In last night’s victory over the Rays, the White Sox offense saw home runs from Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery, and Miguel Vargas for the fifth time this season, trying the major league record. The record was first set in 1953 by the then-Brooklyn Dodgers, with contributions from Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges, and Duke Snider and has now been tied an additional nine times. The current White Sox are the second set of South Siders to have a piece of the record, following the 2004 trio of Joe Crede, Paul Konerko, and Jose Valentin.
Tag / Rays
The First Time
Previously, we’ve looked at the most recent time I’ve seen each of the 30 major league baseball teams play. Three weeks into the 2026 season, I thought it would be worth going into the wayback machine and see when the first time was that I saw each team live and in person, to the best of my knowledge. My records only go back to 1984, so anything before that is as yet unidentified.
Breaking it down by decade, we have twelve teams I saw originally during the 80s, eleven in the 90s, and the remaining seven came in the 2000s. For franchises that have moved, I have lumped them all together.
Earliest Game
| Team Name | Year |
|---|---|
| Texas Rangers | 8/14/1984 |
| Chicago White Sox | 8/14/1984 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 8/30/1984 |
| Boston Red Sox | 4/19/1985 |
| San Diego Padres | 7/8/1985 |
| Chicago Cubs | 7/8/1985 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 7/26/1985 |
| New York Mets | 8/4/1985 |
| Kansas City Royals | 8/20/1985 |
| Cleveland Indians/Guardians | 7/16/1987 |
| Seattle Mariners | 9/18/1987 |
| California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels | 7/28/1988 |
| Detroit Tigers | 4/20/1991 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 7/18/1993 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 8/2/1993 |
| Continue reading → |
Historic Games Part Two
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 two, featuring another six games where an individual hit a career plateau or a team clinched a division title or playoff series.
July 20, 2008 – Royals 8, White Sox 7
Entering the Sunday afternoon skirmish with the Royals, Jim Thome sat two hits away from the 2000-hit plateau. A first inning RBI single brought him one step closer and, in the seventh inning, he reached the milestone, hitting a double down the left field line.
September 14, 2008 – White Sox 4, Tigers 2
In the first game of a double header, Javier Vazquez took the mound for the White Sox, needing just five strikeouts to reach 2000 for his career. In the fifth inning, he retired Edgar Renteria swinging to reach the milestone. He finished the day with eight strikeouts, giving him 2003 for his career total.
October 6, 2008 – Rays 6, White Sox 2
On a seasonably warm Monday afternoon, the White Sox looked to stay alive in the ALDS, trailing the Rays two games to one. Unfortunately, Gavin Floyd gave up four runs in his three innings of work, giving the Rays more than enough to close out the series, the first postseason series win in franchise history.
May 17, 2009 – Astros 6, Cubs 5
With the score tied at two in the top of the fourth inning at Wrigley Field, Astros catcher Ivan Rodriguez hit a shot off of Rich Harden, barely reaching the basket in left-center field for his 300th career home run. The blast gave the Astros a two-run lead, which they would not relinquish for the remainder of the afternoon.
August 2, 2009 – Yankees 8, White Sox 5
On a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at US Cellular Field set up to be a pitcher’s duel between aces CC Sabathia and Mark Buehrle, Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera stole the show, going 4-5 while hitting for the cycle. In the second inning, Cabrera went deep against Buehrle for a three-run shot, giving the Yankees an early lead. Leading off the fourth, he doubled to right field. The following inning, he hit single, driving in two more and ending Buehrle’s afternoon. Following a groundout in the sixth, Cabrera came up for the final time in the ninth against Scott Linebrink, hitting a triple into the right field corner and cementing his achievement.
July 11, 2010 – White Sox 15, Royals 5
In the final game before the All-Star Break, with the White Sox leading 4-1, Andruw Jones came to the plate with two out to face Anthony Lerew while sitting on 399 home runs. With a 1-2 count, he deposited the next pitch into the White Sox bullpen for a three-run homer, the 400th of his career. He was just the 46th player in MLB history to reach this milestone.
All Time Team Records
After a long winter, the 2026 baseball season got underway yesterday. To celebrate, it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have identified as having attended dating back to 1984. Last year, I posted my thirteenth highest total, an increase of twelve games from the year before, and managed to see 21 out of the 30 teams, so there should be some nice changes.
