Against The Blue Jays All Time Leaders – Through 2021

jaysnewIn 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 Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays began life in 1977, joining the American League along with the Mariners. I’ve seen them play 26 times at 4 different stadiums in 2 countries, first in 1984 at the original Comiskey Park and, most recently, in 2019 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jermaine Dye 3
Tim Anderson 2
Jim Thome 2
Alex Rios 2
Michael Barrett 2
J.B. Shuck 2
Brett Lawrie 2

Hits

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 15
Paul Konerko 11
Tim Anderson 10
Jose Abreu 10

Runs

Name Total
Alex Rios 7
Paul Konerko 6
Tim Anderson 5
Jermaine Dye 5
Gordon Beckham 5

RBI

Name Total
Jermaine Dye 7
Alexei Ramirez 7
Alex Rios 6
Paul Konerko 6
Leury Garcia 6

Doubles

Name Total
Alex Rios 4
Paul Konerko 2
Jose Abreu 2
Avisail Garcia 2
Carlos Quentin 2
Aramis Ramirez 2
Alejandro de Aza 2

Triples Continue reading →

Against The Nationals All Time Leaders – Through 2021

nationalsIn 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 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 18 times, 5 as the Expos and 13 as the Nationals, including one at their home stadium in 2019 and a neutral site game in 2004.

Home Runs

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 4
Corey Patterson 2
12 tied with 1

Hits

 

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 8
Ryan Theriot 7
Michael Barrett 6
Derrek Lee 6
Mark Grudzielanek 6
Juan Pierre 6

Runs

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 5
Ryan Theriot 4
Derrek Lee 4
Moises Alou 4

RBI

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 13
Moises Alou 4
Jeff Conine 3

Doubles

Name Total
Moises Alou 3
Jacque Jones 2
Ben Zobrist 2

Triples Continue reading →

Against The Mariners All Time Leaders – Through 2021

marinersIn 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 Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners began life in 1977, joining the American League along with the Toronto Blue Jays. I’ve seen them play 39 times, including the final night game at the original Comiskey Park, the first 2 games of their sweep of the White Sox in the 2000 ALDS, and the first series back with 100% capacity last June.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 10
Alex Rios 4
Avisail Garcia 3
Jose Abreu 3
Dayan Viciedo 3

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 17
Alexei Ramirez 17
Tim Anderson 15

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 14
Tim Anderson 10
Alex Rios 9

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 17
Alex Rios 9
Alexei Ramirez 8

Doubles

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 5
A.J. Pierzynski 5
Melky Cabrera 3

Triples Continue reading →

August All Time Leaders – Through 2020

With a full year of baseball on tap after last year’s troubles due to a combination of the corona virus and needless labor squabbles, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for each month in games that I have attended.

As we wrap up the summer months, the dog days of August leading into school starting back up has played a part in my attending 151 games during the month, my lowest total since March.  I’ve managed to see a game on every day of the month, with 8 games on the 3 separate occasions leading the way, and a single game on the 7th bringing up the rear.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jermaine Dye 10
Alexei Ramirez 9
Aramis Ramirez 9
Jim Thome 9

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 66
Alexei Ramirez 62
A.J. Pierzynski 48

Runs

Name Total
A.J. Pierzynski 31
Paul Konerko 28
Alexei Ramirez 28

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 31
Aramis Ramirez 27
Alexei Ramirez 26

Doubles

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 13
Gordon Beckham 9
Paul Konerko 8
A.J. Pierzynski 8
Melky Cabrera 8

Triples Continue reading →

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 →

July All Time Leaders – Through 2020

With a full year of baseball on tap after last year’s troubles due to a combination of the corona virus and needless labor squabbles, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for each month in games that I have attended.

As we continue through the summer months, the warm weather has played a part in my attending 161 games during the month of July, my largest total.  I’ve managed to see a game on every day of the month, despite the 3 day All Star break which falls around the same time every year, with 10 games on the 4th leading the way, thanks to Independence Day fireworks shows, and 3 games on the 6 different dates bringing up the rear.

