Category / Baseball

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2017 Final Standings

For the third consecutive year, the NL pennant was captured at Wrigley Field.  Unfortunately, this year it was the Dodgers that will be moving on, winning the NLCS 4 games to 1 against the Cubs and bringing the game-attending portion of the 2017 season came to an end.  I made it to 49 games this season, my largest total since 2010.  I did manage to add one new stadium this year, along with trips to 3 others that I had been to before.  Here are the final standings for those games and the 20 different teams I saw in person, through both the regular season and the playoffs.

2017 Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Milwaukee Brewers 2 0 1.000
Seattle Mariners 2 0 1.000
Oakland Athletics 2 0 1.000
Colorado Rockies 1 0 1.000
Pittsburgh Pirates 1 0 1.000
Boston Red Sox 2 1 0.667
New York Yankees 2 1 0.667
Kansas City Royals 3 2 0.600
Los Angeles Dodgers 3 2 0.600
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LCS Pitching Leaders

With Game 1 of the 2017 NLCS between the Cubs and Dodgers in the books, it’s time to take an updated look at the pitching leaders from the 9 LCS games I’ve attended prior to last night since 2003, featuring the White Sox, Cubs, Angels, Marlins, Dodgers, and Mets.

Wins

Name Total
Jacob deGrom 1
Paul Byrd 1
Brad Penny 1
Chad Fox  1
Mark Buehrle 1
Bartolo Colon 1
Ugueth Urbina 1
Kyle Hendricks 1
Aroldis Chapman 1

Losses

Name Total
Jason Hammel 1
Mark Prior 1
Jose Contreras 1
Trevor Cahill 1
Kerry Wood 1
Kelvim Escobar  1
Mark Guthrie 1
Joe Blanton 1
Clayton Kershaw 1

ERA (> 4 IP)

Name Total
Jarrod Washburn 0.00
Mark Buehrle 1.00
Jon Lester 1.50
Kyle Hendricks 1.59
Steven Matz 1.93

Strikeouts

Name Total
Kyle Hendricks 10
Josh Beckett 8
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LCS Batting Leaders

baseballs2The Cubs prepare to make their third straight NLCS appearance tonight in Los Angeles, in a rematch of last year’s battle against the Dodgers, which the Cubs won in 6 games.  Let’s look at the offensive leaders in the now 9 LCS games I’ve attended, games 1, 6, and 7 of the 2003 NLCS, games 1 and 2 of the 2005 ALCS, games 3 and 4 of the 2015 NLCS, and games 1 and 6 of the 2016 NLCS.

Home Runs

Name Total
Daniel Murphy 2
Miguel Cabrera 2
Moises Alou 2
20 tied with 1

Hits

Name Total
Daniel Murphy 6
Juan Pierre 6
Dexter Fowler 6
Luis Castillo 5
Jeff Conine 5

Runs

Name Total
Daniel Murphy 4
Juan Pierre 4
Miguel Cabrera 4
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All Time LCS Team Records

Thanks to a Game 5 victory over the Nationals, the Cubs head to their 3rd straight NLCS appearance.  The series kicks off tomorrow night in Los Angeles, in a rematch of last year’s championship series, which the Cubs won over the Dodgers in 6 games.  So, it’s time to take our first look at the team records for the 9 LCS contests I have attended, the NLCS in 2003, 2015, and 2016, and the ALCS in 2005.

League Championship Series Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Florida Marlins 3 0 1.000
New York Mets 2 0 1.000
Los Angeles Angels 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 1 1 0.500
Chicago Cubs 2 5 0.286
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 2 0.000
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Playoff Pitching Leaders

With the NLDS between the Cubs and the Nationals tied at a game a piece, it’s time to take our updated look at the pitching leaders from the now 26 post-season games I’ve attended since the White Sox won the AL Central in 2000.

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 2
Jon Lester 2
22 tied with 1

Losses

Name Total
Matt Clement 2
23 tied with 1

ERA (> 6 IP)

Name Total
Aroldis Chapman 0.00
Johnny Cueto 1.13
Chad Billingsley 1.35
Jon Lester 1.35
Clayton Richard 1.42

Strikeouts

Name Total
Mark Prior 13
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Playoff Batting Leaders

The Cubs continue their title defense tonight in Washington against the Nationals with a 1-0 lead in the NLDS.  With that in mind, it’s time to take an updated look at the offensive leaders from the now 26 post-season games I have attended since 2000.  So, without further ado, we start off with:

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 3
B.J. Upton 3
Dexter Fowler 3
Kris Bryant 3
Moises Alou 2
Miguel Cabrera 2
Chipper Jones 2
Eric Karros 2
Daniel Murphy 2
A.J. Pierzynski 2
Scott Podsednik 2
Manny Ramirez 2
Kyle Schwarber 2
Jorge Soler 2
Anthony Rizzo 2

Hits

Name Total
Dexter Fowler 10
Kris Bryant 9
Moises Alou 9
Anthony Rizzo 8
Javier Baez 8
Juan Uribe 8
Derrek Lee 8

Runs

Name Total
Dexter Fowler 7
Paul Konerko 6
A.J. Pierzynski 5
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All Time Playoff Team Records

As the Cubs prepare for their third consecutive post-season appearance and an NLDS tilt against the Nationals, it’s time to take an updated look at the team records for the now 26 playoff contests I have attended. These contests come from the ALDS in 2000, 2005, and 2008, the NLDS in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2015, and 2016, the NLCS in 2003, 2015, and 2016, the ALCS in 2005, and, of course, the 2005 and 2016 World Series.

