Tag / Luke Appling

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Hey Now, You’re An All Star Starter

In the midst of disappointing seasons on both sides of town, both the White Sox and the Cubs managed to get one player each elected to the starting lineup for the upcoming Midsummer Classic set to be played in Los Angeles.  Tim Anderson will start at shortstop for the American League, beating out Toronto’s Bo Bichette in the final round of voting by nabbing 55% of the tally.  Willson Contreras beat out Atlanta’s Travis d’Arnaud to start at catcher for the National League, garnering 65% of the vote.

Anderson, making his second consecutive appearance, is the first starter from the White Sox since Jose Abreu manned first base to start the 2018 and 2019 games and the first shortstop from the White Sox to start since Luis Aparicio in 1970.  He’s only the sixth White Sox shortstop to make an All-Star team, following Alexei Ramirez, Ozzie Guillen, Aparicio, Chico Carrasquel, and Luke Appling.

Contreras, who started for the NL squad in 2018 and 2019, becomes the second catcher in Cubs history to make three or more All-Star Games, following Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett.  Contreras may get to share the honor with his younger brother William, who lost out to Bryce Harper in the final round of voting for NL DH, but Harper’s broken thumb may open the door for the younger Contreras to step in as a replacement.

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By The Numbers – 4

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 #4.  43 different players have donned #4 while playing in Chicago, 10 for the White Sox, who retired the number in 1975, and 33 for the Cubs.

In his first go-around with the Cubs, Glenallen Hill switched to #4 for the 1994 season.  He played in 89 games and clubbed 10 home runs while collecting 38 RBIs before the strike cancelled the remainder of the season.

On the south side, Luke Appling started wearing his familiar #4 starting in 1933, where he started a string of nine straight seasons with an average above .300.  His best season was 1936, when he batted .388, knocked in 124 runs, scored 111 times, recorded 204 hits, and had a team-record 27-game hitting streak.  He became the first American League shortstop to win a batting title and his .388 average was the highest recorded by a shortstop in the entirety of the 20th century.

In 1940, Appling hit .348 with a career-high 13 triples as the White Sox finished fourth, their best finish in his career.  Appling missed the entire 1944 season and most of the 1945 season due to military service.  He hit .309 in 149 games in 1946 in his full-time return and earned his seventh and final All-Star selection in 1947 when he hit .306, Appling hit .314 and .301 in 1948 and 1949 respectively, during his age 41 and 42 seasons.  He retired following the 1950 season and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964.

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Leading The League

As the 2019 season comes to an end, two members of the White Sox achieved some personal milestones.  Tim Anderson led the major leagues in batting average and Jose Abreu led the American League in RBIs.

Anderson finished the year with a .335 average, leading the American League and the major leagues.  The injured Christian Yelich of the Brewers and Ketel Marte of the Diamonbacks tied for the National League lead at .329, while Yankees infielder DJ LeMehieu finished second in the AL with .327 average.  White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada used a torrid finish to come in 3rd in the AL, making for a fearsome left side of the infield for the South Siders heading into 2020.

Anderson becomes just the third player in White Sox history to win the batting title.  Luke Appling led the league in 1936 and 1943 and Frank Thomas wore the crown in 1997.

On the other side of the diamond,  Jose Abreu took home the RBI championship for the American League.  He finished just 3 behind the Nationals’ Anthony Rendon for the major league lead.  Abreu becomes just the second RBI leader in White Sox history, following Dick Allen in 1972.

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A Quarter Century Of Memories Part II

Last week, we looked at the first two regions of memories the White Sox had selected to celebrate the 25th anniversary of US Cellular Field.  Today, we finish the job by looking at the last 2 brackets: Records and Milestones and Honors and More.

records_milestonesThe Records and Milestones region spans the gamut of the 25 years the Comiskey Park II/US Cellular Field has been in service.  Unlike the last 2 regions, I only attended 2 of these 8 games.

We start with the most recent game, from last October, where Chris Sale set the franchise’s single season strikeout total, doing battle against a July 2000 matchup between the Sox and Cardinals, where Frank Thomas surpassed Luke Appling as the franchise’s all time RBI leader with a first inning home run.  I’ll select Thomas’ mark, as it represents a career mark over Sale’s single season record.

The second match-up is between Carlton Fisk breaking Bob Boone’s career record for games caught on June 22, 1991 against Bobby Jenks tying the MLB record for consecutive batters retires with 41, a mark that would be broken by teammate Mark Buehrle 2 years later.

Next, we have the first interleague game between the White Sox and the Cubs on June 16, 1997 versus Jim Thome’s 500th home run, a walk-off against the Angels on September 16, 2007, which just so happened to also be Jim Thome bobblehead day.  How can you beat that kind of drama?

The final battle is between Jack McDowell, picking up his 20th win of the year on September 8, 1992, against Mark Buehrle’s perfect game on July 23, 2009.  Buehrle easily takes this one.

honors_moreFinally, we have the Honors and More region, where I’ve attended at least 5 of the events in the running.

The first match-up is the afternoon in 2010 when Frank Thomas’ #35 was retired going up against the dedication of the Harold Baines statue in 2008.

Next, we have the dedication of the Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox statues in 2006 versus the Minnie Minoso statue dedication in 2004.

The next match-up is the August 2010 game where the city’s world champions were honored following the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup battling the Rolling Stones concert that took place in September of 2002, the last concert to date at the ballpark.

Finally, we have the dedication of Championship Plaza in April 2008 going up against the All Star game in 2003.

None of these match-ups have anything to do with something on the field, so I don’t know how you choose one statue dedication over another.

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Franchise Four – Chicago White Sox

Major League Baseball is asking its fans to vote for the four most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise.  The winners will be announced in July at the All Star Game in Cincinnati.  Today, we finish up the entire league as I give my Franchise Four picks for the Chicago White Sox.

F4WhiteSox

LALuis Aparicio played for the White Sox from 1956 – 1962 and again from 1968 – 1970.  He was an All Star 6 times in those years and was elected to Hall of Fame in 1984.  His number 11 was retired by the White Sox in 1984.

NFNellie Fox teamed with Aparicio to make up the double play combination for the 1959 American League Champions.  Fox came to the White Sox in 1950 and manned second base through the 1963 season, earning 12 All Star nods and the 1959 AL MVP.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.

LAppAfter the White Sox roster was decimated by the banishments following the throwing of the 1919 World Series, there were few bright spots until Luke Appling debuted in 1930.  20 years later, Appling retired, with 7 All Star nods, 2 batting titles, 3 top 10 MVP finishes, and too many team records to count.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964.

PKPaul Konerko came to the White Sox via trade prior to the 1999 season and became a fixture at first base until his retirement last year.  Having led the White Sox to victory in the 2005 World Series, he finished his career as the White Sox all time leader in total bases and second all time in home runs, RBIs, and games played.

HBHarold Baines was selected by the White Sox as the first overall pick of the 1977 draft.  He spent parts of 14 seasons with the team, in three different stints, until his retirement following the 2001 season.  He holds the White Sox team records for home runs, RBIs, and extra base hits for left handed hitters. Continue reading →