Tag / Red Sox

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#74 – Brent Lillibridge

lillibridgeName: Brent Lillibridge

Rank: 74

Position: 2B/OF

Years With White Sox: 2009-2012

Brent Lillibridge was acquired by the White Sox, along with Tyler Flowers and 2 minor leaguers, from the Braves in exchange for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan on December 4, 2008.  He split the 2009 season between Triple A Charlotte and Chicago, hitting an anemic .158 in 95 at bats spread across 46 games.

Lillibridge stuck with the White Sox in 2010, improving his average to .224 in only 64 games.  2011 was his best season, setting career highs in home runs, RBIs, batting average, and OPS.  On April 11, he hit the 10,000th home run in White Sox history off Dallas Braden and the A’s.

Lillibridge struggled again in 2012, with his average dropping down to .175 before the June 24th trade that sent him, along with Zach Stewart, to the Red Sox for Kevin Youkilis.

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

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#75 – Donn Pall

thepopeName: Donn Pall

Rank: 75

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1988-1993

Chicago native Donn Pall joined the White Sox organization via the 23rd round of the draft in 1985.  He made his major league debut 3 years later, throwing a mop-up inning of relief at the end of the Sox 10-2 loss to the A’s on August 1 at Comiskey Park.  Pall appeared in 16 additional games down the stretch for a miserable White Sox squad, finishing the year with a respectable 3.45 ERA.

Pall returned to the White Sox bullpen in 1989, earning his first career win on April 27 in a 16 inning victory over the Red Sox.  He finished the year 4-5 with a 3.31 ERA and 6 saves in 53 appearances for the last place White Sox.

The surprising White Sox found themselves in a pennant race in 1990 as they said goodbye to Comiskey Park.  Pall continued to be a mainstay in the bullpen, going 3-5 with a 3.32 ERA in 56 appearances, including one appearance during the final weekend at the park he grew up attending.

Pall and the White Sox moved across the street for the 1991 season, where Pall put up the best numbers of his career.  He finished the year 7-2 with a sparkling 2.41 ERA in 51 appearances, including a scoreless inning of relief in the first game at new Comiskey Park.  Pall struggled in 1992, seeing his ERA jump to 4.93 and his appearances drop to 39 despite a 5-2 record.

In 1993, as the White Sox headed towards their first division title since 1983, Pall bounced back to put up 3.22 ERA in 39 appearances heading into September.  However, he found himself in a roster crunch and, to make room for the re-acquired Ivan Calderon, he was traded to the Phillies on August 31 for a player to be named later.  Pall, along with Carlton Fisk, who had been released earlier in the year, came to Comiskey Park before game 1 of the ALCS to wish their former teammates well.  Sadly, they were both turned away, souring Fisk’s relationship with the organization for years.

Pall returned to the White Sox organization in 1995, spending the entire year in Triple A before leaving at the end of the year as a free agent.

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

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2016 All Star Break Standings

baseballs2As the baseball world turns its sights to San Diego for tomorrow night’s All Star Game, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 18 games I attended in the first half of the baseball season, a mish-mash of excitement, followed by disappointment, giving way to uncertainty about what the second half will hold.

2016 Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Los Angeles Angels 1 0 1.000
Chicago Cubs 1 0 1.000
Boston Red Sox 1 0 1.000
Kansas City Royals 3 1 0.750
Cleveland Indians 2 1 0.667
Toronto Blue Jays 1 1 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 8 9 0.471
Texas Rangers 0 2 0.000
Minnesota Twins 0 2 0.000
Cincinnati Reds 0 1 0.000
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#81 – Geoff Blum

geoff-blum

Name: Geoff Blum

Rank: 81

Position: 1B/3B

Year With White Sox: 2005

Acquired at the trade deadline from the Padres in 2005, Geoff Blum made little impact for the White Sox during the regular season, hitting an even .200 in 31 games.  He went 0-1 during his sole ALDS appearance, pinch hitting in the Game 1 blowout against the Red Sox.

