Tag / Expos

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RIP US Cellular Field

uscellular-fieldYesterday, US Cellular Field officially was rechristened as Guaranteed Rate Field, ending a 14 year run for the wireless telecom company as the naming rights holder for the home of the Chicago White Sox.  In that time, I saw 414 games at the park, including a Marlins home game in 2004 due to Hurricane Ivan and post-season play in 2000, 2005 and 2008.

All-Time Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Arizona Diamondbacks 1 0 1.000
Colorado Rockies 2 0 1.000
St. Louis Cardinals 1 0 1.000
Florida Marlins 3 1 0.750
New York Yankees 10 7 0.588
Boston Red Sox 13 10 0.565
Los Angeles Angels 16 13 0.552
Baltimore Orioles 11 9 0.550
Chicago White Sox 223 190 0.540
Kansas City Royals 23 20 0.535
Toronto Blue Jays 9 8 0.529
Cleveland Indians 20 18 0.526
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 1 1 0.500
Tampa Bay Rays 8 8 0.500
Washington Nationals 1 1 0.500
Anaheim Angels 1 1 0.500
Cincinnati Reds 1 1 0.500
San Diego Padres 1 1 0.500
Houston Astros 4 5 0.444
Oakland Athletics 6 8 0.429
Chicago Cubs 11 15 0.423
Detroit Tigers 13 19 0.406
Minnesota Twins 19 28 0.404
Texas Rangers 7 13 0.350
Atlanta Braves 2 5 0.286
Seattle Mariners 5 18 0.217
Pittsburgh Pirates 1 4 0.200
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 5 0.167
Milwaukee Brewers 0 2 0.000
Montreal Expos 0 1 0.000
Miami Marlins 0 2 0.000
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#64 – Jose DeLeon

deleonName: Jose DeLeon

Rank: 64

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1986-1987, 1993-1995

Jose DeLeon was acquired by the White Sox on July 23, 1986 from the Pirates for Bobby Bonilla.  As the White Sox rolled towards a 5th place finish and a 90 loss season, DeLeon was a bright spot, going 4-5 in his 13 starts with a 2.96 ERA.

1987 was another disappointing year for the White Sox, but DeLeon was a stalwart of the rotation, going 11-12 with a 4.02 ERA.  The following February, he was traded to the Cardinals for Ricky Horton and Lance Johnson.

DeLeon rejoined the White Sox on August 10, 1993, acquired from the Phillies for Bobby Thigpen.   He appeared in 11 games over the final two months of the season, putting up a 1.74 ERA as the White Sox won their first division title in 10 years.  DeLeon did not appear in the ALCS, which the White Sox lost to the Blue Jays in 6 games.

DeLeon returned to the White Sox bullpen for the 1994 season, going 3-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 42 games before the strike ended the year on August 12.  When play resumed the following year, DeLeon had lost his mojo.  He went 5-3 with a 5.19 ERA in 38 games prior to being traded to the Expos on August 28 for Jeff Shaw.

DeLeon’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#87 – Carl Everett

everett-wsName: Carl Everett

Rank: 87

Position: DH/CF

Years With White Sox: 2003, 2004-2005

Carl Everett was acquired by the White Sox on July 1, 2003 from the Rangers for Frank Francisco, Josh Rupe, and Anthony Webster.  Two weeks later, he appeared in the All Star Game at his new home stadium, going 0-1 as one of 3 White Sox representatives.  Everett continued his all star ways in the second half, hitting .301 with 10 home runs after the trade, but the White Sox faded down the stretch and finished the year in second place.

After signing with the Expos as a free agent for the 2004 season, Everett was reacquired by the White Sox on July 18, two weeks after Frank Thomas went down with a broken left foot, for Gary Majewski and Jon Rauch.  In more limited playing time, Everett hit .266 with only 5 home runs and the White Sox again finished in second place.

