Tag / Mets

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LCS Batting Leaders

baseballs3The ghosts of 1969 will be in full force this year as the Cubs will battle the Mets in the NLCS.  The Cubs will be looking to end 70 years of World Series frustrations against the rival who came from 9 1/2 games back in early August to catch and surpass the Cubs in that fated summer, finishing 8 games ahead as the Cubs en route to their first World Series title.  With the series scheduled to kick off tomorrow night in the Big Apple, let’s look at the offensive leaders in the 5 LCS games I’ve attended, games 1, 6, and 7 of the 2003 NLCS and games 1 and 2 of the 2005 ALCS.

Home Runs

Name Total
Miguel Cabrera 2
Moises Alou 2
Robb Quinlan 1
Ivan Rodriguez 1
Mike Lowell 1
Kerry Wood 1
Juan Encarnacion 1
Garret Anderson 1
Alex Gonzalez 1
Troy O’Leary 1
Joe Crede 1
Sammy Sosa 1

Hits

Name Total
Juan Pierre 6
Jeff Conine 5
Luis Castillo 5
Miguel Cabrera 4
Moises Alou 4
Sammy Sosa 4
Ivan Rodriguez 4
Alex Gonzalez 4
Mark Grudzielanek 4

Runs

Name Total
Juan Pierre 4
Miguel Cabrera 4
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#132 – Timo Perez

050530_timo_perez

Name: Timo Perez

Rank: 132

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 2004-2005

Timo Perez came to the White Sox from the Mets in the waning days of spring training in 2004 in exchange for Matt Ginter.  Acquired to be a backup outfielder, Perez saw more action than anyone bargained for when Magglio Ordonez went down with a knee injury following a collision with Willie Harris.  Perez finished the year with a .246 average in 103 games.

Perez returned in 2005, though he saw much less action.  He only appeared in 76 games as his average dropped to .218.  He went 0-2 in the playoffs, getting one at bat each in the ALDS and the World Series.  Following the season, he left as a free agent.

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

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Heading To The LCS

FlyTheWFor the first time since 2003, the Chicago Cubs are headed to the NLCS, having defeated the Cardinals in the NLDS in 4 games.  They await the winner of the Dodgers/Mets series, who will host game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday.  The Cubs, who last appeared in the World Series in 1945, have never won an NLCS, losing in 1984, 1989, and, of course, 2003.

Yesterday was also the first time in franchise history that the Cubs won a post-season series at home.  In 1907 and 1908, the team clinched their World Series victories in Detroit against the Tigers.  In 2003, the NLDS wrapped up in Atlanta, with the Cubs taking game 5 against the Braves.

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2015 Predictions Revisited

baseballs2Six months ago, as the 2015 baseball season was scheduled to kick off at Wrigley Field, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what.  Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Blue Jays

After a middling first half, the Blue Jays turned things around after the All Star break, especially after acquiring David Price and Troy Tulowitzki at the trade deadline, earning them their first division title since 1993.

Central: Indians

Well, I correctly predicted the end of the Tigers reign after four seasons, but I wrongly assumed that the Royals would regress after their World Series appearance last year.  Instead, they went and ran away with the AL Central crown while the Indians struggled to stay out of the cellar.

West: Angels

It came down to the final day, but the Rangers, who finished in last place in 2014, managed to hold off the Astros and the Angels to win the division.

Wild Cards: Tigers, Mariners

I completely missed the boat here, as both teams failed to live up to their pre-season expectations.  The Yankees return to the post-season and so do the surprise Astros.

AL Champion: Angels

Cy Young: Felix Hernandez

MVP: Mike Trout

Only one of these seems like a possible choice at this point, with Mike Trout the frontrunner for the MVP award.  The Cy Young award is up in the air at this point.

National League

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Moving On To Next Year

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersMajor League Baseball released their tentative 2016 schedule yesterday and, with little more to be concerned with for this season, let’s take a look at what’s on tap for next summer for the South Siders.

The White Sox open the season with a 4 game set on the road against the A’s on Monday, April 4.  The home season begins that Friday, when the Indians come to town for a 3 game tilt.

