Tag / Diamondbacks

by admin

RIP US Cellular Field

uscellular-fieldYesterday, US Cellular Field officially was rechristened as Guaranteed Rate Field, ending a 14 year run for the wireless telecom company as the naming rights holder for the home of the Chicago White Sox.  In that time, I saw 414 games at the park, including a Marlins home game in 2004 due to Hurricane Ivan and post-season play in 2000, 2005 and 2008.

All-Time Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Arizona Diamondbacks 1 0 1.000
Colorado Rockies 2 0 1.000
St. Louis Cardinals 1 0 1.000
Florida Marlins 3 1 0.750
New York Yankees 10 7 0.588
Boston Red Sox 13 10 0.565
Los Angeles Angels 16 13 0.552
Baltimore Orioles 11 9 0.550
Chicago White Sox 223 190 0.540
Kansas City Royals 23 20 0.535
Toronto Blue Jays 9 8 0.529
Cleveland Indians 20 18 0.526
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 1 1 0.500
Tampa Bay Rays 8 8 0.500
Washington Nationals 1 1 0.500
Anaheim Angels 1 1 0.500
Cincinnati Reds 1 1 0.500
San Diego Padres 1 1 0.500
Houston Astros 4 5 0.444
Oakland Athletics 6 8 0.429
Chicago Cubs 11 15 0.423
Detroit Tigers 13 19 0.406
Minnesota Twins 19 28 0.404
Texas Rangers 7 13 0.350
Atlanta Braves 2 5 0.286
Seattle Mariners 5 18 0.217
Pittsburgh Pirates 1 4 0.200
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 5 0.167
Milwaukee Brewers 0 2 0.000
Montreal Expos 0 1 0.000
Miami Marlins 0 2 0.000
by admin

All Time Playoff Team Records

baseballs3As the Cubs prepare for their second consecutive post-season appearance, it’s time to take an updated look at the team records for the now 20 playoff contests I have attended.  These contests come from the ALDS in 2000, 2005, and 2008, the NLDS in 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2015, the NLCS in 2003 and 2015, the ALCS in 2005, and, of course, the 2005 World Series.

Post-Season Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Florida Marlins 3 0 1.000
Seattle Mariners 2 0 1.000
New York Mets 2 0 1.000
Los Angeles Dodgers 2 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 1 0 1.000
Chicago White Sox 5 4 0.556
Tampa Bay Rays 1 1 0.500
Los Angeles Angels 1 1 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Chicago Cubs 2 9 0.182
St. Louis Cardinals 0 1 0.000
Houston Astros 0 1 0.000
Boston Red Sox 0 2 0.000
by admin

Turning The Page To Next Year

baseballs3Major League Baseball released their tentative 2017 schedule yesterday.  While the local squads have differing goals in mind as 2016 winds down, with the Cubs currently sitting pretty with a magic number of 1 and the White Sox playing out the string while trying to avoid their 4th straight losing season, it’s time to turn our attention to next summer for both teams.

The White Sox open their season at what will then be known as Guaranteed Rate Field on April 3 against the Tigers, with 28 of their first 34 games coming against AL Central foes.  Given their lack of success in this arena over the past few years, it will be a tough test to start the new campaign.

The interleague schedule pits the White Sox against the NL West, with trips to Arizona, Colorado, and Los Angeles and home series against the Padres, Giants, and the Dodgers.  The rivalry with their north side foes continues the last week of July, with Monday and Tuesday games at Wrigley Field before moving back to the south side for Wednesday and Thursday.

The season ends with a 7 game homestand against the Royals and Angels before heading to Cleveland for the final weekend.  Assuming the team finds itself in contention, it could be an interesting last week.

Meanwhile, on the north side, the Cubs open the season down in St. Louis, for the first time since 1986, on April 3.  They kick off the home portion of their schedule the following week against the Dodgers.

The interleague schedule pits the Cubs against the AL East, with trips to Boston, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay and home series against the Yankees, Blue Jays, and the Rays.

The Cubs end the year with a 4 game stint against the Cardinals in St. Louis before returning home for the final weekend against the Reds.  One can only assume they will be celebrating their second straight NL Central crown.

by admin

All Time Team Records

baseballs3Another 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.  Despite disparate seasons on the two sides of town last season, both the White Sox and the Cubs saw their overall winning percentage drop.  The 2016 season looks to be hopeful for both teams, so this trend should reverse itself.

All-Time Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1
Arizone Diamondbacks 13 2 0.866666666666667
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652173913043478
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 12 8 0.6
New York Yankees 12 9 0.571428571428571
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538461538461538
Los Angeles Angels 15 13 0.535714285714286
San Francisco Giants 8 7 0.533333333333333
Chicago White Sox 250 222 0.529661016949153
Chicago Cubs 197 177 0.526737967914439
Detroit Tigers Continue reading →
by admin

#103 – Roberto Alomar

ralomarName: Roberto Alomar

Rank: 103

Position: 2B

Years With White Sox: 2003, 2004

With the White Sox just 3 1/2 games behind the Twins on July 1, 2003, they tried to upgrade the right side of their infield by acquiring Roberto Alomar from the Mets for prospects Royce Ring, Edwin Almonte, and Andrew Salvo.  Alomar, nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career, struggled both offensively and defensively with the White Sox, hitting .253 in 67 games with an OPS of just .670.