Post-Season Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Florida Marlins 3 0 1.000
Seattle Mariners 2 0 1.000
New York Mets 2 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 1 0 1.000
Chicago White Sox 5 4 0.556
Los Angeles Dodgers 2 2 0.500
Tampa Bay Rays 1 1 0.500
Los Angeles Angels 1 1 0.500
Cleveland Indians 1 1 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Chicago Cubs 7 10 0.412
St. Louis Cardinals 0 1 0.000
San Francisco Giants 0 2 0.000
Houston Astros 0 1 0.000
Boston Red Sox 0 2 0.000
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2017 Predictions Revisited

Six months ago, as the 2017 baseball season was scheduled to kick off, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what.  Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Red Sox

1 for 1 so far, as the Red Sox held off a late surge from the Yankees to clinch on the season’s second to last day.

Central: Indians

The Indians finished with the best record in the American League thanks to a 32-4 run to close out the season.

West: Mariners

Well, I was a little off on this one, as the Mariners finished in third place, a mere 23 games behind the Astros.

Wild Cards: Blue Jays, Tigers

Both teams finished in last place in their respective divisions, with the Tigers finishing with the worst record in baseball.

AL Champion: Red Sox

It’s a good sign that my pick made the playoffs.

Cy Young: Chris Sale

There is a very good possibility of this coming to fruition.

MVP: Francisco Lindor

There is very little possibility of this coming to fruition.

National League

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Looking Ahead To Next Year

baseballs3Major League Baseball released their tentative 2018 schedule last week.  While the local squads have differing goals in mind as 2017 winds down, with the Cubs looking to repeat as World Series champions and the White Sox playing out the string in year one of their rebuild, it’s time to turn our attention to next summer for both teams.

The White Sox open their season on the road in Kansas City on March 29 against the Royals, and then open the home portion of the campaign a week later against the Tigers.

The interleague schedule pits the White Sox against the NL Central, with trips to St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati and home series against the Pirates, Cardinals, and the Brewers.  The rivalry with their north side foes continues with a 3 game series at Wrigley Field in May and then moving back to the south side in late September.

The season ends with a 6 game homestand against the Cubs and Indians before heading to Minnesota for the final weekend.  Year two of the rebuild can see the White Sox playing spoiler down the stretch.

Meanwhile, on the north side, the Cubs open the season down in Miami on March 29.  They kick off the home portion of their schedule on April 9 against the Pirates.

The interleague schedule pits the Cubs against the AL Central, with trips to Cleveland, Kansas City, and Detroit and home series against the Indians, Twins, and the Tigers.

The Cubs end the year with a 7 game homestand against the Pirates and the Cardinals, likely challengers for the NL Central crown.

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#14 – Joe Crede

Name: Joe Crede

Rank: 14

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 2000-2008

Joe Crede joined the White Sox organization as their 5th round selection in the 1996 draft.  He earned a September call-up from Double A in 2000, and made his major league debut on September 12, replacing Herbert Perry and going 0-1 in the Tigers 10-3 victory at Comiskey Park.  Crede appeared in 7 games, making the most of his 14 at bats, and finished with a .357 average.

Crede was sent to Charlotte for the 2001 season, again getting a cup of coffee with the big league club in September.  With the White Sox not heading to the post-season, Crede got a little more playing time, but was less successful than the year before.  He finished with a .220 average in 50 at bats over 17 games.

2002 saw Crede return to Triple A, before being recalled to the White Sox for good in July.  On August 12, he hit his first major league home run off of former teammate James Baldwin.  “He was someone who always got on me for being a rookie in the clubhouse and on the bus last year,” Crede said.  “Singing on the bus and stuff.  Nothing very harmful, but it was a good way to get him back.”  In 53 games, Crede finished with 12 home runs, 35 RBIs, and a .285 average.

Crede established himself as the starting third baseman in 2003.  He appeared in a career high 151 games and launched 19 home runs with 75 RBIs while posting a .261 average.  He struggled in 2004, seeing his average drop to .239 while hitting 21 home runs with 69 RBIs.

In 2005, Crede started to come in to his own.  While he improved his average to .252 and hit 22 home runs with 62 RBIs, he started to come in to his own in the second half, culminating with a game winning, and possible season saving, home run in the 10th inning against the Indians on September 20, which pushed the White Sox to a 3.5 game lead and propelled them into the playoffs.  Crede had a rough series in the ALDS against the Red Sox, getting only 1 hit in 9 at bats, but rebounded in the ALCS and World Series, hitting .368 and .294 respectively, with 2 home runs in each series.

2006 was Joe Crede’s breakout season.  He hit .283 with career highs in home runs, with 30, and RBIs, with 94.  Following the season, he was awarded his first, and only, Silver Slugger award.

Crede looked to continue his new found dominance at the hot corner in 2007, but a back injury limited him to 47 games and only 4 home runs.  He returned with a bang in 2008, hitting a grand slam on opening day against the Twins.  A good first half saw him earn his first All Star selection, but the back injury recurred and kept him out for most of the second half of the season, including the playoffs.   Crede became a free agent at the end of the year and his White Sox career came to an end.

Crede’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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