Tag / Geovany Soto

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Against The Reds All Time Leaders – Through 2021

redsIn the past, we’ve looked at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams.  This offseason, we will take our first ever look at those leaders against all 30 clubs.   We continue today with the Cincinnati Reds.

The Reds began life in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association, joining the National League in 1890.  I’ve seen them play 40 times against 5 different teams at 4 separate stadiums.

Home Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 6
Sammy Sosa 3
Aramis Ramirez 3

Hits

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 26
Derrek Lee 25
Ryan Theriot 17

Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 20
Aramis Ramirez 15
Sammy Sosa 10

RBI

Name Total
Derrek Lee 20
Aramis Ramirez 16
Todd Walker 11

Doubles

Name Total
Todd Walker 5
Derrek Lee 4
Aramis Ramirez 4
Sammy Sosa 4
Geovany Soto 4
Michael Barrett 4
Alfonso Soriano 4

Triples Continue reading →

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Against The Pirates All Time Leaders – Through 2021

pirates-primaryIn the past, we’ve looked at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. This offseason, we will take our first ever look at those leaders against all 30 clubs.  We continue today with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates began life in 1887 as the Alleghenys, before taking on the Pirates moniker in 1891.  I’ve seen them play 46 times, including a double header sweep in 2003, enabling the Cubs to clinch their first NL Central title and a work outing in 2008 against the White Sox.

Home Runs

Name Total
Sammy Sosa 6
Alfonso Soriano 4
Jermaine Dye 3
Corey Patterson 3
Aramis Ramirez 3

Hits

Name Total
Derrek Lee 17
Aramis Ramirez 16
Sammy Sosa 15
Alfonso Soriano 15

Runs

Name Total
Sammy Sosa 14
Aramis Ramirez 10
Derrek Lee 8
Alfonso Soriano 8
Corey Patterson 8

RBI

Name Total
Sammy Sosa 12
Alfonso Soriano 8
Aramis Ramirez 7
Derrek Lee 7
Jermaine Dye 7

Doubles

Name Total
Geovany Soto 5
Michael Barrett 5
Aramis Ramirez 4
Carlos Zambrano 4

Triples Continue reading →

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Against The Phillies All Time Leaders – Through 2021

Philadelphia_PhilliesIn the past, we’ve looked at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams.  This offseason, we will take our first ever look at those leaders against all 30 clubs.  We continue today with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies began life in 1883, and are the oldest continuous franchise that hasn’t moved cities or changed names.  I’ve seen them play 20 times, including three times in the city of San Francisco.

Home Runs

Name Total
Sammy Sosa 4
Aramis Ramirez 2
Anthony Rizzo 2

Hits

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 12
Jacque Jones 8
Ryan Theriot 6
Alfonso Soriano 6

Runs

Name Total
Sammy Sosa 6
Derrek Lee 6
Aramis Ramirez 4
Anthony Rizzo 4

RBI

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 8
Sammy Sosa 6
Jacque Jones 5

Doubles

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 4
Jacque Jones 3
Mark Grudzielanek 3
Derrek Lee 2
Jeff Kent 2
Kris Bryant 2

Triples Continue reading →

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Against The Astros All Time Leaders – Through 2021

astros-primaryIn the past, we’ve looked at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. This offseason, we will take our first ever look at those leaders against all 30 clubs.  We continue today with the Houston Astros.

The Astros began life in 1962 as the Colt 45’s, joining the National League along with the Mets, and became the Astros 3 years later.  In 2013, they moved to the American League, becoming just the second team to switch leagues.  I’ve seen them play 47 times, including game 2 of the 2005 World Series and games 3 and 4 of the 2021 ALDS.