Blum sat on the bench until the 14th inning of Game 3 of the World Series, when he pinch hit for Bobby Jenks.  On a 2-0 count, Blum pulled the next pitch from Ezequiel Astacio into the right field stands, giving the White Sox a 6-5 lead.  Later that day, the White Sox clinched their first World Series title in 88 years.  4 days later, Blum became a free agent.

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

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#88 – Steve Lyons

stevelyons

Name: Steve Lyons

Rank: 88

Position: 3B/OF

Years With White Sox: 1986-1990

Steve Lyons was acquired by the White Sox at the end of June in 1986 in the deal that sent Tom Seaver to the Red Sox.  “I’ve liked him since he came into professional baseball,” GM Ken Harrelson said.  “The only reason we were able to get him is that Boston is in a divisional race.”  Lyons appeared in 42 games for the White Sox following the trade, starting 35 of them, and hit a disappointing .203 while finding his way into manager Jim Fregosi’s doghouse.

Lyons saw his average improve in 1987, though it didn’t necessarily add up to additional playing time.  Splitting time between Hawaii and Chicago, he appeared in only 76 games and saw a mere 193 at bats.

With an improved relationship with Fregosi in 1988, Lyons stepped in to become the regular third baseman after the Kenny Williams experiment came to an end in May.  While his offense was serviceable enough, he struggled defensively, finishing the year with 25 errors.  “It’s a huge embarrassment,” Lyons conceded.  “I’m just not doing the job. I hate to think that our pitchers are scared of me playing third base, but that would be a natural thought.”

1989 saw Lyons move primarily to second base.  The biggest moment of his season came at Yankee Stadium in June when a woman ran onto the field and accosted Lyons in the on-deck circle, giving him a big kiss.  He finished the year hitting .264 with a career high 50 RBI.

With the White Sox returning to contention in 1990, Lyons saw himself out of a starting job.  He clashed with new manager Jeff Torborg over his diminished playing time, due to the arrival of Robin Ventura at third base and the commitment to Scott Fletcher at second base.  He managed some late-inning duty at first base, until Frank Thomas joined the big league club in August.  In his new role, his average dropped to .192.  The most famous, or infamous, moment of his career came on July 16 against the Tigers, when, after sliding into first base for a bunt single, he lost track of where he was and dropped his pants to remove the dirt from his slide.  He quickly raised them back up, but the damage was done and a legend was born.

Despite his clashes with Torborg, Lyons managed to break camp with the White Sox in 1991, but lasted 4 games into the season, without getting in to any of them, before being released to make room for Charlie Hough, who was coming off the disabled list.  “I started seeing there wasn’t an opportunity for me to get on the field anywhere,” said Lyons.  “They had other guys to do the same kind of things that I was going to do.”

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

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#90 – Neal Cotts

neal-cotts-whitesoxName: Neal Cotts

Rank: 90

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2003-2006

Neal Cotts was acquired by the White Sox, along with Billy Koch and Daylan Holt, from the A’s in exchange for Keith Foulke, Mark Johnson, and Joe Valentine in December of 2002.  He made his major league debut on August 12, 2003, lasting only 2 1/3 innings in a start against the Angels, walking 6 and giving up 2 hits and 2 runs.  He made 3 additional starts, finishing the year with an 8.10 ERA in only 13 1/3 innings pitched.

Under new manager Ozzie Guillen, Cotts moved to the bullpen in 2004.  Appearing in 56 games, he managed to lower his ERA somewhat, to a still-horrid 5.65.  He did manage to pick up his first major league hit, against the Expos on June 18.

Things clicked in 2005, both for Cotts and the White Sox.  He appeared in 69 regular season games and posted a sparkling 1.94 ERA as the White Sox took the AL Central crown.  He faced one batter in the ALDS, getting Trot Nixon to flyout in Game 1 of the sweep against the Red Sox.  He was the only White Sox reliever to appear in the ALCS, getting the final 2 outs in the Game 1 loss to the Angels.  As the White Sox moved on to their first World Series since 1959, Cotts appeared in all 4 games, winning Game 2 and giving up only 1 hit in an inning and a third.

