Tag / Nashville Sounds

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#54 – Keith Foulke

Name: Keith Foulke

Rank: 54

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1997-2002

Keith Foulke was acquired by the White Sox, along with Brian Manning, Lorenzo Barcelo, Mike Caruso, Bob Howry, and Ken Vining, on July 31, 1997 as part of the White Flag trade that sent Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin, and Roberto Hernandez to the Giants.  He appeared in one game for Triple A Nashville before joining the White Sox bullpen for the remainder of the season, putting up a 3.45 ERA in 16 games and earning his first 3 career saves.

1998 saw Foulke serve as the set-up man for closers Matt Karchner and Bill Simas.  He appeared in 54 games, putting up a 3-2 record and a 4.13 ERA.

Foulke returned to the set-up role in 1999 and had an excellent season.  Working over 105 innings spread across 67 games, Foulke was 3-3 with 9 saves, a 2.22 ERA, and a WHIP of 0.883.  His work earned him a tie for 10th place in the Cy Young Award voting.

With Bob Howry struggling as closer in 2000, Foulke stepped in and, saving 34 games, helped the young White Sox win their first division title since 1993.  Appearing in 72 games, he went 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA during the regular season.  Unfortunately, the ALDS did not go as well.  Foulke pitched in 2 of the 3 games against the Mariners, giving up 3 earned runs in 2 and 1/3 innings pitched.

Foulke remained as closer in 2001 and continued to excel.  He lead the AL by finishing 67 games and set a career high with 42 saves while lowering his ERA to 2.33.  Manager Jerry Manuel lost faith in Foulke during 2002 and he finished the year with only 11 saves, one of 3 White Sox pitchers in double digits.  He went 2-4 with an outlandish 2.90 ERA.

On December 3, Foulke, along with Mark Johnson, Joe Valentine, and cash, was traded to the A’s for Billy Koch, Neal Cotts, and Daylan Holt.

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

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#63 – Mike Sirotka

sirotka

Name: Mike Sirotka

Rank: 63

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1995-2000

Mike Sirotka joined the White Sox organization after being selected in the 15th round of the 1993 draft.  He made his major league debut 2 years later on July 19, 1995, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up 11 hits while picking up the loss against the Red Sox at Comiskey Park.  He made 5 additional starts in the big leagues, finishing the year 1-2 with a respectable 4.19 ERA.

1996 saw Sirotka splitting time between Chicago and Triple A Nashville.  His time in the big leagues did not go well, as he worked mostly out of the bullpen and finished the year with 7.18 ERA in 15 appearances.

Sirotka again split time between Triple A and Chicago in 1997, but saw markedly better results.  In 7 games with the White Sox, he went 3-0 with a sparkling 2.25 ERA.

Sirotka earned a spot in the White Sox rotation coming out of spring training in 1998.  He started 33 games, going 14-15 with an elevated 5.06 ERA.

1999 saw improvement in Sirotka’s numbers, as he lowered his ERA by over a run to 4.00 while finishing the year with an 11-13 record.

Sirotka got off to an inauspicious start in 2000, giving up a hit to country singer Garth Brooks, who was playing with the Padres, in spring training.  Once the games counted for real, though, Sirotka put up the best season of his young career, going 15-10 with a 3.79 ERA as the White Sox won their first AL Central crown.  Sirotka started, and lost, game 2 of the ALDS against the Mariners at Comiskey Park.

The following January, Sirotka, along with Mike Williams, Kevin Beirne, and Brian Simmons, was traded to the Blue Jays for David Wells and Matt DeWitt.  When Sirotka was found to have a shoulder injury, Blue Jays GM Gord Ash accused Kenny Williams of withholding information and labeling Sirotka as “damaged goods”.  Ash appealed to Commissioner Bud Selig, who refused to overturn the trade.  Sirotka never pitched in the major leagues again.

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

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#164 – Dave Stieb

Dave Stieb (1993 White Sox)

Name: Dave Stieb

Rank: 164

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1993

After 13 seasons with the Blue Jays, Dave Stieb signed with the White Sox as a free agent on December 8, 1992.  He battled for the fifth starter spot during spring training of 1993, but struggled and found himself on the disabled list to start the season.  After 4 rehab starts for Triple A Nashville, Stieb was recalled and he made his season debut on April 29 against the Brewers.

