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#59 – Dan Pasqua

pasquaName: Dan Pasqua

Rank: 59

Position: OF/1B/DH

Years With White Sox: 1988-1994

Following the 1987 season, Dan Pasqua, along with Steve Rosenberg and Mark Salas, was acquired by the White Sox from the Yankees for Richard Dotson and Scott Nielsen.

His first season with the White Sox ended with a career high 20 home runs despite a disappointing .227 average.  A broken wrist suffered during the first week of the 1989 season limited Pasqua to just 73 games, where he improved his average to .248, but only 11 home runs.

Pasqua lost his regular slot in the lineup in 1990, as manager Jeff Torborg decided to start Sammy Sosa every day.  He appeared in 112 games, but had only 325 at bats despite a .274 average.  1991 saw Pasqua appear in a career high 134 games, with a .259 average and 18 home runs, his highest total since 1988.

Pasqua saw his playing time reduced again in 1992, thanks in part to a hamstring injury that put him on the shelf for nearly a month.  His average dropped to .211 and he managed only 6 home runs.  With George Bell and Bo Jackson splitting time at DH in 1993, Pasqua again was the odd man out.  He appeared in only 78 games and his average fell again to .205.  He appeared in 2 games of the ALCS against the Blue Jays and went hitless in 6 at bats.

Pasqua’s 1994 season was cut short by arthroscopic knee surgery in May, which limited him to just 11 appearances and only 23 at bats.  When the season was called off due to the strike, he became a free agent and decided to retire.

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

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World Series Pitching Leaders

2016worldseriesFor the first time since 2005, the World Series returns to Chicago tonight as the Cubs face off against the Indians in game 3 with the Series knotted up at a game apiece.  Following up on Wednesday’s look at World Series offense, today we take a look at the pitching leaders from the 1 World Series game I’ve attended, game 2 of the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and the Astros at US Cellular Field.

Wins

Name Total
Neal Cotts 1

Losses

Name Total
Brad Lidge 1

ERA (> 2 IP)

Name Total
Andy Pettitte 3.00
Mark Buehrle 5.14

Strikeouts

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 6
Andy Pettitte 4
Cliff Politte 1
Bobby Jenks 1
Dan Wheeler 1

Appearances

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 1
Andy Pettitte 1
Cliff Politte 1
Bobby Jenks 1
Dan Wheeler 1
Mike Gallo 1
Neal Cotts 1
Chad Qualls 1
Brad Lidge 1

Saves

Name Total
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World Series Batting Leaders

2005worldseriesLast night, the Cubs made their first World Series appearance since 1945 when they squared off against the Indians.  To mark the appearance, let’s look at the offensive leaders in the 1 World Series game I have attended, game 2 of the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and the Astros.

Home Runs

Name Total
Morgan Ensberg 1
Scott Podsednik 1
Paul Konerko 1

Hits

Name Total
Willy Taveras 2
Aaron Rowand 2
Brad Ausmus 2
Juan Uribe 2
Carl Everett 2

Runs

Name Total
Willy Tavares 2
11 tied with 1

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 4
Lance Berkman 3
Jose Vizcaino 2
Joe Crede 1
Juan Uribe 1
Scott Podsednik 1
Morgan Ensberg 1

Doubles

Name Total
Juan Uribe 2
Lance Berkman 1
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71 Years In The Making

cubs_pennantFor the first time since 1945, the Cubs are champions of the National League after defeating the Dodgers 5-0 in game 6 of the NLCS.  Behind a two hitter from Kyle Hendricks, the Cubs put to rest the painful memories of the collapse of 1969, the failure to win one of three in San Diego in 1984, and the Steve Bartman-fueled fiasco of 2003.  They move on to face the Indians in the World Series, who have the second longest title drought in baseball.  Combined, the two teams have played 174 seasons without winning a World Series.

The 2016 World Series starts on Tuesday in Cleveland, before returning to Chicago on Friday for 3 games.

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#60 – Ellis Burks

eburksName: Ellis Burks

Rank: 60

Position: RF

Year With White Sox: 1993

Ellis Burks joined the White Sox in January of 1993, signing a one year deal as a free agent.  After years of injuries and declining performances, Burks bounced back for his best season in years, hitting .275 with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs.  He appeared in 146 games, his highest total since 1990.

In the ALCS against the Blue Jays, Burks was one of the more productive members of the White Sox offense.  Appearing in all 6 games, he hit .304 with a home run.

Following the season, Burks left as a free agent.

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

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LCS Pitching Leaders

With Game 1 of the 2016 NLCS between the Cubs and Dodgers in the books, it’s time to take an updated look at the pitching leaders from the 7 LCS games I’ve attended prior to last night since 2003, featuring the White Sox, Cubs, Angels, Marlins, 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

Losses

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

ERA (> 4 IP)

Name Total
Jarrod Washburn 0.00
Mark Buehrle 1.00
Steven Matz 1.93
Jacob deGrom 2.57
Paul Byrd 3.00

Strikeouts

Name Total
Josh Beckett 8
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#61 – Jerry Hairston

jerry-hairston

Name: Jerry Hairston

Rank: 61

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 1973-1977,1981-1989

Jerry Hairston was selected by the White Sox in the 3rd round of the 1970 draft.  He made his major league debut on July 26, 1973 in the second game of a double header, going 1-4 in a 1-0 loss to the Royals in Kansas City.  Hairston appeared in 60 games for 1973 squad, hitting .271 with 23 RBI.

