Tag / Jon Garland

by admin

Against The Angels All Time Leaders – Through 2021

laangelsIn 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 Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels began life in 1961, joining the American League along with the second incarnation of the Washington Senators.  They’ve changed their location designation multiple times, starting in Los Angeles, changing to California in 1966, moving to Anaheim in 1997 and, awkwardly incorporating both Los Angeles and Anaheim starting in 2005, and finally returning to just Los Angeles in 2016.  I’ve seen them play 38 times, including games 1 and 2 of the 2005 ALCS against the White Sox and Jim Thome’s 500th career home run in 2008.

Home Runs

Name Total
Carlos Quentin 6
Paul Konerko 6
Jim Thome 4

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 22
A.J. Pierzynski 17
Alexei Ramirez 17

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 14
Alexei Ramirez 8
Carlos Quentin 8

RBI

Name Total
A.J. Pierzynski 10
Paul Konerko 9
Alexei Ramirez 8
Carlos Quentin 8
Juan Uribe 8

Doubles

Name Total
Paul Konerko 4
Juan Uribe 4
Joe Crede 3
Scott Podsednik 3
Javier Baez 3

Triples Continue reading →

by admin

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 →

by admin

September 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 head in to fall and the pennant races start to heat up, the return to school and teams falling well out of contention has played a part in my attending 124 games during the month, my lowest total since March.  I’ve managed to see a game nearly every day of the month, with 8 games on the 2 separate occasions leading the way, and no games on the 22nd or the 26th.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 20
Jose Abreu 10
Jim Thome 7

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 47
Jermaine Dye 35
Alexei Ramirez 33

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 36
Alexei Ramirez 20
Jermaine Dye 18
Jose Abreu 18

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 38
Jose Abreu 23
Alexei Ramirez 21

Doubles

Name Total
A.J. Pierzynski 7
Jermaine Dye 6
Juan Uribe 6
Yolmer Sanchez 6

Triples Continue reading →

by admin

Two Sides Of The Same Town

cws-chiFollowing last week’s trade deadline deals, Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel became the 36th and 37th people I’ve seen play in person for both the Cubs and the White Sox.  With the first round of crosstown kicking off this afternoon at Wrigley, here’s a look at those players, in alphabetical order.

David Aardsma

After posting a decent season with the Cubs in 2006, Aardsma was traded to the White Sox for Neal Cotts.  Aardsma lasted one season with the Sox, where he was unable to duplicate his success from the year before.

Jason Bere

Drafted by the White Sox in the 36th round in 1990, Bere debuted with the big league club in 1993, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting.  After an All Star selection in 1994, injuries marred the remainder of his tenure on the South Side, which ended in 1998.  He resurfaced with the Cubs in 2001 and had a decent season, but he went 1-10 in 2002 before being let go.

Emilio Bonifacio

Bonifacio spent back-to-back partial seasons in Chicago, first for the Cubs in 2014 after signing as a free agent, where he played decently enough to be flipped at the trade deadline, along with James Russell, to the Braves for a young catching prospect by the name of Victor Caratini.  He returned to Chicago in 2015, signing with the White Sox, where he he did not do well at all, hitting .167 in 47 games before being released in August.

Welington Castillo

Debuting with the Cubs in 2010, Castillo spent time behind the plate for the Cubs until May of 2015, when, having been replaced in the starting lineup by Miguel Montero, he was flipped to the Mariners.  He returned to Chicago in 2018 after signing with the White Sox as a free agent.  On May 24th of that season, he was suspended 80 games for a violation of the PED policy.  The White Sox then cut bait following the 2019 season, shipping him off to the Rangers.

Neal Cotts

Acquired by the White Sox in the Billy Koch trade, he debuted with the team in 2003.  He was a key contributor in the bullpen during the 2005 championship season, and was the only relief pitcher to appear in all 3 rounds of the playoffs that season.  Following the 2006 season, he was traded to the Cubs for David Aardsma, and he spent the next 3 injury filled seasons on the North Side.

Scott Eyre

Joining the White Sox organization in a 1994 trade with the Rangers, he debuted with the big league team in 1997.  He split the next 4 seasons between the rotation and the bullpen, not to mention between Chicago and Charlotte, before being moved to the Blue Jays following the 2000 ALDS loss to the Mariners.  He joined the Cubs as a free agent for the 2006 season and enjoyed 2 seasons of relative success, before falling apart in 2008, when he was traded to the Phillies.

Kosuke Fukudome Continue reading →

by admin

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 admin

Crosstown Pitching Leaders Revisited

cws-chiLast month, the 2019 Crosstown Cup series kicked off at Wrigley Field with the teams splitting the two games.  With round two scheduled to get under way tonight at across town at Guaranteed Rate Field, we look at the pitching leaders from the 71 contests I’ve attended in the annual match-up between the White Sox and the Cubs, starting with:

Wins

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 4
Mark Buehrle 3
Jon Lieber 3
13 tied with 2

Losses

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 3
Mark Buehrle 3
Jon Garland 3
Jose Contreras 3
10 tied with 2

ERA (> 9 IP)

Name Total
Matt Thornton 0.00
Glendon Rusch 0.00
Chris Sale 0.56
Kip Wells 1.13
Freddy Garcia 1.20

Strikeouts

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 46
Continue reading →
by admin

2019 Hall Of Fame Election Thoughts


All eyes turned towards the small hamlet of Cooperstown yesterday, as the votes were tallied and four new members were announced as the Hall of Fame class of 2019: Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez, and Mike Mussina.  Rivera, in his first year of eligibility, becomes the first player ever to be elected with 100% of the vote.  Halladay, who passed away in 2017, earned 85.4% in his first year on the ballot.  Martinez, in his tenth and final year of eligibility, also found himself on 85.4% of the ballots.  Mussina snared 76.7% of the vote in his sixth year on the ballot, just 7 votes more than the minimum needed for enshrinement.

