Team Stats: Strike Outs

With 1 month until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the defensive side of the ball with strike outs.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, both teams, along with the Brewers, fare the best as well.  The Cubs lead the way with just over 8 strike outs per game.  The California version of the Angels, the Miami iteration of the Marlins, and the Devil Rays bring up the rear with an even 5 strike outs per game.

Strike Outs
Team Name Strike Outs
Chicago White Sox 3851
Chicago Cubs 3075
Kansas City Royals 339
Minnesota Twins 330
Cleveland Indians 292
Milwaukee Brewers 285
Houston Astros 281
Pittsburgh Pirates 257
Detroit Tigers 252
Cincinnati Reds Continue reading →

Team Stats: Doubles

With 2 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the offensive side of the ball with doubles.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, and the Anaheim version of the Angels are the only teams with 2 doubles or more per game.  The Miami iteration of the Marlins are at the bottom, with 1 double every other game, followed by the California incarnation of the Angels, who went double-less.

Doubles
Team Name Doubles
Chicago White Sox 770
Chicago Cubs 671
Kansas City Royals 81
Houston Astros 78
Minnesota Twins 76
Detroit Tigers 75
Cleveland Indians 69
Milwaukee Brewers 67
Pittsburgh Pirates 64
Texas Rangers Continue reading →

Team Stats: Bases On Balls

With 2 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the defensive side of the ball with bases on balls surrendered.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, 4 teams are averaging 4 or more walks per game, with the California incarnation of the Angels leading the pack with 5.  The Cubs find themselves, unfortunately, in the top 10 at 3.42 walks per game, while the White Sox are in the bottom half (or top half, depending on your point of view) with 3.19 walks per game.  The Anaheim version of the Angels and the Miami version of the Marlins bring up the rear as the only teams with less than 2 walks per game, at 1.5 a piece.

Walks
Team Name Walks
Chicago White Sox 1610
Chicago Cubs 1308
Cleveland Indians 156
Kansas City Royals 151
Cincinnati Reds 133
Pittsburgh Pirates 128
Milwaukee Brewers 125
Seattle Mariners 120
Detroit Tigers 116
Minnesota Twins Continue reading →

#40 – Scott Radinsky

Name: Scott Radinsky

Rank: 40

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1990-1995

Scott Radinsky was selected by the White Sox in 3rd round of the 1986 draft.  He made his major league debut on April 9, 1990, retiring the only batter he faced in a 2-1 victory over the Brewers at Comiskey Park.  He earned his first major league victory the following day.  With the surprising White Sox competing for a divisional title, Radinsky was a key component of the bullpen, going 6-1 with 4 saves in 62 appearances.  His performance enabled him to finish 9th in Rookie of the Year voting.

Radinsky improved in 1991, lowering his ERA by nearly 3 runs, to 2.02.  He finished the year 5-5 with 8 saves in 67 appearances.  1992 was more of the same, with a 2.73 ERA in 68 games.  He went 3-7 with 15 saves.

1993 saw Radinsky fall off somewhat, with his ERA jumping up to 4.28 despite earning an 8-2 record.  Despite the higher ERA, he set a career high to date for appearances and contributed to the White Sox earning their first division title in a decade.  He appeared in 4 of the 6 games in the ALCS against the Blue Jays, giving up 4 runs, 2 earned, in 1 2/3 innings pitched.

Radinsky missed the entire 1994 season while undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s Disease.  “Oh, it sucks to have a doctor tell you that you have cancer, but in the same breath, he told me that with aggressive treatment they can treat this particular disease,” he said.  He returned in 1995, appearing in only 46 games and with a ballooning ERA of 5.45.  Following the season, he became a free agent.

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

Continue reading →

Team Stats: Triples

With 3 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the offensive side of the ball with triples.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the Brewers lead the way with a little more than 1 triple per every 4 games.  The Anaheim and California iterations of the Angels, the Miami version of the Marlins, and the Expos bring up the rear without a triple between them.

