Tag / Red Sox

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#158 – Bob Howry

howry

Name: Bob Howry

Rank: 158

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1998-2002

Acquired in the infamous White Flag trade, Bob Howry joined the White Sox organization on July 31, 1997, along with Keith Foulke, Lorenzo Barcelo, Mike Caruso, Ken Vining, and Brian Manning, from the Giants in exchange for Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin, and Roberto Hernandez.  Howry made his major league debut on June 21, 1998, pitching 2 innings of scoreless relief in the White Sox loss to the Twins.

Howry stuck with the big league club and eventually became the closer, saving 9 games down the stretch.  He finished the year 0-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 44 appearances.

Howry remained as the closer for most of 1999, until he was replaced by Keith Foulke.  He finished the year with a winning record, at 5-3, and saw his ERA rise slightly to 3.59.  His 28 saves led the team and was 9th best in the AL.

His most infamous moment in a White Sox uniform came in early 2000, when the White Sox and Tigers were involved in 2 brawls during their April 23 game, which the Sox won 14-6.  Howry was ejected in the 9th inning after hitting Shane Halter, igniting the second brawl of the day and earning himself a 3 game suspension.  Many claim that the brawl united the young White Sox team, spurring them on to winning the AL Central title.  Howry finished the year with a 2-4 record and a 3.17 ERA, picking up 7 saves.  He appeared in 2 of the 3 games against the Mariners in the ALDS, giving up 1 run in 2 2/3 innings.

The White Sox faltered in their bid to repeat as division champs in 2001, and Howry was part of the problem.  His ERA ballooned to 4.69 and he blew more saves than he converted.  He finished the year with a 4-5 record and only 5 saves, giving up more hits than innings pitched for the first time in his career.

Howry bounced back somewhat in 2002, but was still above his career norms for runs and hits allowed.  As the White Sox were floundering at the trade deadline, Howry, despite still being under contract for 2003, was shipped to the Red Sox for Frank Francisco and another minor league pitcher.  “The opportunity presented itself and we told Bobby it was an offer we felt too good to pass up,” GM Kenny Williams said.

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

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Crosstown Competitors

cws-chiLast Saturday, Geovany Soto and Jeff Samardzija became the 25th and 26th people I’ve seen play in person for both the Cubs and the White Sox.  Here’s a look at those players, in alphabetical order.

DavidAardsma2David 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.

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_autographScott 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.

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#161 – Zach Stewart

zstewartName: Zach Stewart

Rank: 161

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2011-2012

Zach Stewart came to the White Sox, along with Jason Frason, from the Blue Jays in exchange for Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen on July 27, 2011.  Stewart appeared in 10 games for the White Sox after the trade, going 2-5 with a 6.22 ERA.

Stewart was just as productive in 2012, going 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA in 18 appearances.  On June 24, he was traded, along with Brent Lillibridge, to the Red Sox in exchange for Kevin Youkilis.

Stewart returned to the White Sox organization in 2013, after being selected off waivers from the Pirates.  He spent the entire year in Triple A Charlotte, before being purchased by the Braves following the season.

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

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All Time Team Records

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersAnother 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.  Another disappointing season dropped the winning percentage for the White Sox 7 points, giving them a 16 point drop over the past 2 years.

All-Time Team Records

TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 13 2 0.867
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 10 7 0.588
New York Yankees 11 8 0.579
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 15 13 0.536
Chicago White Sox 234 204 0.534
San Francisco Giants 8 7 0.533
Chicago Cubs 194 172 0.530
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#182 – Mark Kotsay

kotsay

Name: Mark Kotsay

Rank: 182

Position: 1B/DH

Years With White Sox: 2009-2010

Mark Kotsay came to the White Sox in a deadline deal on July 28, 2009 which sent Brian Anderson back to the Red Sox.  He finished strong for a disappointing White Sox team that finished in 3rd place and 4 games under .500, hitting .292 in 40 games for the south siders.

Kotsay returned to the White Sox in 2010, in an ill-fated attempt to split the DH duties with Andruw Jones.  Appearing in over 100 games, Kotsay’s production fell off, as he hit only .239 with 8 home runs.  Following the season, he became a free agent, ending his association with the White Sox.

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

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by admin

2015 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers

mlb_hofThe BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2014 on Monday.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 8th, with induction taking place next July.  After Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 17 holdovers along with 17 newcomers, which may start to cause a bit of a problem.  The current BBWAA rules limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10, and there may be more than 10 deserving candidates.  As they start to pile up, and even more deserving candidates become eligible, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.

Tuesday, we looked at the returning candidates.  Now, on this day of giving thanks, it’s time to look at the newcomers and who will be thankful come January.

Rich Aurilia

He managed to put up a 15 year career, which got him on this list, but it will be a quick one and done for him.

Aaron Boone

While many Yankee fans would like to see him inducted for a certain post-season home run against the Red Sox in 2003, that won’t be enough to get him a second look.

Tony Clark

Again, a perfectly acceptable career, but will be lucky to get a sympathy vote from a hometown writer.

Carlos Delgado

Delgado finished his career a mere 27 home runs away from 500, which will likely get him some support, but, based on Fred McGriff’s experiences, not enough.

capt.hta15110270331.world_series__hta151Jermaine Dye

The MVP of the 2005 World Series is unlikely to get much in the way of support despite a solid career.

Darin Erstad

The longtime Angel is unlikely to get much support.

