Tag / Cole Hamels

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Historic Games Part Four

Last summer, the White Sox fell victim to Clayton Kershaw’s 3000th career strikeout and I decided to take a look back at the historic games I’ve attended over the years.  Here is part four, featuring another six games where an individual hit a career plateau or a team clinched a pennant.

October 19, 2017 – Dodgers 11, Cubs 1

With a decisive Game 5 victory over the Cubs in the NLCS, the Dodgers win the NL Pennant, avenging their loss from the year prior.  Kiké Hernández became just the fourth Dodger to hit a post-season grand slam and Chris Taylor and Justin Turner were named co-MVPs for the NLCS.  It was the third straight year the NL champion was crowned at Wrigley Field.

June 18, 2019 – White Sox 3, Cubs 1

With a 1-2 pitch that caught Ivan Nova looking in the top of the third inning at Wrigley Field, Cole Hamels became just the tenth left-hander to notch 2500 career strikeouts and the 38th overall.  He finished the day with eight strikeouts over seven innings, getting a no-decision as the crosstown rivals proved victorious.

May 25, 2021 – White Sox 8, Cardinals 3

With a socially distanced crowd in attendance, Joe West worked the 5,376th regular-season game of his umpiring career, eclipsing Bill Klem’s record that stood for 80 years.  Working behind the plate, West’s feat became official after the top of the fifth inning with the White Sox out to an early lead and, following the fifth inning, he was greeted by the San Diego Chicken, who presented West with a bouquet of multi-colored roses.  West retired at the end of the year, ending his 43-year career with 5,460 games umpired.

August 16, 2021 – White Sox 5, A’s 2

In the top of the 8th inning with a full count, Craig Kimbrel enticed Matt Chapman to chase a slider that ended up three feet outside of the zone to record his 1,000th career strikeout.  He finished the night with 1,001 strikeouts, all coming in relief.

September 3, 2023 – Tigers 3, White Sox 2

In his 875th game, Tim Anderson led off against Tarik Skubal and the Tigers, lacing the first pitch into the gap in left center field for his 1000th career hit.  He became just the 1343rd player in MLB history to reach that milestone and was the fifth quickest in White Sox history, trailing Bibb Falk, Magglio Ordonez, Frank Thomas, and Jose Abreu.

June 3, 2026 – A’s 5, Cubs 4

In the fourth inning of last night’s game against the homeless Athletics, Ian Happ doubled for his 1000th career hit.  He is just the 37th player to have 1000 hits as a Cub and the 1415th player in MLB history to reach the plateau.

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Welcoming A New Class

Two weeks ago, the attention of the baseball world turned to the small hamlet of Cooperstown, New York and to summers past as the votes for the 2026 Hall of Fame class were tallied and the results announced.  Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones join Jeff Kent, who was elected by the Veteran’s Committee last month, in obtaining baseball immortality.  Beltran was on his fourth year of eligibility while Jones was in his ninth.

Chase Utley was the only other player to score greater than 50% of the vote, finishing with 59.1%.

Aside from Jones, who spent the 2010 season with the White Sox, things started looking up for our local heroes.  Manny Ramirez, who spent a little more than a month with the White Sox at the tail end of his career, saw another small increase in support, finishing with 38.8% of the vote thanks to his multiple PED suspensions. Jimmy Rollins, who spent the final 41 games of his career on the south side, picked up 25.4% in his fifth go-around.  Cole Hamels, who spent a little less than a year and a half with the Cubs, debuted with 23.8%.  Mark Buehrle saw a strong increase, jumping up to 20% in his sixth go-around.  The disgraced Omar Vizquel, accused of both sexual abuse of an autistic teen and spousal abuse since being added to the ballot, stayed stagnant with 18.4%.  Former Pale Hose Edwin Encarnacion and Gio Gonzalez nabbed six votes between them.

Eleven players will fall off the ballot after failing to score 5% of the vote.

As for the newest Hall of Famers, I’ve seen Beltran play nine times and Jones 37.  They will get their day in the sun on Sunday, July 26.

Carlos Beltran’s numbers in games I’ve attended were:

Continue reading →

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Phillies All Time Leaders – Through 2025

Philadelphia_PhilliesTo paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball.  As we head into the holiday season, we continue our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. Today, we take a deeper dive into the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies began life in 1883 and are the oldest continuous franchise that hasn’t moved cities or changed names.  I’ve seen 144 players wearing the Phillie uniform during the 23 times I’ve seen them play live, including three times, across three different trips, in the city of San Francisco.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jimmy Rollins 4
Brad Miller 3
Mike Lieberthal 2
Bobby Abreu 2
Aaron Rowand 2

Hits

Name Total
Jimmy Rollins 20
Ryan Howard 11
Pat Burrell 8
Shane Victorino 8

Runs

Name Total
Jimmy Rollins 6
Ryan Howard 5
Pat Burrell 5
Carlos Ruiz 5

RBI

Name Total
Jimmy Rollins 15
Ryan Howard 5
Brad Miller 5

Doubles

Name Total
Jimmy Rollins 6
Ryan Howard 4
Pat Burrell 3
Jayson Werth 3
J.T. Realmuto 3

Triples Continue reading →

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2026 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers

Last Monday, the BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2026, with the results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 20th, and induction taking place July 26th.  With CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, and Billy Wagner as the electees last year, the new ballot contains fifteen holdovers along with a dozen newcomers.

On Wednesday, we looked at the returning candidates.  Today, it’s time to look at the newcomers, all of whom saw their last MLB action during the weirdness that was the 2020 season, and see who may be thankful come January.