Following the season, Alomar became a free agent and signed with the Diamondbacks.  In August, he was again acquired by the White Sox, this time for a player to be named later.  This second stint went much worse, as Alomar, thought to be suffering from vision problems, appeared in only 18 games for the White Sox, hitting an anemic .180 in what would become the final games of his major league career.

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

Continue reading →

by admin

#109 – Edwin Jackson

ejax

Name: Edwin Jackson

Rank: 109

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2010-2011

Edwin Jackson came to the White Sox on July 30, 2010 in a trade with the Diamondbacks for David Holmberg and Daniel Hudson.  Word on the street was that the White Sox acquired Jackson in order to flip him to the Nationals for Adam Dunn, but another move was not in the cards.  With Jake Peavy out for the remainder of the season, Jackson moved in to the starting rotation, going 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts as the White Sox finished in second place, 6 games behind the Twins.

Jackson returned for the 2011 season.  As the White Sox hovered around .500, Jackson put up a 7-7 record, with a slightly inflated 3.92 ERA.  With the team failing to make a run and with Jake Peavy back from his injury the year before, the White Sox moved Jackson, along with Mark Teahen, to the Blue Jays in exchange for Jason Frasor and Zack Stewart, ending Jackson’s White Sox career almost a year to the day after it began.

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

Continue reading →

by admin

#112 – Orlando Hernandez

elduqueName: Orlando Hernandez

Rank: 112

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2005

Orlando Hernandez first became a member of the White Sox organization on January 15, 2003, when he was acquired from the Yankees for Antonio Osuna.  Mere moments later, he was shipped to the Expos, along with Rocky Biddle, Jeff Liefer, and cash, in exchange for Bartolo Colon.  Nearly 2 years later, he signed with the White Sox as a free agent.  As the 5th starter, he put up a decent 9-9 record, but with a high 5.12 ERA.

Hernandez moved to the bullpen for the 2005 post-season, where he permanently etched his name in White Sox lore.  With the White Sox looking to win their first post-season series since the 1917 World Series and clinging to a 4-3 lead in the 6th inning of game 3 of the ALDS against the Red Sox, Hernandez entered in relief of Damaso Marte with the bases loaded and nobody out.  He managed to induce pop-outs from both pinch hitter Jason Varitek and Tony Graffanino before getting Johnny Damon to chase a ball out of the strike zone on a 3-2 count to escape unscathed.  2 rounds later, he pitched a scoreless inning in the 14-inning game 3 of the World Series.

Nearly two months later, Hernandez was traded, along with Luis Vizcaino and Chris Young, to the Diamondbacks for Javier Vazquez.

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

Continue reading →

by admin

Diamondbacks All Time Leaders – Through 2015

dbacksWith 5 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks began life in 1998, joining the league along with the Devil Rays. I’ve seen them play 15 times, starting in their inaugural season and most recently in 2014, including the final game of their 2007 sweep of the Cubs in the NLDS.

Home Runs

Name Total
Luis Gonzalez 3
Steve Finley 3
Stephen Drew 3

Hits

Name Total
Luis Gonzalez 10
Stephen Drew 7
Alex Cintron 7
Conor Jackson 7

Runs

Name Total
Luis Gonzalez 11
Steve Finley 6
Troy Glaus 5

RBI

Name Total
Orlando Hudson 7
Steve Finley 6
Eric Byrnes 6

Doubles

Name Total
Luis Gonzalez 4
Chad Tracy 3
5 tied with 2

Triples Continue reading →

by admin

#130 – Daniel Hudson

dan-hudson

Name: Daniel Hudson

Rank: 130

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2009-2010

Daniel Hudson was the White Sox fifth round pick in the 2008 draft.  He quickly worked his way through the minor league system, making his major league debut on September 4, 2009, pitching 2 innings of scoreless relief in the White Sox 12-2 victory over the Red Sox.  He moved in to the starting rotation when Gavin Floyd went down with a hip injury, earning his first major league victory in his second start on September 27.

Hudson returned to Triple A to start the 2010 season.  He was called up on July 11 after Jake Peavy tore his right latissimus dorsi muscle.  Hudson made 3 starts for the White Sox through the end of July, when, at the trade deadline, he was sent to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Edwin Jackson.

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

Continue reading →

by admin

#131 – Jorge Fabergas

061697deion_450x424

Name: Jorge Fabergas

Rank: 131

Position: C

Year With White Sox: 1997

Jorge Fabergas was acquired by the White Sox, along with Chuck McElroy, from the Angels on May 18, 1997 in exchange for Chad Krueter and Tony Phillips.  He became the regular catcher and put together a fine season, hitting .280 and driving in 48 runs in only 100 games.  Unfortunately, his time on the south side was cut short, as he was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was selected by the Diamondbacks.

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

Continue reading →