With Thomas still recovering from his foot injury, Everett went into 2005 as the primary designated hitter.  He appeared in 135 games, hitting .251 with 23 home runs and 87 RBI.  Everett added 12 hits during the post-season as the White Sox won their first World Series title since 1917.  Following the season, Everett again left as a free agent.

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

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#90 – Neal Cotts

neal-cotts-whitesoxName: Neal Cotts

Rank: 90

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2003-2006

Neal Cotts was acquired by the White Sox, along with Billy Koch and Daylan Holt, from the A’s in exchange for Keith Foulke, Mark Johnson, and Joe Valentine in December of 2002.  He made his major league debut on August 12, 2003, lasting only 2 1/3 innings in a start against the Angels, walking 6 and giving up 2 hits and 2 runs.  He made 3 additional starts, finishing the year with an 8.10 ERA in only 13 1/3 innings pitched.

Under new manager Ozzie Guillen, Cotts moved to the bullpen in 2004.  Appearing in 56 games, he managed to lower his ERA somewhat, to a still-horrid 5.65.  He did manage to pick up his first major league hit, against the Expos on June 18.

Things clicked in 2005, both for Cotts and the White Sox.  He appeared in 69 regular season games and posted a sparkling 1.94 ERA as the White Sox took the AL Central crown.  He faced one batter in the ALDS, getting Trot Nixon to flyout in Game 1 of the sweep against the Red Sox.  He was the only White Sox reliever to appear in the ALCS, getting the final 2 outs in the Game 1 loss to the Angels.  As the White Sox moved on to their first World Series since 1959, Cotts appeared in all 4 games, winning Game 2 and giving up only 1 hit in an inning and a third.

Cotts reverted back to his previous form in 2006, appearing in 70 games and seeing his ERA balloon back up to 5.17, though he did earn his first career save.  Following the season, he was traded across town to the Cubs for fellow relief pitcher David Aardsma.

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

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#94 – Vance Law

vance-lawName: Vance Law

Rank: 94

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 1982-1984

As spring training was winding down in 1982, the White Sox acquired Vance Law, along with Ernie Camacho, from the Pirates in exchange for Ross Baumgarten and Butch Edge.  Law jumped around the infield for the White Sox, spending time at shortstop, third base, and second base.  In his first major league stint with regular playing time, Law responded by hitting .281 with 5 home runs.

The offseason acquisitions of Jerry Dybzinski and Scott Fletcher meant Law could focus on third base for the 1983 season.  His offense suffered some, with his batting average dropping nearly 40 points, but he helped the White Sox secure their first post-season appearance since 1959.  Unfortunately, Law, like the rest of his teammates, struggled against the Orioles in the ALCS.  Law managed only 2 hits in the 4 game series.

While the White Sox regressed in 1984, Law put up arguably his best season as a pro.  He set a career high in games played and home runs, while his batting average rebounded to .252 and his OPS again surpassed the .700 mark.  Following the season, however, he was traded by the White Sox to the Expos for closer Bob James.

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

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All Time Team Records

baseballs3Another exciting baseball season is upon us, and it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have attended.  Despite disparate seasons on the two sides of town last season, both the White Sox and the Cubs saw their overall winning percentage drop.  The 2016 season looks to be hopeful for both teams, so this trend should reverse itself.

All-Time Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1
Arizone Diamondbacks 13 2 0.866666666666667
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652173913043478
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 12 8 0.6
New York Yankees 12 9 0.571428571428571
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538461538461538
Los Angeles Angels 15 13 0.535714285714286
San Francisco Giants 8 7 0.533333333333333
Chicago White Sox 250 222 0.529661016949153
Chicago Cubs 197 177 0.526737967914439
Detroit Tigers Continue reading →
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#112 – Orlando Hernandez

elduqueName: Orlando Hernandez

Rank: 112

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2005

Orlando Hernandez first became a member of the White Sox organization on January 15, 2003, when he was acquired from the Yankees for Antonio Osuna.  Mere moments later, he was shipped to the Expos, along with Rocky Biddle, Jeff Liefer, and cash, in exchange for Bartolo Colon.  Nearly 2 years later, he signed with the White Sox as a free agent.  As the 5th starter, he put up a decent 9-9 record, but with a high 5.12 ERA.