Cliff Floyd

Another player with a fine career, but no real question as to his worthiness for the hall.

Nomar Garciaparra

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by admin

#191 – David Aardsma

DavidAardsma2Name: David Aardsma

Rank: 191

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2007

Following a decent 2006 season with the crosstown Cubs, David Aardsma was acquired by the White Sox in exchange for Neal Cotts.  2007 got off to a good start for Aardsma, as he struck out 23 batters in 15 2/3 innings pitched while putting up a 1.74 ERA in April.  Unfortunately, like the rest of the the White Sox, things took a dramatic turn for the worse.

Aardsma gave up a run per inning in May and, on June 3rd, he was sent back to Triple A Charlotte to try and get right.  He was recalled 2 weeks later after Dewon Day went down with an injury.  Aardsma, and the White Sox, played out the string, but did not improve any.  He finished the season with a 6.40 ERA, appearing in only 25 games.  Following the season, he was designated for assignment, opening up a roster spot for the signing of Octavio Dotel.  In January, he was traded to the Red Sox for 2 minor league pitchers.

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

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#193 – Damaso Marte

Name: Damaso Marte

Rank: 193

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2002-2005

Damaso Marte was acquired by the White Sox from the Pirates towards the end of spring training in 2002 in exchange for Matt Guerrier.  The trade quickly paid dividends, as Marte became on of the most reliable arms in the White Sox bullpen during the 2002 season.  He compiled a 2.83 ERA in 68 games, converting 10 saves in the process.

In 2003, Marte was even more successful.  He lowered his ERA by over a run and saved 11 games in 71 appearances.  2004 started a slight decline for Marte, as his ERA jumped nearly 2 full runs.  He appeared in 74 games, but his innings pitched dropped from the year before.

Marte’s fortunes fell a little more in 2005, as he took on a new role in the bullpen.  While the White Sox held on to first place in the AL Central, Marte’s ERA rose again, while he put up his lowest totals in a White Sox uniform in games, saves, and innings pitched.

His most famous moment in a White Sox uniform, and perhaps his lowest, was his appearance in game 3 of the 2005 ALDS against the Red Sox.  After Freddy Garcia gave up a leadoff home run to Manny Ramirez in the bottom of the 6th to cut the White Sox lead to 1 run, Marte came in to replace him.  He gave up a single to Trot Nixon and then walked the next two batters before being replaced by Orlando Hernandez, leaving him the bases loaded and nobody out.

That likely would have been his final appearance with the White Sox, had game 3 of the World Series not gone 14 innings.  Marte entered the game in the bottom of the 13th, becoming the 8th pitcher of the evening for the White Sox.  He got through the 13th relatively unscathed, but ran in to some issues in the 14th, thanks to a walk and an error.  He was replaced by Mark Buehrle, who got the final out, giving Marte the win.

With the cleanup of the ticker tape parade barely completed, the White Sox shipped Damaso Marte out of town, sending him back to the Pirates in exchange for Rob Mackowiak.

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

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by jim

The Joe Maddon Era Has Begun

joe-maddonLast Friday, Joe Maddon opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays and speculation began immediately that he would become the next manager of the Cubs, despite the fact that Rick Renteria still held that position.  While the Twitterverse ran wild with rumors, other teams with ties to Maddon, like the Dodgers and Red Sox, came out in support of their current managers.  Meanwhile, not a peep came out of 1060 West Addison.

On Monday, with the deafening silence from Wrigley Field, Rick Renteria released a statement reminding everyone that he was still the manager of the Cubs and that he was as committed as ever to leading them to that ever elusive World Series title.

Yesterday, hours before the start of game 7 of this year’s World Series, word broke that the Cubs and Maddon had come to an agreement.  No official word was forthcoming from either party, at least until the dust settles on this year’s champion.

Renteria, meanwhile, finds himself out of a job less than a year after being hired and less than a week after being left to twist in the wind.  After leading the Cubs to their best record since 2010, odds are that Renteria will land on his feet.  Joe Maddon is certainly one of the better managers in the game today, and may prove to be an upgrade over Renteria.  That doesn’t change the fact that Renteria got a raw deal from the Cubs over the past week.

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2014 Predictions Revisited

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersBack in March, just as the baseball season was about to get underway, I made my annual predictions on who was going to win what.  Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time to take a look back and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Rays

Well, not a great selection here, as the Rays finished 4th in the East.  Instead, the Orioles won the division for the first time since 1997.

Central: Tigers

It came down to the last day of the season, but the Tigers were able to hold off the upstart Royals and win the division for the fourth consecutive season.

West: Angels

Well, what do you know?  Year after year, I pick the Angels to win the division and year after year, they disappoint.  This year looked to be no different, but they caught fire just as the A’s started to fade, leading to their first divisional title since 2009.

Wild Cards: Red Sox, Rangers

Oof.  The Rangers, thank to injury after injury, finished the year with the worst record in the American League.  The Red Sox, fresh off a World Series title, were not too far behind.  Instead, the small market A’s and Royals took the wild card spots.

AL Champion: Tigers

Cy Young: David Price

MVP: Mike Trout

Only 1 of these still seem like viable choices.  The Tigers managed to get swept in the ALDS by the Orioles and David Price has little to no chance of bringing home another Cy Young Award. Mike Trout, meanwhile, is certainly still in the MVP conversation.

National League

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