Home Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 4
Corey Patterson 3
Tim Anderson 2
Paul Konerko 2
Adam Dunn 2
Tadahito Iguchi 2
Alfonso Soriano 2

Hits

Name Total
Derrek Lee 15
Alfonso Soriano 11
Aramis Ramirez 11

Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 10
Alfonso Soriano 6
Aramis Ramirez 5
Paul Konerko 5
Alejandro de Aza 5

RBI

Name Total
Derrek Lee 8
Paul Konerko 7
Tadahito Iguchi 7
Adam Dunn 7

Doubles

Name Total
Derrek Lee 4
Aramis Ramirez 3
7 tied with 2

Triples Continue reading →

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Lighting It Up

A high scoring affair on the south side last night as the White Sox battled their crosstown rivals led me to think: what was the highest scoring game I’ve ever attended?  Some quick calculations have produced these top 9 scoring games that I have seen in person, starting with last night’s tilt.

30 runs

8/27/2021

After putting up 6 runs in the top half of the first, the Cubs, for the second time this season, coughed up the lead.  Yasmani Grandal, in his first game action since a knee injury on July 5th, hit two home runs and drove in 8 runs as the White Sox won 17-13.  The 17 runs are the 4th largest output I’ve seen in person, while the 13 runs put up by the Cubs was the largest I’ve seen in a losing effort.

26 runs

7/2/2006

Another high scoring crosstown tilt, as Michael Barrett and Carlos Zambrano both homered off of Mark Buehrle in a 7 run first inning.  Despite home runs from Juan Uribe, Jim Thome, Joe Crede, and Tadahito Iguchi, the Cubs held on to win 15-11 while avoiding a three game sweep.

9/2/2017

Powered by backup catcher Rene Rivera’s first career grand slam, the Cubs built an 11-4 lead heading to the 7th inning against the Braves.  The Cubs bullpen then managed to give up 8 runs over the final three innings, which would have given the Braves the victory, but they also managed to tack on 3 insurance runs, giving the Cubs a 14-12 win.

24 runs

4/30/2008

Two three-run homers from Geovany Soto led the Cubs to a 19-5 victory over the Brewers, their highest single game output since 2001.

23 runs

Continue reading →

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Two Sides Of The Same Town

cws-chiFollowing last week’s trade deadline deals, Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel became the 36th and 37th people I’ve seen play in person for both the Cubs and the White Sox.  With the first round of crosstown kicking off this afternoon at Wrigley, here’s a look at those players, in alphabetical order.

David Aardsma

After posting a decent season with the Cubs in 2006, Aardsma was traded to the White Sox for Neal Cotts.  Aardsma lasted one season with the Sox, where he was unable to duplicate his success from the year before.

Jason Bere

Drafted by the White Sox in the 36th round in 1990, Bere debuted with the big league club in 1993, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting.  After an All Star selection in 1994, injuries marred the remainder of his tenure on the South Side, which ended in 1998.  He resurfaced with the Cubs in 2001 and had a decent season, but he went 1-10 in 2002 before being let go.

Emilio Bonifacio

Bonifacio spent back-to-back partial seasons in Chicago, first for the Cubs in 2014 after signing as a free agent, where he played decently enough to be flipped at the trade deadline, along with James Russell, to the Braves for a young catching prospect by the name of Victor Caratini.  He returned to Chicago in 2015, signing with the White Sox, where he he did not do well at all, hitting .167 in 47 games before being released in August.

Welington Castillo

Debuting with the Cubs in 2010, Castillo spent time behind the plate for the Cubs until May of 2015, when, having been replaced in the starting lineup by Miguel Montero, he was flipped to the Mariners.  He returned to Chicago in 2018 after signing with the White Sox as a free agent.  On May 24th of that season, he was suspended 80 games for a violation of the PED policy.  The White Sox then cut bait following the 2019 season, shipping him off to the Rangers.

Neal Cotts

Acquired by the White Sox in the Billy Koch trade, he debuted with the team in 2003.  He was a key contributor in the bullpen during the 2005 championship season, and was the only relief pitcher to appear in all 3 rounds of the playoffs that season.  Following the 2006 season, he was traded to the Cubs for David Aardsma, and he spent the next 3 injury filled seasons on the North Side.

