Tag / Rangers

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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 →
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2016 Predictions

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersThe 2016 baseball season is scheduled to kick off today, with 3 games scheduled for the first time.  For the sixth consecutive year, I’ve looked into the crystal ball to make my picks for the upcoming season.

American League

East: Blue Jays

Central: Indians

West: Rangers

Wild Cards: Red Sox, White Sox

AL Champion: Blue Jays

Cy Young: Chris Sale

MVP: Mike Trout

National League

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#110 – Kevin Hickey

Hickey2004

Name: Kevin Hickey

Rank: 110

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1981-1983

Chicago native Kevin Hickey joined the White Sox organization following an open tryout in August of 1978 after a team staffer saw him playing softball.  After 3 seasons in the minor leagues, Hickey broke camp with the White Sox in 1981 and made his major league debut in the home opener, throwing a hitless inning of relief in the Sox 9-3 victory over the Brewers.  Hickey finished the year with 41 appearances out of the bullpen, with 3 saves, and put up a respectable 3.65 ERA.

Hickey again was a main cog in the bullpen for the 1982 White Sox.  He set career highs in wins, appearances, innings pitched, strikeouts, and saves.

While 1983 was a successful year for the White Sox, ending in their first divisional title, things did not work out as well for Hickey.  A shoulder injury sidelined him after only 23 games, and his ERA at the time of his injury was 5.23.

Hickey returned to the minor leagues to rehab in 1984, and, in August, he, along with future star Doug Drabek, were sent to the Yankees as the players to be named later for Roy Smalley.  Hickey signed again with the White Sox as a free agent in March of 1987, but did not make it back to the majors and was released on August 21.

In 2003, Hickey was hired by the White Sox to be their batting practice pitcher.  He would serve in that role until April 2012, when he was found unresponsive in a Texas hotel room before the White Sox opened the season against the Rangers.  He passed away a month later at the age of 56.

Hickey’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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Rangers All Time Leaders – Through 2015

rangersWith 3 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 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 31 times, across 2 states and 4 different stadiums.

Home Runs

Name Total
Hank Blalock 3
Ian Kinsler 3
5 tied with 2

Hits

Name Total
Michael Young 19
Ian Kinsler 12
Mark Teixeira 12

Runs

Name Total
Michael Young 12
Hank Blalock 6
Gary Matthews Jr. 6

RBI

Name Total
Mark Teixeira 13
Michael Young 11
Hank Blalock 8
Ian Kinsler 8

Doubles

Name Total
Michael Young 7
5 tied with 3

Triples Continue reading →

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#123 – Clayton Richard

richard

Name: Clayton Richard

Rank: 123

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2008-2009

Clayton Richard was selected by the White Sox in the 8th round of the 2005 draft.  He made his major league debut on July 23, 2008, starting and going 4 innings in the White Sox 10-8 victory over the Rangers.  He ended up pitching in 13 games that year, starting 8, as the White Sox took home the division crown.  He made 2 appearances during the division series against the Rays, giving up 1 run in 6 1/3 innings pitched.

Richard started the 2009 season in the bullpen, before eventually moving in to the starting rotation.  He would make 14 starts before the trade deadline, when he, along with Dexter Carter, Aaron Poreda, and Adam Russell, was traded to the Padres for Jake Peavy.

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

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2015 Final Standings

baseballs3Now that the Cubs have been swept from the NLCS by the Mets, the physical attendance portion of the 2015 baseball season, for me, has come to an end.  I made it to 39 games this year, in 4 stadiums (1 new) across 2 countries.  Here are the final standings for those games, and the 15 different teams that I saw in person this year.