Hairston split the 1974 season between Triple A and Chicago, appearing in 45 games for the White Sox and hitting a disappointing .229.  1975 again saw Hairston splitting time between the minors and the big league team, appearing in 69 games and improving his average to .283.  1976 was another down year for Hairston, as his average dropped back to .227 in only 44 games for the White Sox.

Hairston played in only 13 games for the White Sox in 1977 before being purchased by the Pirates on June 13.  After 4 seasons in the Mexican League, Hairston rejoined the White Sox in September of 1981.  He appeared in 9 games and hit .280, including his first home run in a White Sox uniform.

Hairston spent the entire 1982 season on the south side for the first time, appearing in 85 games and hitting a disappointing .233 while setting a career high with 5 home runs.  1983 was a bounce back year for Hairston, who raised his average to .294 with another 5 home runs.  He appeared in 2 games during the ALCS loss to the Orioles, going hitless in 3 at bats.

1984 was a disappointing year for the White Sox as they failed to repeat as Western Division champs, but Hairston saw the most playing time of his career.  He set career highs in games played and at bats, hitting .260.  Hairston struggled in 1985, as he saw his average drop to .243 in 95 games.  1986 was another bounce back year, as Hairston improved his average to .271 and tied his career high in home runs for the 4th time.

Hairston had another down year in 1987, appearing in just 66 games and hitting .230, his worst numbers since returning from Mexico.  As spring training was winding down in 1988, Hairston was released, but he was resigned at the end of August and appeared in 2 games over the final month of the season, going hitless in 2 at bats.  He was released again following the season and, once again, resigned with the White Sox in September of 1989, appearing in 3 games and getting 1 hit in 3 at bats.  He was released again following the season and his career came to an end.

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

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LCS Batting Leaders

baseballs213 years ago tonight, the Cubs were 5 outs away from the World Series before an incident saw their season unravel.  1 year ago, they prepared to return to the NLCS for the first time since, a series they ultimately lost to the Mets.  Tomorrow night, they head back for the second straight year, hoping to end a 71 year World Series drought.  With the Dodgers coming to town, let’s look at the offensive leaders in the 7 LCS games I’ve attended, games 1, 6, and 7 of the 2003 NLCS, games 1 and 2 of the 2005 ALCS, and those ill-fated games 3 and 4 of the 2015 NLCS.

Home Runs

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

Hits

Name Total
Daniel Murphy 6
Juan Pierre 6
Jeff Conine 5
Luis Castillo 5
8 tied with 4

Runs

Name Total
Daniel Murphy 4
Juan Pierre 4
Miguel Cabrera 4
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Heading Back To The LCS

FlyTheWAfter an exciting 9th inning comeback in Game 4 of the NLDS to defeat the Giants, the Chicago Cubs are headed to the NLCS for the second consecutive year.  They await the winner of the Dodgers/Nationals series and will host Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday.  The Cubs, who last appeared in the World Series in 1945, have never won an NLCS, losing in 1984, 1989, 2003, and 2015.

The Cubs last faced the Dodgers in the post-season in the 2008 NLDS, losing in a three game sweep.  They’ve never faced the Nationals in post-season play, though Nationals manager Dusty Baker led the Cubs to the 2003 NLCS.

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#62 – Jason Bere

jasonbere

Name: Jason Bere

Rank: 62

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1993-1998

Jason Bere was selected by the White Sox in the 36th round of the 1990 draft.  By 1993, he was ranked as the 8th best prospect in all of baseball.  On May 27, 1993, he made his major league debut, giving up 3 first inning runs and picking up the loss against the Royals at Comiskey Park.  The rest of the season went much better for Bere, as he won his final 7 starts to finish 12-5 and helped the White Sox to capture the AL West title.  Bere started Game 4 of the ALCS against the Blue Jays, lasting only 2 1/3 innings in a game the White Sox eventually came back to win.  After the season, he finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Tim Salmon of the Angels.

Bere continued his regular season success in 1994, earning his first All Star nod and possessing a 12-2 record when the season ended prematurely due to the strike.  After a little more than a season and a half in the big leagues, Bere had a career mark of 24-7 and looked to be heading towards a promising career.  Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way.

When baseball resumed in 1995, Bere started to feel tendonitis in his throwing elbow.  His fortunes reversed completely, as he finished the year with a 7.19 ERA and led the American League with 15 losses.  Bere made only 5 starts in 1996, giving up 19 earned runs in only 16 2/3 innings pitched, before being shut down.  In September, he underwent Tommy John surgery.

Bere returned to the White Sox rotation in August of 1997, following the White Flag trade.  He made 6 starts down the stretch, going 4-2 with a 4.71 ERA, his best results since 1994.

1998 saw more struggles for Bere.  He appeared in 18 games, making 15 starts, and went 3-7 with a 6.45 ERA.  On July 16, he was released, ending his White Sox career.

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

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