Tag / Red Sox

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

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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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:

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by admin

Book 1 (of 52) – Pudge: The Biography Of Carlton Fisk

Pudge: The Biography of Carlton Fisk - Doug Wilson

Pudge: The Biography of Carlton Fisk – Doug Wilson

Doug Wilson traces the life of Carlton Fisk, from his upbringing in New Hampshire, to his time in Boston as a leader for the Red Sox, and, finally, to his tenure as the under-appreciated All Star on the south side of Chicago.  Along the way, Fisk overcame injuries and slights, both perceived and real, to become one of the greatest catchers ever to take the field.

Wilson manages to get great insight into Fisk, even if he didn’t get much input from Fisk himself, thanks to those around him.  For the most part, his time in Boston was mostly a mystery to me, besides his home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series.  I was mostly looking forward to reading about his time in Chicago, where he signed as a free agent in 1981 after the Red Sox were late in offering him a contact.

New White Sox ownership was looking to make a splash, and the signing of Fisk certainly gave them what they were looking for.  Despite putting up good numbers, Fisk’s advancing age seemed to always put him at odds with White Sox leadership, who either tried to replace him with unready rookies like Joel Skinner and Ron Karkovice, or move him to a new position, such as the ill-fated attempt to play left field during the 1986 season.  Finally, six days after breaking Bob Boone’s record for games caught, he was released by the White Sox in 1993, leading to years of resentment that continued into the 21st century.

I enjoyed the look back at Fisk’s time with the White Sox, despite dreading the later years when the team was not particularly good.  Reading about the seasons I had lived through as a child, I was able to gain greater insight in to why his career ended the way it did and the rift that existed between him and the White Sox, seemingly until former teammate Ozzie Guillen became manager in 2004.

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Red Sox All Time Leaders – Through 2015

redsoxWith 4 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 things today with the Boston Red Sox.

I’ve seen the Red Sox play 25 times at 3 different stadiums, first in the White Sox home opener in 1985, through the 2005 ALDS, and, most recently, in 2012.

Home Runs

Name Total
David Ortiz 5
Mike Lowell 4
4 tied with 3

Hits

Name Total
David Ortiz 20
Mike Lowell 17
Kevin Youkilis 15

Runs

Name Total
David Ortiz 15
Dustin Pedroia 9
Mike Lowell 8
Kevin Youkilis 8
Jacoby Ellsbury 8

RBI

Name Total
David Ortiz 16
Mike Lowell 13
Kevin Youkilis 12

Doubles

Name Total
David Ortiz 6
Manny Ramirez 4
4 tied with 3

Triples Continue reading →

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#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 →

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All Time Playoff Team Records

baseballs3As the Cubs prepare for tonight’s NL wild card game against the Pirates, the first post-season appearance by a Chicago team since the inception of this blog, it’s time to take our first look at the team records for the 17 playoff contests I have attended.  These contests come from the 2000 ALDS, the 2003 NLDS and NLCS, all 3 rounds of the 2005 post-season, the 2007 NLDS, and both the ALDS and NLDS in 2008.

TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Florida Marlins 3 0 1.000
Seattle Mariners 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 1 7 0.125
Houston Astros 0 1 0.000
Boston Red Sox 0 2 0.000
by jim

Book 17 (of 52) – Split Season: 1981

Split Season: 1981 - Fernandomania, The Bronx Zoo, and The Strike That Saved Baseball - Jeff Katz

Split Season: 1981 – Fernandomania, The Bronx Zoo, and The Strike That Saved Baseball – Jeff Katz

Change was afoot in Major League Baseball as the 1980s were getting underway.  1980 saw the Philadelphia Phillies win their first World Series.  Heading in to 1981, new ownership took over on the south side of Chicago, while the Cubs would be sold mid-season.  On the field, things looked good, as Fernando Valenzuela took Los Angeles, and the rest of the nation, by storm, Dave Winfield headed to New York, and Carlton Fisk changed the color of his socks from Red to White.  Behind the scenes, though, the owners and the players were headed for a seemingly unnecessary strike, one which would stop baseball for 2 months in the middle of the season, the first in-season work stoppage.

Jeff Katz brings all of the details that led to the 1981 strike, causing the 1981 season to be split into 2 halves and adding a division playoff for the first time.  The owners, along with commissioner Bowie Kuhn, wanted to turn back the clock and punish teams for signing free agents.  The players, behind union head Marvin Miller, would have none of it and, despite what the owners were led to believe, were willing and able to stick together.

Baseball resumed in August, after 713 games were lost, and the season ended with the Dodgers topping the Yankees in the fall classic.  A revised version of the free agent compensation that the owners fought for was put in place, and was scrapped in the next round of negotiations when it backfired, just as the union claimed it would.

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#150 – Reid Nichols

105-574Fr

Name: Reid Nichols

Rank: 150

Position: OF

Year With White Sox: 1985-1986

Reid Nichols joined the White Sox via a July 11, 1985 trade that sent Tim Lollar to the Red Sox.  His biggest moment with the White Sox came a little under a month later when, playing left field in Yankee Stadium, he caught the final out of Tom Seaver’s 300th career victory.  Nichols appeared in 51 games down the stretch, hitting .297 and driving in 15.

1986 was a different beast for Nichols, and the White Sox as a whole.  Caught up in the whirlwind that was the Hawk Harrelson era, Nichols saw his playing time reduced and his batting average drop.

He returned to the White Sox for spring training in 1987, but a rebuilding White Sox team, having just acquired outfielder Gary Redus from the Reds, decided to go in a different direction and, at the end of March, Nichols was released.

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

Continue reading →

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Franchise Four – AL East

Major League Baseball is asking its fans to vote for the four most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise.  The winners will be announced in July at the All Star Game in Cincinnati.  Today, I will give my Franchise Four picks for the American League East.

F4OriolesAt first glance, my picks for the Orioles were easy.  Upon further review, though, I find myself with 5 players for only 4 slots.  Cal Ripken Jr., Frank Robinson, and Jim Palmer take my first 3 slots.  The last one comes down to Brooks Robinson and Eddie Murray.  While Murray was by far the better offensive weapon, Robinson was quite possibly the best defensive third baseman of all time.  I’m going to stick with my initial gut feeling and go with Robinson.

F4RedSoxPlenty of Hall of Famers to choose from for the Red Sox, as 6 of the 8 have been elected to Cooperstown.  The first two slots have to go to Cy Young and Ted Williams, both of whom would be in the conversation for a league wide contest.  The final two slots would have to go to Carl Yastrzemski and newly elected Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez.  Conspicuous by his absence is Roger Clemens.

F4Yankees

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