Hernandez moved to the bullpen for the 2005 post-season, where he permanently etched his name in White Sox lore.  With the White Sox looking to win their first post-season series since the 1917 World Series and clinging to a 4-3 lead in the 6th inning of game 3 of the ALDS against the Red Sox, Hernandez entered in relief of Damaso Marte with the bases loaded and nobody out.  He managed to induce pop-outs from both pinch hitter Jason Varitek and Tony Graffanino before getting Johnny Damon to chase a ball out of the strike zone on a 3-2 count to escape unscathed.  2 rounds later, he pitched a scoreless inning in the 14-inning game 3 of the World Series.

Nearly two months later, Hernandez was traded, along with Luis Vizcaino and Chris Young, to the Diamondbacks for Javier Vazquez.

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

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Padres All Time Leaders – Through 2015

Padres-Friars-LogoWith 5 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the San Diego Padres.

The Padres began life in 1969, joining the National League along with the Montreal Expos.  I’ve seen them play 18 times at 5 different ballparks, first in 1985 at Wrigley Field and, most recently, 2014 at US Cellular Field.

Home Runs

Name Total
Adrian Gonzalez 2
Ramon Hernandez 2
Mike Cameron 2
Khalil Greene 2

Hits

Name Total
Ryan Klesko 9
Sean Burroughs 9
Brian Giles 8

Runs

Name Total
Adrian Gonzalez 7
Mark Loretta 5
Ramon Hernandez 4
Mike Cameron 4

RBI

Name Total
Khalil Greene 8
Ramon Hernandez 6
Ryan Klesko 6

Doubles

Name Total
Ryan Klesko 3
Adrian Gonzalez 3
Will Venable 3

Triples Continue reading →

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Nationals All Time Leaders – Through 2015

nationalsWith 5 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams.  We continue today with the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals began life in 1969 as the Montreal Expos.  When the Expos missed out on their best opportunity to win a World Series due to the work stoppage of 1994, followed by years of alleged mismanagement, fan support dropped away, and the team moved to Washington in 2005.  I’ve seen them play 13 times, 5 as the Expos and 8 as the Nationals, most recently on April 7, 2012.

Home Runs

Name Total
Danny Espinosa 2
Terrmel Sledge 2
3 tied with 1

Hits

Name Total
Maicer Izturis 6
Endy Chavez 5
Ian Desmond 5
Ryan Zimmerman 5

Runs

Name Total
Maicer Izturis 3
Ian Desmond 3
Juan Rivera 3
Nyjer Morgan 3
Brad Wilkerson 3

RBI

Name Total
Terrmel Sledge 5
Danny Espinosa 3
Brian Schneider 3
Tony Batista 3

Doubles

Name Total
Juan Rivera 2
11 tied with 1

Triples Continue reading →

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#133 – Tony Bernazard

92-231Fr

Name: Tony Bernazard

Rank: 133

Position: 2B

Years With White Sox: 1981-1983

Tony Bernazard was traded to the White Sox from the Expos for Rich Wortham on December 12, 1980.  During the strike shortened 1981 season, Bernazard became the starting second baseman, hitting .276 with 6 home runs while leading the team with 106 games played.

In 1982, the White Sox were poised to make a run for a division title, with Bernazard leading the way.  Unfortunately, his season came to a premature end when he suffered a broken leg on September 12, and the White Sox faltered down the stretch without him, finishing in third place, 6 games behind the division-winning Angels.

Expectations for the White Sox were large in 1983, but the team got off to a slow start.  On June 15, with a record of 28-32, the White Sox looked to shake things up and shipped Bernazard to the Mariners in exchange for Julio Cruz.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Bernazard’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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