Scott Eyre

Joining the White Sox organization in a 1994 trade with the Rangers, he debuted with the big league team in 1997.  He split the next 4 seasons between the rotation and the bullpen, not to mention between Chicago and Charlotte, before being moved to the Blue Jays following the 2000 ALDS loss to the Mariners.  He joined the Cubs as a free agent for the 2006 season and enjoyed 2 seasons of relative success, before falling apart in 2008, when he was traded to the Phillies.

Kosuke Fukudome Continue reading →

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By The Numbers – 58

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 #58.  25 players have donned #58 while playing in Chicago, 20 for the White Sox and 5 for the Cubs.

Catcher Geovany Soto donned #58 during three cups of coffee with the Cubs, in 2005 – 2007.  Earning increased playing time each year, he garnered a single at bat in 05, 25 in 06, and 54 in 07.  He finally broke through in 2008, changing his number to #18 while earning Rookie of the Year honors.  He remained the main backstop for the team until the 2012 season, when he was traded to the Rangers in August.

On the south side of town, Bobby Thigpen wore #58 during his first go-around with the team, going 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA in 20 games for the 1986 White Sox.  He switched to #37 the following year, which he wore for the remainder of his White Sox career, which ended with a 1993 trade to the Phillies.

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All Season Batting Leaders – Through 2019

It’s been five years since we last took a look at the offensive stat leaders per season for the all the games I’ve attended since 1984. While there hasn’t been a whole lot of movement for most of the categories in the last 5 seasons, I figured the time was right to take another look. So, without further ado, here’s the updated list. We start, as always, with everyone’s favorite offensive stat:

Home Runs

Year Name Total
2010 Paul Konerko 17
2004 Mosies Alou 15
2004 Corey Patterson 13
2004 Sammy Sosa 13
2003 Moises Alou 12
2008 Carlos Quentin 12

Hits

Year Name Total
2003 Mark Grudzielanek 67
2004 Moises Alou 57
2003 Moises Alou 57
2007 Derrek Lee 57
2006 Orlando Cabrera 56

Runs

Year Name Total
2004 Moises Alou 44
2003 Sammy Sosa 34
2010 Paul Konerko 31
2003 Moises Alou 30
2008 Jermaine Dye 30
2006 Tadahito Iguchi 30
2008 Nick Swisher 30

RBI

Year Name Total
2010 Paul Konerko 35
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Active Batting Leaders – Through 2018

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 2018.  Now that 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 2019 season.  A few notable retirements will be hardly noticeable on these lists from last year.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 29
Avisail Garcia 15
Gordon Beckham 15
Melky Cabrera 14
Tim Anderson 12

Hits

Name Total
Jose Abreu 160
Gordon Beckham 144
Melky Cabrera 130
Adam Eaton 102
Avisail Garcia 101

Runs

Name Total
Gordon Beckham 83
Jose Abreu 77
Avisail Garcia 58
Alejandro de Aza 57
Adam Eaton 51

RBI

Name Total
Jose Abreu 90
Gordon Beckham 70
Melky Cabrera Continue reading →
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Active Batting Leaders – Through 2017

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 2017.  Now that 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 2018 season.  A few notable retirements will completely change the complexion of these lists.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 27
Gordon Beckham 15
Melky Cabrera 14
Dayan Viciedo 14
Avisail Garcia 13

Hits

Name Total
Gordon Beckham 144
Jose Abreu 137
Melky Cabrera 130
Adam Eaton 102
Geovany Soto 97

Runs

Name Total
Gordon Beckham 83
Jose Abreu 67
Alejandro de Aza 57
Adam Eaton 51
Melky Cabrera 50
Avisail Garcia 50

RBI

Name Total
Jose Abreu 78
Gordon Beckham 70
Melky Cabrera Continue reading →