Tag / Gatorade

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By The Numbers – 38

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 #38.  89 different players have donned #38 while playing in Chicago, 45 for the White Sox and 44 for the Cubs.

From the time he made his debut in 2001 through the January 2012 trade that ended his Cubs career, Carlos Zambrano took the field with #38 on his back.  When he was on his game, which he was for much of his early career on the Northside, he was one of the best in the game, helping the Cubs to division titles in 2003, 2007, and 2008.  Towards the end, though, he was known more for the troubles he has caused, whether it was fighting with Michael Barrett, Derrek Lee, or a Gatorade machine before finally walking out on the team after a horrid start against the Braves in the August of 2011, where he was ejected, claimed he was retiring, and then was suspended for the remainder of the season.  In January, he was traded to the Marlins.

On the south side of town, Pablo Ozuna donned #38 during his 3+ years with the White Sox.  Signing as a free agent in January of 2005, Ozuna saw the most playing time of his career to that point, including scoring the winning run in Game 2 of the ALCS, pinch running for A.J. Pierzynski after the infamous dropped third strike call in the 9th inning, and kicking off he 8 game winning streak to close out the franchise’s first World Series title in 88 years.

Ozuna returned to the White Sox in 2006 and, on May 3, he hit his first career home run.  A broken leg suffered in late May of 2007 limited Ozuna to 27 games.  He returned from the injury in 2008 and was performing well, hitting .281 in 32 games, but was designated for assignment after a roster crunch in July.

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Goodbye Big Z

A career that showed much promise closed a chapter today, as the Cubs traded Carlos Zambrano, their one-time ace and current problem child, to the Florida Miami Marlins, where we he will join fellow former Chicagoans Ozzie Guillen and Mark Buehrle.  Zambrano is almost the polar opposite of Buehrle, by far the more talented pitcher, but, due to his frequent meltdowns, was not able to utilize that talent.  When he was on his game, which he was for much of his early career on the Northside, he was one of the best in the game.  More recently, though, he has been known more for the troubles he has caused, whether it was fighting with Michael Barrett, Derrek Lee, and a Gatorade machine to finally walking out on the team after a disasterous start against the Braves last summer.  This is one of those moves where it was probably best for all involved to move on.

Personally, it will be a little difficult to see him go.  Discounting a brief callup the year before, Zambrano basically started his career in 2002, the year I first had season tickets to the Cubs.  From the run to the NLCS in 2003, the frequent drubbings on opening day starts, the back-to-back sweeps in the 07 and 08 NLDS, and, sadly, the constant fights with teammates, it feels like we’ve been through it together.

Here are his career numbers in games I have attended: Continue reading →