Ryan Braun

The long-time Brewer had a fine career, minus his 2013 suspension for PEDs, but has no real shot at enshrinement.

Shin-Soo Choo

Choo left MLB as the record holder for most career home runs hit by an Asian-born player, but that isn’t going to get him much support.

Edwin Encarnación

424 career home runs was good, but good enough to push him over the top.

Gio González

A perfectly serviceable pitcher who has no real chance of getting a vote, let alone sticking around for a second election.

Alex Gordon

Again, not likely to get much support.

Cole Hamels

The 2008 World Series MVP will need to buy a ticket if he wants to get into the Hall.

Matt Kemp

A perfectly decent career, just not one that leads to enshrinement.

Howie Kendrick Continue reading →

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Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2022

Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2022 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and Opening Day just a few days away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders.

Wins

Name Total
Chris Sale 21
Lucas Giolito 11
Reynaldo Lopez 9
Jose Quintana 8
Carlos Rodon 6
Dylan Cease 6
Lance Lynn 6

Losses

Name Total
Jose Quintana 17
Carlos Rodon 13
Chris Sale 12
Lucas Giolito 9
Kyle Hendricks 8

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
David Robertson 2.13
Aaron Bummer 2.26
Cole Hamels 2.59
Danny Duffy 2.60
Michael Kopech 2.78

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Johnny Cueto 2.97
Chris Sale 3.09
Reynaldo Lopez 3.38
Dylan Cease 3.45
Lance Lynn 3.90

Strikeouts

Name Total
Chris Sale 313
Jose Quintana 208
Lucas Giolito 157
Continue reading →
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Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2021

Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2021 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and the postponed Opening Day just a few days away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders.

Wins

Name Total
Chris Sale 21
Jon Lester 12
Lucas Giolito 9
Jose Quintana 8
Reynaldo Lopez 6
Carlos Rodon 6

Losses

Name Total
Jose Quintana 17
Carlos Rodon 13
Chris Sale 12
Lucas Giolito 8
Kyle Hendricks 7

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
David Robertson 2.17
Johnny Cueto 2.43
Aaron Bummer 2.51
Cole Hamels 2.59
Jon Lester 2.60

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Jon Lester 2.60
Chris Sale 3.09
Lance Lynn 3.17
Reynaldo Lopez 3.82
Jose Quintana 4.27

Strikeouts

Name Total
Chris Sale 313
Jose Quintana 208
Carlos Rodon 154
Continue reading →
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Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2020

baseballs3Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2020 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and opening day less than a week away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders.

Wins

Name Total
Chris Sale 21
Jon Lester 12
Jose Quintana 8
Nate Jones 7
Lucas Giolito 6

Losses

Name Total
Jose Quintana 17
Chris Sale 12
Carlos Rodon 9
Jeff Samardzija 6
Kyle Hendricks 6

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
David Robertson 2.17
Nate Jones 2.21
Zach Duke 2.38
Johnny Cueto 2.43
Cole Hamels 2.59

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Jon Lester 2.60
Chris Sale Continue reading →
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Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2019

baseballs3Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2019 on the offensive side of the ball.  With the second spring training winding down and opening day finally a week away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders.

Wins

Name Total
Chris Sale 21
Jon Lester 12
Jose Quintana 8
Nate Jones 7
Lucas Giolito 6

Losses

Name Total
Jose Quintana 17
Chris Sale 12
James Shields 10
Carlos Rodon 9
Jeff Samardzija 6
Kyle Hendricks 6

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
David Robertson 2.17
Nate Jones 2.21
Zach Duke 2.38
Johnny Cueto 2.43
Cole Hamels 2.59

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Jon Lester 2.60
Chris Sale Continue reading →
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Phillies All Time Leaders – Through 2019

Philadelphia_PhilliesWith baseball shut down because of the corona virus, I thought it would be an interesting time to look back at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies began life in 1883, and are the oldest continuous franchise that hasn’t moved cities or changed names.  I’ve seen them play 19 times, including three times in the city of San Francisco.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jimmy Rollins 4
Mike Lieberthal 2
Bobby Abreu 2
Aaron Rowand 2

Hits

Name Total
Jimmy Rollins 20
Ryan Howard 11
Pat Burrell 8
Shane Victorino 8

Runs

Name Total
Jimmy Rollins 6
Ryan Howard 5
Pat Burrell 5
Carlos Ruiz 5

RBI

Name Total
Jimmy Rollins 15
Ryan Howard 5
Aaron Rowand 4

Doubles

Name Total
Jimmy Rollins 6
Ryan Howard 4
Pat Burrell 3
Jayson Werth 3

Triples Continue reading →

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2019 Final Pitching Leaders

baseballs3Yesterday, we looked at the leaders in the 37 games I attended this year on the offensive side of the ball.  With the Division Series in full swing today, it’s time to wrap up our look back at the 2019 season with the pitching leaders, starting with everyone’s favorite pitching statistic:

Wins

Name Total
Reynaldo Lopez 3
Evan Marshall 2
Ivan Nova 2
Brad Brach  2
Jon Lester 2

Losses

Name Total
Ivan Nova 5
Lucas Giolito 4
Jose Quintana 2
Kelvin Herrera 2
Alex Colome 2
Kyle Hendricks 2

ERA (> 6 IP)

Name Total
Evan Marshall 0.00
Kolby Allard 0.00
Madison Bumgarner 0.00
Chris Bassitt 0.00
Brandon Kintzler 0.00
Kyle Ryan 0.00

Strikeouts

Name Total
Lucas Giolito 35
Reynaldo Lopez 33
Ivan Nova 33
Continue reading →