Home Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 10
Paul Konerko 9
Moises Alou 8
Sammy Sosa 8

Hits

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 54
Jose Abreu 50
Derrek Lee 44
Paul Konerko 44

Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 24
Alexei Ramirez 22
Jose Abreu 19
Paul Konerko 19

RBI

Name Total
Derrek Lee 28
Jose Abreu 28
Aramis Ramirez 27

Doubles

Name Total
Gordon Beckham 10
Jose Abreu 9
Aramis Ramirez 9

Triples Continue reading →

May All Time Leaders – Through 2020

With a full year of baseball on tap after last year’s troubles due to a combination of the corona virus and needless labor squabbles, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for each month in games that I have attended.

As the weather starts to turn for the better, Memorial Day weekend has played a part in my attending 160 games during the month. I’ve managed to see a game on every day of the month of May, with 10 games on the 22nd and a single game on the 11th.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 12
Sammy Sosa 7
Corey Patterson 7
Alfonso Soriano 7
Derrek Lee 7
Jermaine Dye 7

Hits

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 49
Paul Konerko 47
Derrek Lee 47
Alfonso Soriano 47

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 29
Alexei Ramirez 23
Derrek Lee 23

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 41
Aramis Ramirez 28
Alexei Ramirez 25

Doubles

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 11
Alfonso Soriano 10
Aramis Ramirez 9
Jose Abreu 9

Triples Continue reading →

Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2020

baseballs3Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2020 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and opening day less than a week away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders.

Wins

Name Total
Chris Sale 21
Jon Lester 12
Jose Quintana 8
Nate Jones 7
Lucas Giolito 6

Losses

Name Total
Jose Quintana 17
Chris Sale 12
Carlos Rodon 9
Jeff Samardzija 6
Kyle Hendricks 6

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
David Robertson 2.17
Nate Jones 2.21
Zach Duke 2.38
Johnny Cueto 2.43
Cole Hamels 2.59

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Jon Lester 2.60
Chris Sale Continue reading →

By The Numbers – 62

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 #62.  19 players have donned #62 while playing in Chicago, 12 for the White Sox and 7 for the Cubs.

Jose Quintana becomes the next player we’ve come across to wear the same number for both the White Sox and the Cubs.  He originally signed with the White Sox as a minor league free agent on after the 2011 season and made his major league debut on May 7, 2012.  He quickly moved in to the rotation and became a steady, if unlucky, presence on the mound.  As a member of the White Sox, he had a career mark of 50-54 with an unbelievable 65 no decisions.  In his last full season with the team, he made his first All Star team and finished 10th in Cy Young Award voting.

In July of 2017, with the Cubs looking to defend their World Series title and the White Sox looking to rebuild, the two teams pulled off a trade, sending Quintana to the Cubs and Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease amongst the haul for the White Sox.  In 3+ seasons with the Cubs, he improved his career winning percentage, but wasn’t the difference maker the team thought they were getting.  He became a free agent following the 2020 season.

Another #62 to appear for both teams was Bob Howry, who pitched for the White Sox from 1998 through 2002 and for the Cubs 2006 through 2008 and again in 2010.  Howry’s most infamous moment came wearing a different number, when, in 2000, he was in the middle of the brawl between the White Sox and the Tigers.

All Time Pitching Leaders – Through 2020

After a shortened season, thanks to the corona virus, that let in no fans and a failed negotiation to push back the start of the 2021 season, White Sox pitchers and catchers hold their first spring workout today with the hopes that things will be different this year.  I guess that means it is time for our annual look at the pitching leaders in the now 949 games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2020.  No difference from last year, since I didn’t attend any games last year and only added a 1988 tilt between the White Sox and the then California Angels.  So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category, the always popular:

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 31
Gavin Floyd 24
Carlos Zambrano 21
Chris Sale 21
John Danks 19

Losses

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 17
Jose Quintana 17
John Danks 16
Carlos Zambrano 15
Gavin Floyd 15

ERA (>= 35 IP)

Name Total
David Robertson 2.17
DJ Carrasco 2.20
Nate Jones Continue reading →