Less than a month later, and after only 4 major league starts, Stieb was released after walking 14 batters in only 22 innings.  “I figured they’d at least look at me for nine starts, then make a decision,” Stieb said. “The next salary bump is at 10 starts.”

Stieb’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#176 – Greg Norton

nortonName: Greg Norton

Rank: 176

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 1996-2000

Greg Norton was the 2nd round draft choice of the White Sox in 1993.  He made his major league debut on August 10, 1996, appearing as a pinch runner for Harold Baines in the 8th inning of the White Sox 8-7 loss against the Brewers.  The next night, he got hits in his first 2 plate appearances against the Tigers.  He appeared in only 11 games for the big league club that year, finishing with a .217 average.

He returned to Triple A Nashville in 1997 and made another token appearance with the White Sox.  He appeared in 18 games this time, putting up a .265 average in his limited playing time.

Norton stuck with the big league club in 1998, appearing in 132 games, mostly at first base as Frank Thomas transitioned to strictly being a DH.  In his first shot at extensive playing time, Norton struggled, hitting a lowly .237 with only 9 home runs and 36 RBI.

When Robin Ventura left as a free agent, Norton became the team’s starting third baseman in 1999.  He improved his average to .255 and hit 16 home runs while driving in 50.  Norton ran into some problems trying to replace a legend, as he was subjected to taunts from the fans.  Things boiled over in early September, when he committed 2 errors in one inning, leading to chants of “We want Robin” from the crowd.  Norton responded by hitting his second homer of the game, glaring at the fans as he ran to first and bowing to the crowd after crossing home plate.

2000 saw the White Sox run away with the Central Division title, but things continued to not go well for Norton.  His playing time diminished, and he was sent back to Triple A for a bit.  He finished the year with a .244 average, hitting only 6 home runs with 28 RBI.  Norton was left off the playoff roster in place of, ironically, Harold Baines, the same player he pinch ran for to start his career 5 years earlier.  Following the season, Norton was allowed to leave the organization as a free agent.

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

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#204 – Dave Righetti

Dave Righetti4Name: Dave Righetti

Rank: 204

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1995

Veteran pitcher Dave Righetti came to spring training with the White Sox in 1995 as a non-roster invitee and was unable to earn a spot with the big league club, but general manager Ron Schueler offered him a chance to go to Triple A Nashville and try to prove that he could still pitch effectively.  In 2 1/2 months with the Sounds, Righetti made 15 starts, putting up the third lowest ERA in the league, and strengthened his arm.

With the White Sox needing pitching help, Righetti was called up and made his season debut in New York against the Yankees, his home for 11 seasons.  “Anybody who pays the price, you’re happy to see him succeed,” manager Terry Bevington said. “He paid his dues. It’s the American way.”  Righetti ended up appearing in 10 games for the White Sox, starting 9 of them, finishing with a 3-2 record with a 4.20 ERA.

Following the season, Righetti became a free agent and, finding that no team was interested in his services, he decided to retire.

Righetti’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#252 – Atlee Hammaker

WhiteSox-atleehammakerName: Atlee Hammaker

Rank: 252

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1994-1995

Atlee Hammaker first singed with the White Sox as a free agent on February 12, 1992.  An elbow injury in spring training put his career in jeopardy and he was released on March 18th.  After rehabbing for two years, he once again signed with the White Sox on April 12, 1994.

Hammaker spent the majority of 1994 with the Triple A Nashville Sounds.  He did manage to make it back to the major leagues for the first time since 1991, putting up 1.1 scoreless innings in 2 games before the season came to an untimely end due to the player’s strike.

He returned to Triple A in 1995 and again put up impressive numbers, but this time, he was unable to duplicate that success at the major league level.  He appeared in 13 games and gave up 9 runs in just over 6 innings.  His season, and major league career, came to an end on August 18th when he was released.

While not with the White Sox, Hammaker’s most infamous moment took place at Comiskey Park.  During the 1983 All Star Game, Hammaker, pitching for the National League, gave up the first grand slam in All Star Game history to Angels outfielder Fred Lynn.

Hammaker’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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