Cotts reverted back to his previous form in 2006, appearing in 70 games and seeing his ERA balloon back up to 5.17, though he did earn his first career save.  Following the season, he was traded across town to the Cubs for fellow relief pitcher David Aardsma.

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

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FB2: Week 14

FB2_Week14I posted my highest step total since the Disney trip last week, despite 2 days falling short of my 6000 step goal.  Things got off to a slow start on Sunday, as I barely hit 3500 steps.  Things picked back up on Monday and Tuesday thanks to normal work activities.  Wednesday had a pretty good total, good enough for my 14th highest total to date, thanks to a post-work trip down to US Cellular Field for a pre-game session with White Sox GM Rich Hahn followed by a tilt between the Sox Red and White.  Thursday also had a decent total due to post-work activities, this time a trip down to the Adler Planetarium for an exciting science lecture with Val.  Friday, I failed to hit the 6000 step mark after working from home then making a return trip to US Cellular Field to watch batting practice and then a tilt between the White Sox and the Twins.  Saturday’s regularly scheduled baseball game enabled me to surpass the 6000 step mark for the day and 54,000 steps for the week.

Total steps: 54,080

Daily average: 7725.7

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#99 – Brian Anderson

Name: Brian Anderson

Rank: 99

Position: CF

Years With White Sox: 2005-2009

Brian Anderson joined the White Sox organization as the 15th overall pick in the 2003 draft.  He made his major league debut on August 16, 2005, going 2-7 in a 9-4 loss to the Twins at US Cellular Field.  He appeared in only 13 games for the big league club in 2005, as the White Sox battle for the division crown went down to the final weekend.  Anderson was left off the playoff roster, but still spent the time with the team, joining Aaron Rowand in doubting the walk-off home run Scott Podsednik hit in Game 2 of the World Series.

When Rowand was traded to the Phillies prior to the 2006 season, Anderson became the new starting center fielder.  Unfortunately, he was unable to reproduce his minor league success at the major league level, eventually losing playing time to Rob Mackowiak.  He finished the year with a .225 average, striking out 90 times in only 365 at bats.

2007 turned in to a lost season for Anderson, as he lost his starting job to Darin Erstad and appeared in only 13 games, with an anemic .118 average, before being sent back to Triple A Charlotte.  He managed to boost his average back up in the minors, but an injury ended his season early.

Anderson returned to the big leagues in 2008 with a renewed focus, but it did not translate to better results in the field.  He spent most of the year as a backup and as a late inning defensive replacement for Ken Griffey Jr.  The highlight of his season was the diving catch he made to end the tiebreaker game 163 that sent the White Sox to the playoffs.  This time, Anderson made the playoff roster, but he went hitless in 5 at bats across 3 games in the White Sox loss to the Rays in the ALDS.

Anderson found himself in the same position in 2009, until the trade deadline approached, when he was traded to the Red Sox for Mark Kotsay.

Anderson returned to the White Sox organization on January 15, 2015, signing a minor league deal, but he was released on April 2nd, ending his professional career.

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

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#100 – Jake Peavy

CT sox-tigers05.JPG

Name: Jake Peavy

Rank: 100

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2009-2013

The White Sox first traded for Jake Peavy on May 21, 2009, but Peavy invoked his no-trade clause to block the deal.  The next day, in a game against his soon-to-be cross town rival Cubs, Peavy injured his ankle running the bases and headed to the disabled list.  When the White Sox came around again at the trade deadline despite the lingering ankle injury, Peavy agreed to the deal and left the Padres to join the White Sox in exchange for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter.  Peavy eventually managed to make 3 starts for the White Sox, winning all 3 and giving fans hope for the 2010 season.