2015 Team Records
Team Won Loss Winning Pctg
New York Mets 2 0 1.000
Kansas City Royals 3 1 0.750
Detroit Tigers 3 1 0.750
Toronto Blue Jays 2 1 0.667
St. Louis Cardinals 2 1 0.667
Minnesota Twins 4 3 0.571
Seattle Mariners 1 1 0.500
New York Yankees 1 1 0.500
Cincinnati Reds 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 16 18 0.471
Chicago Cubs 3 5 0.375
Baltimore Orioles Continue reading →
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2015 Predictions Revisited

baseballs2Six months ago, as the 2015 baseball season was scheduled to kick off at Wrigley Field, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what.  Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Blue Jays

After a middling first half, the Blue Jays turned things around after the All Star break, especially after acquiring David Price and Troy Tulowitzki at the trade deadline, earning them their first division title since 1993.

Central: Indians

Well, I correctly predicted the end of the Tigers reign after four seasons, but I wrongly assumed that the Royals would regress after their World Series appearance last year.  Instead, they went and ran away with the AL Central crown while the Indians struggled to stay out of the cellar.

West: Angels

It came down to the final day, but the Rangers, who finished in last place in 2014, managed to hold off the Astros and the Angels to win the division.

Wild Cards: Tigers, Mariners

I completely missed the boat here, as both teams failed to live up to their pre-season expectations.  The Yankees return to the post-season and so do the surprise Astros.

AL Champion: Angels

Cy Young: Felix Hernandez

MVP: Mike Trout

Only one of these seems like a possible choice at this point, with Mike Trout the frontrunner for the MVP award.  The Cy Young award is up in the air at this point.

National League

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Looking Ahead To Next Year

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersMajor League Baseball released their tentative 2016 schedule earlier this week and, while the 2015 squad focuses on taking the second Wild Card slot, let’s take a look at what’s on tap for next summer for the North Siders.

The Cubs open the season on April 5 on the road against the Angels, the first time they will start the year in inter-league play.  The home slate kicks off the following Monday with a night game against the Reds.

This year’s inter-league slate is against the AL West, with the Rangers, Mariners, and Angels making trips to Wrigley Field, while the Cubs hit the road to visit the aforementioned Angels, A’s, and Astros.  The club also has a 2 and 2 series with the White Sox during the last week of July.

The Cubs finish the season on the road against the Pirates and Reds, which should make for a great pennant race if the team is once again in contention.

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#144 – Rodney McCray

mccrayName: Rodney McCray

Rank: 144

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 1990-1991

Rodney McCray was originally drafted by the White Sox in the 1st round of the 1982 draft, but didn’t sign.  In December of 1987, he finally joined the White Sox organization after being selected from the Padres in the minor league draft.  He made his major league debut with the White Sox on April 30, 1990, appearing as a defensive replacement in the team’s 5-4 victory against the Rangers.

McCray was used primarily as a pinch runner and defensive replacement, appearing in 32 games but getting only 6 at bats.  He ended the season with 6 stolen bases but still in search of his first major league hit.

McCray spent most of 1991 in Triple A Vancouver, where he became internationally famous.  On May 27, McCray was playing right field and was tracking down a flyball hit by current Diamnodack manager Chip Hale.  After initially catching the ball, McCray barrelled through the plywood fence.  The video of the play has lived on through the years in sports blooper videos.

McCray later earned a call-up to the White Sox in 1991, but again saw limited playing time and even more limited batting opportunities.  This time he made it in to 17 games, but got only 7 at bats.  He did manage to get 2 hits this time around.  Following the season, McCray became a free agent and his White Sox career came to an end.

McCray’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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2015 All Star Break Standings

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersAs the baseball world turns its sights to Cincinnati for tonight’s All Star Game, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 21 games I attended, at 3 different stadiums, in the first half of the baseball season.

2015 Team Records

TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Detroit Tigers 2 0 1.000
St. Louis Cardinals 1 0 1.000
Minnesota Twins 3 2 0.600
Chicago White Sox 11 9 0.550
Toronto Blue Jays 1 1 0.500
Cincinnati Reds 1 1 0.500
Baltimore Orioles 1 1 0.500
Chicago Cubs 1 2 0.333
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