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 →

Against The Rangers All Time Leaders – Through 2021

rangersIn 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 Texas Rangers.

The Rangers began life in 1961, joining the American League as the second incarnation of the Washington Senators after the original franchise moved to Minnesota to become the Twins.  Following the 1971 season, the team moved to Arlington, Texas and became the Rangers.  I’ve seen them play 38 times against 5 different foes, across 2 states and 4 different stadiums.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 3
Jose Abreu 3
Jermaine Dye 3

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 20
Jose Abreu 14
A.J. Pierzynski 12
Alexei Ramirez 12

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 8
Jose Abreu 8
Jermaine Dye 8

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 11
Jose Abreu 9
Jermaine Dye 8

Doubles

Name Total
Alex Rios 4
Alexei Ramirez 4
Jose Abreu 3
Scott Podsednik 3
Carlos Quentin 3

Triples Continue reading →

2021 Final Batting Leaders

Another baseball season has come to an end, with the White Sox winning their first division title since 2008 and making the post-season in consecutive seasons for the first time in team history, before losing to the Astros in the ALDS and the Cubs shocking their fanbase with the dismantling of the core that led them to 3 straight NLCSs and a world championship in 2016.  Let’s take a look back at the offensive leaders for the 58 games that I attended this season, with lower capacity crowds in the spring to full capacity at the end:

Home Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 9
Yasmani Grandal 8
Patrick Wisdom 7
Luis Robert 6
Yoan Moncada 5
Tim Anderson 5

Hits

Name Total
Tim Anderson 55
Jose Abreu 49
Yoan Moncada 49
Luis Robert 29
Andrew Vaughn 26

Runs

Name Total
Tim Anderson 32
Yoan Moncada 27
Continue reading →

2021 All Star Break Batting Leaders

The All Star Game is in the books, as the American League extended its winning streak to 8 straight and White Sox closer Liam Hendriks earned the save, only the second White Sox player to do so.  As baseball takes the day off to prepare for the second half, let’s take a look at the first half offensive leaders for the 32 games I attended, starting with:

Home Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 5
Javier Baez 4
Adam Eaton 3
Patrick Wisdom 3
Yasmani Grandal 3
Carlos Santana 3
Brad Miller 3

Hits

Name Total
Tim Anderson 28
Yoan Moncada 26
Jose Abreu 24
Nick Madrigal 21
Yermin Mercedes 14

Runs

Name Total
Tim Anderson 17
Jose Abreu 14
Continue reading →

They Say You Can’t Go Home Again

Last December, the White Sox brought back Adam Eaton on a one-year deal, with an option for 2022, to shore up right field against right handers, platooning with Adam Engel.  Many, including myself, were skeptical of the move, given Eaton’s injury history and better, but more expensive, options available on the market.  He started the season strong-ish, hitting .233 with 3 home runs and 18 RBIs in April, but fell off significantly after that.  He hit .158 with 2 homers and only 7 RBIs in 21 May games and hit .161 while only appearing in 11 games in June.

All of that added up to a .201 average with a career low .642 OPS and, with a roster crunch caused by Adam Engel’s return from the IL and the play of Brian Goodwin and Billy Hamilton, Eaton was designated for assignment yesterday.  The initial concerns, of whether he would be able to stay on the field for a full season, seem well founded after 2 stints on the IL in 3 months.  I’m sure this isn’t the end of the road for Eaton, but it is probably a start down that road.  A player like him, who relies on his legs for so much of his game, can see the writing on the wall once those legs start to go.

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

Continue reading →

June 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 move into the summer months, I’m sure the nicer weather has played a part in my attending 160 games during the month of June.  I’ve managed to see a game on every day of the month, with 9 games on the 25th leading the way and 2 games on the 16th bringing up the rear.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 23
Sammy Sosa 11
Aramis Ramirez 9
Jermaine Dye 9

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 87
Alexei Ramirez 60
Derrek Lee 59

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 46
Aramis Ramirez 31
Alexei Ramirez 28

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 52
Sammy Sosa 30
Joe Crede 29

Doubles

Name Total
Paul Konerko 16
Derrek Lee 15
Aramis Ramirez 13

Triples Continue reading →

By The Numbers – 51

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 #51.  44 different players have donned #51 while playing in Chicago, 20 for the White Sox and 24 for the Cubs.

Juan Cruz, wearing #51, made his big league debut for the Cubs on August 21, 2001, against the Brewers.  He went 3–1 with a 3.22 ERA in his first 8 starts, and recorded his first two major league hits on October 2.  Cruz went 3–11 with a 3.98 ERA in 45 games in 2002, picking up his first career save.  He got off to a good start in 2003, striking out 6 consecutive Mets on Opening Day, becoming only the second Cubs reliever to achieve the feat.  Things went a bit downhill from there, finishing the year 2–7 with a 6.05 ERA while making 6 starts, despite being sent back down to Iowa in June.  He threw one scoreless inning during the NLDS against the Braves.  That would end up being his final Cub appearance, as he was traded to those same Braves the following March.

Dane Dunning was acquired by the White Sox as part of the return for Adam Eaton in 2016.  He made his major league debut in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, going 2-0 in 7 starts with a 3.97 ERA.  He started Game 3 of the Wild Card series against the A’s, getting pulled after 2/3rds of an inning as the White Sox were eliminated.  That was his final White Sox appearance, as he was traded to the Rangers in exchange for Lance Lynn this past December.

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 Batting Leaders – Through 2020

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 2020.  With spring training managing to keep going despite the continuing pandemic due to the corona virus, 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 2021 season.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 36
Tim Anderson 16
Avisail Garcia 15
Gordon Beckham 15
Melky Cabrera 14

Hits

Name Total
Jose Abreu 193
Gordon Beckham 146
Melky Cabrera 132
Tim Anderson 113
Adam Eaton 105

Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 89
Gordon Beckham 85
Tim Anderson 62
Avisail Garcia 58
Adam Eaton 52

RBI

Name Total
Jose Abreu 106
Gordon Beckham 71
Melky Cabrera Continue reading →

All Time Batting Leaders – Through 2020

Last week, we took our annual look at the all time leaders in pitching stats for the 949 games I’ve attended (and identified) between 1984 and 2020. With the full White Sox roster reporting to camp yesterday despite the ongoing pandemic and full workouts beginning today, it’s time to move over to the other side of the ball and take a look at the offensive stat leaders for those games, starting with our first category:

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 93
Sammy Sosa 42
Aramis Ramirez 41
Derrek Lee 40
Jermaine Dye 40

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 366
Alexei Ramirez 300
Derrek Lee 255
AJ Pierzynski 239
Aramis Ramirez 234

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 200
Derrek Lee 140
Alexei Ramirez 134
Aramis Ramirez 120
A.J. Pierzynski 106

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 235
Aramis Ramirez 158
Alexei Ramirez 140
Derrek Lee 134
Jermaine Dye 108

Doubles Continue reading →