Triples
Team Name Triples
Chicago White Sox 69
Chicago Cubs 67
Cleveland Indians 11
Milwaukee Brewers 10
Detroit Tigers 9
Minnesota Twins 8
Baltimore Orioles 7
Houston Astros 7
Pittsburgh Pirates 6
Seattle Mariners Continue reading →

#41 – Craig Grebeck

Name: Craig Grebeck

Rank: 41

Position: SS/2B

Years With White Sox: 1990-1995

Craig Grebeck joined the White Sox as an undrafted amateur free agent On August 13, 1986.  He made his major league debut on April 13, 1990, pinch hitting for Scott Fletcher in the White Sox 6-2 loss to the Indians at Comiskey Park.  Splitting time between Triple A and the big leagues, Grebeck appeared in 59 games for the White Sox, hitting an anemic .168 in 119 at bats while playing as the smallest man in the American League.  He hit his first major league home run off Nolan Ryan on August 10.

Grebeck improved in 1991, as the White Sox moved across the street to their new digs.  Appearing in a career high 107 games, he hit .281 with a career high 6 home runs.

A severe knee injury that ended Ozzie Guillen’s season in late April saw Grebeck get significant time in the starting lineup in 1992.  While his total appearances dropped to 88 games, he started 85 of them, garnering more at bats and hitting .268 with the increased playing time.

With Guillen back and Joey Cora entrenching himself at second base, Grebeck was moved back to the bench in 1993.  His average dropped to .226 while making appearances in 72 games.  He had one at bat in the ALCS against the Blue Jays, singling in the Game 2 loss as a pinch hitter.

Grebeck bounced back in 1994, hitting .309 in only 35 games before the strike ended the season on August 12.  When baseball returned in 1995, Grebeck appeared in 53 games for the White Sox, hitting .260.  Following the season, he became a free agent.

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

Continue reading →

The Still Growing 10,000 Step Club

Last year, as I was finishing my first year with a Fitbit, I took my last look at the top 20 step days I’ve had since I first started tracking my steps way back in July of 2011.  At the time, I had only surpassed the 10,000 step plateau 81 times.  In the past year, I have managed to add an additional 35 occurrences, raising the total to 116.  With my second year using the Fitbit coming to an end last week, I thought it would be appropriate to take a new look at my now top 25 step days over the past 5 1/2 years, featuring 12 new entries.

btn10K-41: 6/6/2013 – 24,988 steps

My best single day total continues to be from my 2013 trip to Disney World.  The day’s excursion to both Epcot Center and the Magic Kingdom ended up with a total of approximately 12.5 miles.  And yes, it still bothers me that I didn’t get those 12 additional steps to reach 25,000.

2: 3/22/2016 – 22,493 steps

My first new entry shares much in common with my #1 day, taking place in Disney World last March.  The day’s excursion started at Hollywood Studios before heading over to Epcot Center with Jeff and Val.

3: 7/27/2013 – 20,592 steps

My now third highest total came nearly 2 months after my highest, thanks to the BTN 5K and a, for lack of a better word, misunderstanding about where I should be picked up after the race.  These 3 days are the sum total of my days over 20,000 steps.

4: 6/2/2016 – 18,725 steps

The second new entry comes from last June’s trip to Universal Studios.  Our first full day at the park, we split the day between Universal and Islands of Adventure, taking in all of the different Harry Potter options.

5: 6/4/2016 – 18,617 steps

The third new entry rounds up the top 5 with another entry from last June’s trip to Universal Studios.  The day included another trip to Islands of Adventure, and would have ended up even higher but for an afternoon trip to the hotel pool.

6: 9/6/2015 – 18,259 steps

Down three slots from last year, my now-sixth highest total comes courtesy of my trip to Toronto in September 2015.  This Sunday consisted of traversing around Toronto, with trips to Royal Ontario Museum and, at night, the Molson Canadian Ampitheatre for the Oddball Comedy Fest.

