007 against the Tigers. Gonzalez found his way into 67 games over the course of the lost 2007 season, hitting a meager .185. Following the season, the White Sox declined to tender a contract for 2008 to Gonzalez, making him a free agent.
Gonzalez’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
The towel was officially thrown in last night as rookie general manager Rick Hahn began the dismantling of the very disappointing 2013 Chicago White Sox by trading veteran relief pitcher Matt Thornton to the Red Sox in exchange for minor leaguer Brandon Jacobs, a 2009 draft pick described as “toolsy”, but not considered a significant prospect. Thornton had been the longest tenured member of the White Sox not named Paul Konerko, joining the team during spring training in 2006 in a trade with the Mariners for first round bust Joe Borchard.
Under the tutelage of pitching coach Don Cooper, Thornton found a home in the White Sox bullpen, eventually becoming their all-time leader in pitching appearances with 512. The high point came in 2010, when Thornton was selected to represent the White Sox at the All-Star game, a rarity for a set-up man. The only real knocks against Thornton were his inability to close, which he was asked to do occassionally when Bobby Jenks would go down with an injury, and his inability to consistently rely on a pitch other than his fastball, which has been his downfall more recently as his velocity has started to dip with age.
Personally, I have seen 1131 pitchers take the mound in games that I have attended, and Thornton leads them all in appearances, with his closest active competition 46 games behind. It will be strange to not have him in the White Sox bullpen anymore, but all things must come to an end and, given his salary and the state of this year’s squad, it was time for him to move on.
Thornton’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →
Stadium Name: Shea Stadium
Location: New York
Home Team: Mets, Yankees
Years in Service: 1964 – 2008
Visits: 1
After a delay caused by labor woes and an exceptionally harsh winter, Shea Stadium, home of the expansion New York Mets, opened on April 17, 1964, with the Pittsburgh Pirates beating the Mets 4–3 before a crowd of 50,312. It continued to be the home of the Mets until September 28, 2008, when the Mets lost to the Florida Marlins. Along the way, the stadium was also the home of the Yankees for 2 seasons while Yankee Stadium was being renovated and, for the 1975 season, it served as the home of both New York MLB teams and both New York NFL teams, the first time a stadium has had that many main major tenants at one time.
My one trip to Shea Stadium was for opening day in 2003 to see the Chicago Cub take on the NYMet. The last day of March was Tom Glavine’s first appearance with the Mets after coming over from the Braves via free agency. His grace period with the Mets faithful did not last long, as he was booed after throwing a ball on the second pitch. The baseball gods were not on the Mets side that day, as the Cubs, behind 2 Corey Patterson home runs, routed the Mets 15-2. I remember the stadium itself being pretty decent, though we did have some of the best seats in the house, which may have tainted my impression somewhat.
Name: Erick Threets
Rank: 297
Position: P
Year With White Sox: 2000
Erick Threets joined the White Sox organization as a minor league free agent following the 2009 season. After puttingavup sterling numbers in Triple A, Threets was called up to the big league club when Bobby Jenks was placed on the bereavement/family medical emergency list on June 27th.
Threets continued to impress in the big leagues, not even giving up a single run before a turf toe injury placed him on the disabled list on August 3rd. He returned three weeks later and, two days later, made an appearance against the Yankees, where he tore his ulnar collateral ligament, ending his season and his White Sox career.
Threets’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
Stadium Name: Tiger Stadium
Location: Detroit
Home Team: Tigers
Years in Service: 1912 – 1999
Visits: 1
Tiger Stadium opened as Navin Field on April 20, 1912, the same date as Boston’s Fenway Park. It would serve as the home of the Tigers until the final game on September 27, 1999, an 8-2 Tiger victory over the Royals.
My one and only trip to Tiger Stadium was during its final season, on August 2, 1999, when rookie Kip Wells made his major league debut for the White Sox, picking up the win in the victory against the Tigers. The stadium reminded me of the old Comiskey Park, with the dark ramps and tunnels leading out to the glorious green of the field.
Name: David Sanders
Rank: 298
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 2003, 2005
David Sanders joined the White Sox organization as their 6th round pick in the 1999 draft. He made his major league debut on April 23, 2003 against the Orioles, mopping up in a blowout loss. Sanders appeared in 20 games for the south siders that season, putting up a gaudy 6.14 ERA. He spent all of the 2004 season back in the minor leagues before returning briefly to the major leagues for 2 appearances in 2005. Sanders did his small part to pushing the White Sox to a World Series victory by giving up 3 runs in 2 innings of work.
Following the 2005 season, and before said World Series championship even took place, he was granted his free agency and his baseball career came to an end.
Sanders’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: