Category / Baseball

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By The Numbers – 61

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 #61.  18 players have donned #61 while playing in Chicago, 12 for the White Sox and 6 for the Cubs.

Joel McKeon was the White Sox first round pick in the 1982 draft and made his debut in 1986, where he appeared in 30 games out of the bullpen and had a rather successful 2.45 ERA.  His 1987 season, however, was much less successful, with his ERA jumping to 9.43 and, the following February, McKeon was shipped off to the Padres to complete an earlier trade.  While McKeon, the first #61 in White Sox history, did little to make himself memorable on a real baseball diamond, his 1986 appearance with Buffalo, the then Triple A affiliate of the White Sox, made him a superstar of our Micro League Baseball league, where he dominated as a stalwart of the team belonging to my friend Dave.

Backup catcher Babe Phelps, the first player to don #61 for the Cubs, hit .286 in his 2 seasons with the Cubs.  And no, I don’t mean his average across those 2 seasons was .286.  I mean he finished both seasons, 1933 and 1934, with a .286 average.  He would go on to more success with the Dodgers later in the decade, earning MVP votes in 1936 and earning three straight All Star nods from 1938-1940.

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Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2020

baseballs3Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2020 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and opening day less than a week away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders.

Wins

Name Total
Chris Sale 21
Jon Lester 12
Jose Quintana 8
Nate Jones 7
Lucas Giolito 6

Losses

Name Total
Jose Quintana 17
Chris Sale 12
Carlos Rodon 9
Jeff Samardzija 6
Kyle Hendricks 6

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
David Robertson 2.17
Nate Jones 2.21
Zach Duke 2.38
Johnny Cueto 2.43
Cole Hamels 2.59

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Jon Lester 2.60
Chris Sale Continue reading →
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By The Numbers – 62

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 #62.  19 players have donned #62 while playing in Chicago, 12 for the White Sox and 7 for the Cubs.

Jose Quintana becomes the next player we’ve come across to wear the same number for both the White Sox and the Cubs.  He originally signed with the White Sox as a minor league free agent on after the 2011 season and made his major league debut on May 7, 2012.  He quickly moved in to the rotation and became a steady, if unlucky, presence on the mound.  As a member of the White Sox, he had a career mark of 50-54 with an unbelievable 65 no decisions.  In his last full season with the team, he made his first All Star team and finished 10th in Cy Young Award voting.

In July of 2017, with the Cubs looking to defend their World Series title and the White Sox looking to rebuild, the two teams pulled off a trade, sending Quintana to the Cubs and Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease amongst the haul for the White Sox.  In 3+ seasons with the Cubs, he improved his career winning percentage, but wasn’t the difference maker the team thought they were getting.  He became a free agent following the 2020 season.

Another #62 to appear for both teams was Bob Howry, who pitched for the White Sox from 1998 through 2002 and for the Cubs 2006 through 2008 and again in 2010.  Howry’s most infamous moment came wearing a different number, when, in 2000, he was in the middle of the brawl between the White Sox and the Tigers.

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Active Batting Leaders – Through 2020

baseballs2Last month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2020.  With spring training managing to keep going despite the continuing pandemic due to the corona virus, Opening Day is right around the corner.  Let’s take another look at those numbers, limiting it to players that are still active heading in to the 2021 season.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 36
Tim Anderson 16
Avisail Garcia 15
Gordon Beckham 15
Melky Cabrera 14

Hits

Name Total
Jose Abreu 193
Gordon Beckham 146
Melky Cabrera 132
Tim Anderson 113
Adam Eaton 105

Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 89
Gordon Beckham 85
Tim Anderson 62
Avisail Garcia 58
Adam Eaton 52

RBI

Name Total
Jose Abreu 106
Gordon Beckham 71
Melky Cabrera Continue reading →
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By The Numbers – 63

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 #63.  8 players have donned #63 while playing in Chicago, 5 for the White Sox and 3 for the Cubs.

Matt Foster made his major league debut for the White Sox in 2020, becoming the fifth player to wear #63 while going 6-1 with a 2.20 ERA en route to helping the White Sox earn their first playoff berth since 2008.