The White Sox are coming off their third-straight 100 loss season and are hoping to avoid adding a fourth this year. On the other side of town, the Cubs made it back into playoff contention last year and are hoping to move beyond the NLDS this year. The 2026 season may look completely different on each side of town.
All-Time Team Records
| Team Name | Won | Loss | Winning Pctg |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Angels | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 17 | 4 | 0.810 |
| Florida Marlins | 15 | 8 | 0.652 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 7 | 4 | 0.636 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 20 | 12 | 0.625 |
| New York Yankees | 20 | 13 | 0.606 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 13 | 10 | 0.565 |
| Boston Red Sox | 22 | 17 | 0.564 |
| Colorado Rockies | 11 | 9 | 0.550 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 20 | 17 | 0.541 |
| Washington Nationals | 7 | 6 | 0.538 |
| Detroit Tigers | 35 | 30 | 0.538 |
| Cleveland Indians | 31 | 27 | 0.534 |
| Chicago Cubs | 246 | 217 | 0.531 |
| Houston Astros | 27 | 25 | 0.519 |
| Chicago White Sox | 387 | 378 | 0.506 |
| Continue reading → |
Rays All Time Leaders – Through 2025
To paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball. As we head into 2026, 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 Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays began life in 1998 as the Devil Rays, dropping the Devil portion of their name in 2008. I’ve seen 204 players wearing the Tampa Bay uniform in the 31 of their games that I’ve attended live, five as the Devil Rays and the remaining 26 as the Rays, including the 2008 ALDS and two games at their horrible home dome in 2021.
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| B.J. Upton | 5 |
| Matthew Joyce | 3 |
| Ben Zobrist | 2 |
| Luke Raley | 2 |
| Isaac Paredes | 2 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| B.J. Upton | 18 |
| Ben Zobrist | 16 |
| Carlos Pena | 9 |
| Evan Longoria | 9 |
Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Ben Zobrist | 11 |
| B.J. Upton | 9 |
| Matthew Joyce | 7 |
RBI
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| B.J. Upton | 11 |
| Carlos Pena | 8 |
| Ben Zobrist | 7 |
| Evan Longoria | 7 |
Doubles
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Wander Franco | 4 |
| Ben Zobrist | 3 |
| Evan Longoria | 3 |
| Jason Bartlett | 3 |
| Manuel Margot | 3 |
| Brandon Lowe | 3 |
Triples Continue reading →
2025 Predictions Revisited
Six months ago, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what in the 2025 MLB season. With the Division Series round in full swing, it is time to revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.
American League
East: Red Sox
While the Red Sox returned to the postseason as a wild card, the Blue Jays managed to take home their first division title since 2015.
Central: Guardians
The Tigers held first place for most of the season, but a late September surge by the Guardians gave them the crown.
West: Mariners
Hey, that’s two right now. After years of falling short, the Mariners finally held off the Astros to take home their first division title since 2001.
Wild Cards: Rays, Twins, Orioles
Not a single correct guess here. The Twins and Orioles bottomed out, while the Rays hung around the race for most of the season, but couldn’t make a run. Instead, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Tigers topped the wild card standings.
AL Champion: Guardians
Well, their hot run couldn’t last forever. Since the Guardians are out, the field looks to be wide open. What a story it would be for the Mariners to make their first World Series appearance.
Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
While Tiger starter Tarik Skubal looks to be the front-runner, Crochet has a chance to get some support here.
MVP: Julio Rodriguez
It’s going to come down to Rodriguez’s teammate Cal Raleigh or Aaron Judge, who had another monster season.
National League
All Time Playoff Team Records
We’ve made it through 162 games and, for the first time since 2020, the Cubs are in the post-season as the top-seeded Wild Card in the National League. In a rematch of the 1984 NLCS, they start a best of three series against the Padres at Wrigley Field today. The winner of that series will advance to the NLDS and face the Brewers starting Saturday.