This year’s inter-league slate is against the NL East, with the Nationals, Braves, and Phillies making trips to US Cellular Field, while the Sox hit the road to visit the Mets, Marlins, and Phillies.  A 2 and 2 set with the Cubs occurs the last week of July.

The White Sox finish the 2016 season at home against the Rays and Twins, with 23 of their final 29 games coming against the Central Division.  Should make for a great pennant race if the team can be in contention.

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Franchise Four – NL East

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, I will give my Franchise Four picks for the National League East.

F4BravesWell, this is a nice collection of players selected to represent the Braves.  6 of the 8 have been elected to the Hall of Fame with a 7th sure to make it once he is eligible.  Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn rise above their Hall brethren, so they take the first two slots.  The last two slots come down to Eddie Mathews, with his 512 career home runs, and the 3 aces of the 90s, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz.  I’m going to go with Mathews and Maddux.

F4Marlins

A much different scenario for the Marlins, who have only been in existence since 1993 and have a history of ownership who ships out any player that may be any good and, thus, command a decent salary.  The 8 players in the running have averaged less than 7 years in a Marlin uniform.  That said, I will pick Josh Beckett, Gary Sheffield, Mike Lowell, and current star Giancarlo Stanton.

F4Mets

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All Time Team Records

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersAnother 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.  Another disappointing season dropped the winning percentage for the White Sox 7 points, giving them a 16 point drop over the past 2 years.

All-Time Team Records

TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 13 2 0.867
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 10 7 0.588
New York Yankees 11 8 0.579
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 15 13 0.536
Chicago White Sox 234 204 0.534
San Francisco Giants 8 7 0.533
Chicago Cubs 194 172 0.530
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#163 – Ramon Castro

castroName: Ramon Castro

Rank: 163

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 2009-2011

Ramon Castro came to the White Sox from the Mets via a May 30, 2009 trade for Lance Broadway, replacing Corky Miller as the backup to AJ Pierzynski.  A little less than 2 months later, on July 23, Castro was behind the plate for Mark Buehrle’s perfect game against the Rays.  After the game, Buehrle credited Castro, saying he did not shake him off during the entire game.

Castro resigned with the White Sox for the 2010 season, remaining as the backup catcher.  He appeared in 37 games and finished the year with .278 average and 8 home runs.

The 2011 season saw Castro’s production regress, as his average dropped back down to .235.  A broken hand suffered in July limited him to only 23 games and 68 at bats.  Following the season, he became a free agent and never played in the major leagues again.

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

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#172 – George Foster

GFosterName: George Foster

Rank: 172

Position: LF

Year With White Sox: 1986

When George Foster burned some bridges in New York after getting released by the Mets, accusing them of racism, the White Sox decided to take a flyer on the veteran left fielder, picking him up on August 15.  “If he’s happy, he’ll hit,” GM Ken Harrelson said.  “I don’t believe he was ever completely happy in New York.”

Things did not exactly work out in Chicago, as Foster appeared in only 15 games before being released again on September 7.  “I have no regrets about the release from the White Sox, because I feel they did give me a chance,” Foster said.  Those 15 games were the final ones of his major league career.

Foster’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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No Place To Sit

B7lCcWaCcAAeiq8To the surprise of nobody not wearing blue and red-colored glasses, the Cubs announced yesterday that the rebuild of the bleachers, being done to support the new video boards and outfield signage that is key to the renovations of Wrigley Field, will not be complete by opening day.  Or anytime soon after.

The current plan, announced during the Cubs Convention, is for the left field bleachers to be ready by the May 11 game against the Mets, the start of a 7 game homestand.  The right field bleachers are not expected to be open until late May.  While they are not part of the renovations, the center field bleachers will not open until the left field portion is available, due to safety concerns.

Assuming they meet the new deadlines, there will be 15 games, including the nationally broadcast opening night game against the Cardinals, that will be without any bleachers whatsoever.  If the right field bleachers open for the Memorial Day game against Nationals, that would mean the Cubs will play 22 home games, over 27% of the season, without their full capacity.

Season ticket holders in the bleachers will be given the option of getting a refund for the missed games, getting credit for future ticket purchases, or relocating to the main seating bowl.  Single game tickets will not be sold for those 15 games.