On the north side of town, Kevin Gregg wore #63 during both of his stints with the Cubs, in 2009 and again in 2013.  He notched 56 saves despite a 4.13 ERA.

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The Fans Are Back

After a year with no fans in the stands due to the corona virus, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced yesterday that fans can return for 2021 starting on Opening Day with 20% capacity.  That will put 8,122 fans at Guaranteed Rate Field when the White Sox open their home season on April 8th and 8,274 fans at Wrigley Field when the Cubs start their season on April 1.  Fans will still be required to wear masks and there must be at least six feet between groups in the stands.

Both teams plan to limit sales to season ticket holders initially, before moving out to the general public.  In an email to season ticket holders, the Cubs announced that April games will be either refunded or credited, with an option to purchase single game tickets in pods of one through four people spread throughout the ballpark, including reserved seating in the bleachers.  The White Sox have not released specific information yet, though  I imagine my 19 year White Sox Opening Day streak is in jeopardy.

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By The Numbers – 64

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 #64.  9 players have donned #64 while playing in Chicago, 6 for the White Sox and 3 for the Cubs.

For the first time, we come across a single player who wore the same number for both the Cubs and the White Sox.  Emilio Bonifacio donned #64 for the Cubs in 2014 after signing as a free agent.  He played decently enough, hitting .279 in 69 games.   At the trade deadline, he and James Russell were dealt to the Braves for a young catching prospect by the name of Victor Caratini.  After finishing the 2014 season in Atlanta, Bonifacio returned to Chicago in 2015, signing with the White Sox, where he once again wore #64.  His second go-around did not go as well, as he hit .167 in 47 games before being released in August.

by admin

By The Numbers – 65

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 #65.  8 players have donned #65 while playing in Chicago, 7 for the White Sox and 1 for the Cubs.

Kelly Wunsch donned #65 for his entire White Sox career, starting on Opening Day against the Rangers for the eventual 2000 AL Central champions.  Finishing 5th in AL Rookie of the Year voting, Wunsch appeared in all 3 games of the ALDS against the Mariners, giving up 2 hits and 1 unearned run in one inning pitched.  Injuries marred the rest of his White Sox tenure, with rotator cuff surgery in 2001, continued shoulder soreness in 2002, and a back injury in 2003.  After starting the 2004 season on the disabled list, he ended up spending most of the season in Triple A, appearing in only 3 games for the White Sox, and he became a free agent at year’s end.

Casey Sadler is the only #65 in Cubs history, appearing in 10 games early in the 2020 season with a 5.79 before being claimed by the Mariners off of waivers.

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All Time Batting Leaders – Through 2020

Last week, we took our annual look at the all time leaders in pitching stats for the 949 games I’ve attended (and identified) between 1984 and 2020. With the full White Sox roster reporting to camp yesterday despite the ongoing pandemic and full workouts beginning today, it’s time to move over to the other side of the ball and take a look at the offensive stat leaders for those games, starting with our first category:

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 93
Sammy Sosa 42
Aramis Ramirez 41
Derrek Lee 40
Jermaine Dye 40

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 366
Alexei Ramirez 300
Derrek Lee 255
AJ Pierzynski 239
Aramis Ramirez 234

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 200
Derrek Lee 140
Alexei Ramirez 134
Aramis Ramirez 120
A.J. Pierzynski 106

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 235
Aramis Ramirez 158
Alexei Ramirez 140
Derrek Lee 134
Jermaine Dye 108

Doubles Continue reading →

by admin

By The Numbers – 66

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 #66.  11 players have donned #66 while playing in Chicago, 9 for the White Sox and 2 for the Cubs.

Gerry Staley spent parts of 6 seasons with the White Sox, from 1956 until a June 1961 trade sent him to the A’s.  Over that time, he wore 4 different numbers, one of which was #66. His best season was 1959, as he led the league with 67 appearances and 15 saves, earning a single MVP vote as the White Sox won the pennant and went to the World Series for the first time in 40 years.

Rafael Dolis wore #66 in his one appearance for the 2011 Cubs, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings.  He switched to #48 for 2012 and 2013, then disappeared from the major leagues before popping back up in 2020 with the Blue Jays.