It’s time to take an updated look at the team records for the now 33 playoff contests I have attended. These contests come from the 2018 Wild Card game, the ALDS in 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2021, the NLDS in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, and 2017, the NLCS in 2003, 2015, 2016, and 2017, the ALCS in 2005, and, of course, the 2005 and 2016 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 |
| Colorado Rockies | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Chicago White Sox | 6 | 5 | 0.545 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| Atlanta Braves | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Cleveland Indians | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Washington Nationals | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Chicago Cubs | 9 | 13 | 0.409 |
| Houston Astros | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
| San Francisco Giants | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Boston Red Sox | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
Looking Ahead To 2026
Eschewing their traditional day after the All-Star Game release, Major League Baseball released their tentative 2026 schedule on a random Tuesday at the end of August. For the fourth year in a row, MLB is keeping with a balanced schedule, playing 52 games against division opponents, 64 games against non-division opponents in the same league, and 46 interleague games, with series against every team in the opposite league. With a young and improving White Sox team already looking ahead to next year and the Cubs trying to lock down a Wild Card spot, the 2026 season looks like it could be an interesting one for the city of Chicago. So, for one day, at least, let’s turn our attention to next summer for both teams.
The White Sox open their season on March 26, the earliest North American start in league history, under the dome in Milwaukee against the Brewers, followed by a trip to South Beach to face the Marlins. They open up their home schedule against the Blue Jays on April 2.
Aside from the Brewers and Marlins, the interleague schedule sees the White Sox going on the road to face the Phillies, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Padres, while the Pirates, Reds, Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Rockies, and Nationals make their way to Rate Field. The rivalry with their north side foes continues with a three-game weekend series at home Wrigley Field in mid-May followed by a weekday series at Wrigley Field in mid-August.
The White Sox wrap up the 2026 season in September with series against the Twins, Guardians, and Tigers, should it matter. The season ends at home with a three-game series against the Rockies.
On the north side, the Cubs kick off their season at home against the Nationals and the Angels before heading out on the road in early April. Aside from the Angels, the Cubs will host the Twins, A’s, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Tigers, while travelling to visit the Mariners, Orioles, Guardians, Red Sox, and Royals.
Twelve of their 24 games in September are against their NL Central rivals, with six coming against the Brewers, which could make a difference should the Cubs find themselves in contention once again. They end the year with a three-game road trip to Boston to face the Red Sox.
And That Deadline Was A Bit Of A Dud
The MLB trade deadline has come and gone and neither the Cubs nor the White Sox made the big moves they were expected to make. The Cubs made two late moves, adding utility man Willi Castro from the Twins and reliever Taylor Rogers from the Pirates. The White Sox made a single move, sending Adrian Houser to the Rays.
Castro, 28, is a switch hitter who can play pretty much anywhere. He’s posted a .742 OPS with the Twins this year and will hit free agency at year end. Going back to the Twins are two Double A pitchers: Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong. Rogers, 34, was acquired by the Pirates on Wednesday in the Ke’Bryan Hayes trade before being flipped to the Cubs. His walk rate this year is the highest it has been in his career, but a veteran lefty is always good to have around down the stretch. High A outfielder Ivan Brethowr is headed back to the Pirates. He is 22 and striking out in nearly 30% of his at bats this season.
Houser, 32, joined the White Sox in late May and has had the best stretch of his career. In return, the Rays are sending infielder Curtis Mead, pitcher Duncan Davitt, and pitcher Ben Peoples. Mead, 24, is a former top 100 prospect who has yet to find his way in the big leagues, spending parts of three seasons with the Rays and posting 0.4 career WAR. Davitt, 25, and Peoples, 24, were both in Triple A for the Rays.
Despite those moves, when the bell rang at 5 PM CT yesterday, the Cubs were still lacking a proven starter who can help their beleaguered rotation, and the White Sox still employed Luis Robert, Mike Tauchman, and Aaron Civale. None of which was the expected outcome of the day.
Crossing Sides Of Town
So far in 2025, Brad Keller, Mike Tauchman, Nicky Lopez, and Reese McGuire pushed the total of players I’ve seen take the field in person for both the Cubs and the White Sox to 47. With the final round of crosstown kicking off tonight at Rate Field, 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.
Clint Frazier
After missing the second half of 2021 with an injury, Frazier was DFA’d by the Yankees. He signed a deal with the Cubs that offseason, though he notched just 45 plate appearances before being DFA’s once again. He chose to finish the year in the Cubs system before becoming a free agent following the season. After failing to catch on with the Rangers, he signed a minor league deal with the White Sox, eventually hitting .197 in 33 games with the big-league club.
Kosuke Fukudome Continue reading →