After getting off to a rough start in 2010, Peavy got on a roll and strung together five consecutive victories until July 6, when he suffered a detached latissimus dorsi muscle, a rare injury that ended his season.  Peavy worked his way back to the White Sox rotation in 2011, but he needed time to adjust to his reattached muscle and rebuild his strength.

In 2012, Peavy led the surprising White Sox to a summer in first place and was named to the All Star team.  Unfortunately, the team faded down the stretch and finished behind the Tigers for the AL Central crown.  After the season, he avoided free agency by reupping with the White Sox, signing a two year, $29 million dollar extension with a vesting option for 2015.  Unfortunately, the late season collapse that doomed the White Sox in September of 2012 continued into 2013, as the team fell into the cellar and saw an opportunity to improve themselves by moving Peavy to the Red Sox in a three-way deal that would send Jose Iglesias to the Tigers and Avisail Garcia and three low level prospects to the White Sox.

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

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A Quarter Century Of Memories

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of US Cellular Field, the White Sox are asking fans to vote for the top moment in US Cellular Field history, broken down into 4 brackets: Postseason Perks, Memorable Moments, Records and Milestones, and Honors and More.  Today, we shall take a look at the first 2 groupings of these moments and decide which is the best.

postseason_peaksThe Postseason Peaks region boasts 6 entries from or related to the 2005 World Series champions plus another 2 from the team’s last division winner in 2008.  The disappointing post-season appearances from 1993 and 2000 are left out altogether.  As an added plus, I attended all of the games in this region.

The first match-up is a no-brainer, with Scott Podsednik’s walk-off home run to win Game 2 of the World Series pitted against Alexei Ramirez’s grand slam against the Tigers to force game 163 against the Twins for the division crown.  With all due respect to Alexei, Podsednik takes this with ease.

The next battle is between the aforementioned game 163, the Blackout Game that sent the White Sox to the playoffs, against Joe Crede’s walk-off single against the Angels in Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS.  While the Blackout was great fun, it was just a regular season game.  Crede’s hit, following the A.J. Pierzynski drama, would have blown the roof off the place, if it had one.

Next, we have the unfair fight of Paul Konerko’s grand slam in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series versus Tadahito Iguchi’s go-ahead home run against the Red Sox in Game 2 of the ALDS.  No real contest here.

The final match-up is again from Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS, when Pierzynski struck out and somehow managed to get the umpires to let him take first base, going up against the second game of the 2006 season, when the White Sox received their World Series championship rings.  While the ring ceremony was indeed cool, it can’t beat the game action of one of the smartest players in baseball using his wits to outduel the opponent.

memorable_momentsWe now turn our attention to the Memorable Moments region, a more varied group of games, only 5 of which I managed to attend.

We begin with the second to last day of the 2014 season, when the White Sox honored their retiring captain with a special ceremony, doing battle against the July 7, 1999 contest against the Royals where Chris Singleton hit for the cycle.  Once again, I’ll have to give the nod to Konerko.

The next match-up pits Frank Thomas, hitting the first White Sox home run at the then-New Comiskey Park on April 22, 1991 against Bo Jackson’s home run in the division-clinching game on September 27, 1993.  You can’t really go wrong with either of these, to be honest.

The next battle is between Mark Buerhle’s kick save followed by a flip between the legs which Paul Konerko barehanded for the putout on Opening Day 2010 and the 10 year reunion of the 2005 champions last summer.  I’ll give the nod to Buehrle.

The last match-up features the White Sox game against the Yankees on September 18, 2001, the first game after the tragedy of 9/11 versus Carlos Lee’s 10th inning walk-off grand slam off Courtney Duncan in the June 8, 2001 victory over the Cubs.  While Lee’s hit is obviously the better baseball moment, the meaning of the return to the field after the attack on New York and the Pentagon have a greater meaning overall.

Coming out of these brackets, you have either Konerko or Podsednik’s home run from Game 2 of the World Series going up against Buehrle’s play against the Indians on Opening Day 2010.  We’ll check out the remaining 2 regions next week.