7: 9/11/2015 – 17,889 steps

My seventh best total also occurred during my trip to Toronto.  My last day in the city was spent at the Eaton Centre mall, the Hockey Hall of Fame, and a few other stops.

8: 6/8/2013 – 17,852 steps

My now-eighth highest output brings us back to Disney World in 2013, this time for a day split between Animal Kingdom in the morning and Hollywood Studios in the afternoon.

9: 6/1/2016 – 17,243 steps

My fourth new entry again comes courtesy of last summer’s trip to Universal.  This first day of the trip started in Chicago at O’Hare and took us to the Hard Rock Hotel for check-in and a round of mini-golf at City Walk before taking a quick trip in the afternoon to Islands of Adventure to reacquaint ourselves with the original Harry Potter attractions.

10: 6/5/2016 – 16,317 steps

We round out the top 10 with my fifth new entry, which again took place last summer at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, where we tried to take in all of the non-Harry Potter attractions.

11: 9/5/2015 – 16,083 steps

We head back to Toronto for my eleventh highest day, my first full day in the city.  There was exploring along the riverfront and, of course, a trip to Rogers Centre for a Blue Jays game.

12: 9/23/2014 – 15,728 steps

This total was accomplished thanks to the 2014 Sprint & Stride 5K race that was held at work.

13: 4/11/2016 – 15,597 steps

My sixth new entry took place last April, where an exciting day of work was followed by a trip to Wrigley Field for Opening Day festivities.

14: 9/9/2012 – 14,957 steps

My now-fourteenth highest total comes thanks to a Sunday in Belfast spent walking from our hotel, down to the Titanic museum, and then back again.

15: 6/7/2013 – 14,940 steps

Another day of 2013’s vacation to Disney World, this day started with a morning trip to the hotel pool, followed by an abbreviated day at the Magic Kingdom.

Continue reading →

Team Stats: Strike Outs

With 2 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the offensive side of the ball with strikeouts.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the Diamondbacks have a commanding lead with 9.6 strikeouts per game, the only team over 9.  Both the Cubs and the White Sox are in the bottom (or top, depending on your point of view) third, surprising given the number of at bats given to strikeout machines like Sammy Sosa, Jim Thome, and Adam Dunn.  The California iteration of the Angels have the low water mark with 4 strikeouts per game.

Strike Outs
Team Name Strike Outs
Chicago White Sox 3321
Chicago Cubs 2612
Minnesota Twins 410
Cleveland Indians 369
Kansas City Royals 363
Pittsburgh Pirates 349
Cincinnati Reds 342
Detroit Tigers 327
Houston Astros 317
Milwaukee Brewers Continue reading →

Team Stats: Saves

With 2 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the defensive side of the ball with saves.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the California iteration of the Angels lead the way with an even 1 save per game.  At the bottom end of the spectrum are the Anaheim incarnation of the Angels, the Miami version of the Marlins, and the Devil Rays, who did not manage to earn a single save.

Saves
Team Name Saves
Chicago White Sox 112
Chicago Cubs 92
Kansas City Royals 17
Minnesota Twins 14
Toronto Blue Jays 12
Cincinnati Reds 11
New York Yankees 10
Detroit Tigers 10
Houston Astros 10
Los Angeles Angels Continue reading →

Team Stats: Walks

With 3 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the offensive side of the ball with walks.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the California iteration of the Angels lead the way with an exceedingly high 9 walks per game.  8 teams averaged less than 3 walks per game, with the Miami version of the Marlins bringing up the rear with just 2.5.

Walks
Team Name Walks
Chicago White Sox 1543
Chicago Cubs 1202
Minnesota Twins 153
Cincinnati Reds 151
Pittsburgh Pirates 147
Cleveland Indians 144
Milwaukee Brewers 141
Houston Astros 133
Kansas City Royals 128
Detroit Tigers Continue reading →