Four others tallied greater than 50% of the vote, led by Curt Schilling, who jumped up to 60.9%.  Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds saw modest increases, which makes their eventual induction unlikely with only three more elections for each.  Larry Walker, heading in to his final shot on the ballot, saw a huge increase, going from 34.1% to 54.6%.  Fred McGriff scored 39.8% of the vote in his final go around.

Michael Young, Lance Berkman, and Miguel Tejada led the list of 16 players who failed to get 5% and will drop off the ballot, including local stars Freddy Garcia, Jon Garland, Ted Lilly, and Juan Pierre.

As for the newest Hall of Famers, I’ve seen Rivera pitch 9 times, followed by 6 career games for Martinez, 3 for Mussina, and 2 for Halladay.  These 4, along with Harold Baines and Lee Smith, who were previously elected by the Today’s Game Era Committee, will enter the Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 21.

Mariano Rivera’s numbers in games I’ve attended were: Continue reading →

by admin

2019 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers


baseballhof

The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2019 on Monday.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 22nd, with induction taking place next July.  After Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, and Trevor Hoffman were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 15 holdovers along with 20 newcomers, which may continue the logjam caused by the current BBWAA rules which limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10 and the ongoing refusal by some writers to vote for players tainted by PEDs, leaving too many qualified candidates fighting for limited spots.  Once again, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.

Yesterday, we looked at the returning candidates.  Today, it’s time to look at the newcomers and who may be thankful come January.

Rick Ankiel

Mad props to the man for putting together a viable major league career as an outfielder after imploding as a pitcher, but he has no shot here.

Jason Bay

I can’t imagine a world where Jason Bay earns a Hall of Fame vote.

Lance Berkman

I never really thought I was watching a Hall of Famer during the 31 games I saw Berkman perform in, but I have a feeling he will get some, but not enough, support.

Freddy Garcia
Jon Garland

These two members of the starting rotation for the 2005 World Series Champions will always hold a special place in my heart, but not in Cooperstown.

Travis Hafner

This has been a weak batch of newly eligible players so far, no?

Roy Halladay

I imagine Halladay would have garnered strong support anyway, but his untimely death last year will likely goose his numbers.

Todd Helton

Helton will get in, but he may need to wait a year or two.

Ted Lilly

I guess we’ll see if Bruce Levine gets to vote in these proceedings based on whether the former Cub gets a vote or not.

Derek Lowe

The former Red Sox hurler may get a little support, but not enough to keep him on the ballot for a second go-around.

Darren Oliver

Yeah, no.

Roy Oswalt
Continue reading →

by admin

All Time Pitching Leaders – Through 2016

baseballs3White Sox pitchers and catchers hold their first spring workout today, so it is time for our annual look at the pitching leaders in the now 833 games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2016. Not a whole lot of difference from last year, but a few categories have seen new faces join the leader board.  So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category, the always popular:

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 31
Gavin Floyd 24
Carlos Zambrano 21
Chris Sale 20
John Danks 19

Losses

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 17
John Danks 16
Carlos Zambrano 15
Gavin Floyd 15
Jon Garland 14

ERA (>= 35 IP)

Name Total
Nate Jones 2.08
DJ Carrasco 2.20
Matt Thornton Continue reading →
by admin

#47 – Jon Garland

Name: Jon Garland

Rank: 47

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2000-2007

Jon Garland was acquired by the White Sox at the trade deadline in 1998 from the Cubs in exchange for Matt Karchner.  He made his major league debut on July 4, 2000 against the Royals, becoming the youngest player in the American League and earning the loss by giving up 7 runs in 3 innings pitched at Kauffman Stadium.  He appeared in 15 games in the big leagues, 13 of them starts, and finished the year 4-8 with a 6.46 ERA as the White Sox won the AL Central.

Garland returned to the minor leagues to start the 2001 season, but was recalled in early May.  On May 12, he gave up the 200th home run of Alex Rodriguez’s career.  He split time between the rotation and the bullpen, ending the year with a 6-7 record and 3.69 ERA in 35 games.  He also notched his only career save.

In 2002, Garland joined the White Sox starting rotation full time.  He started 33 games and went a pedestrian 12-12 with a 4.58 ERA.  2003 was more of the same, as he went 12-13 with a 4.51 ERA.  He evened things out in 2004, going 12-11 with a 4.89 ERA, giving him a 3 year record of 36-36.

Things turned around in 2005, for both Garland and the White Sox.  He earned his first, and only, All Star nod, throwing a scoreless inning in relief.  He finished the year with an 18-10 record and a career low 3.50 ERA, helping the White Sox claim their first Central Division title since 2000.  Garland made his first post-season appearance in game 3 of the ALCS against the Angels, throwing a complete game in the 5-2 victory.  Garland appeared again in game 3 of the World Series, giving up 2 earned runs in 7 innings against the Astros.  He came in 6th place in Cy Young Award voting, right behind teammate Mark Buehrle.

Garland continued his winning ways in 2006, again winning 18 games while losing only 7, though his ERA rose to 4.51.  He also found success at the plate, hitting his first (and only) career home run on June 18 against the Reds.

2007 was another average year for Garland, as the White Sox cratered.  He finished the year 10-13 with a 4.23 ERA and completed his fourth straight year over 200 innings.  On November 19, he was traded to the Angels for shortstop Orlando Cabrera, ending his White Sox career.

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

Continue reading →