Tag / Ron Kittle

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By The Numbers – 42

In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees.  By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues.  Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.

Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #42.  41 different players donned #42 while playing in Chicago, 18 for the White Sox and 23 for the Cubs, prior to its league-wide retirement for Jackie Robinson in 1997.

Ron Kittle made his major league debut for the White Sox, with #42 on his back, on September 2, 1982, pinch hitting for Aurelio Rodriguez and striking out in the White Sox 6-5 victory over the Rangers at Comiskey Park.  Kittle got sporadic playing time over the final month of the season, earning just 29 at bats in 20 games while hitting .241 with a single home run.  He broke out in a big way in 1983, earning an All Star nod and finishing the year with a team rookie record of 35 home runs while hitting .254 and driving in 100 as the White Sox notched their first division title.  Kittle was knocked out of the ALCS against the Orioles after getting hit by a pitch in Game 3, finishing the series with just 2 hits in 7 at bats, but still easily earned Rookie of the Year honors.

1984 was a bit of a letdown for Kittle, as he failed to perform up to the expectations set the previous year, falling to a .215 average.  His power numbers remained, as he clubbed 32 home runs, but his OPS was down by 70 points.  There was a slight improvement in 1985, with his average improving to .230, but he hit only 26 home runs and drove in just 58 runs in 116 games.  In 1986, Kittle was hitting .213 with 17 home runs at the trade deadline when he, along with Joel Skinner and Wayne Tolleson, were sent to the Yankees for Ron Hassey, Carlos Martinez, and a player to be named later.  He re-signed with  the White Sox prior to the 1989 season, but injuries limited Kittle to just 51 games and, in 169 at bats, he hit .302 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI.  He returned in 1990, seeing his average drop to .245 with 16 home runs in 83 games when, again at the trade deadline, he was sent to the Orioles in exchange for Phil Bradley.  Kittle returned for one final hurrah with the White Sox in 1991, signing as a free agent on June 19 before being released on August 15.  In between, he appeared in 17 games and hit only .191 with 2 home runs.

On the north side, relief pitcher Bruce Sutter wore #42 during his 5 years with the Cubs from 1976 through 1980.  Over that time, he piled up 4 All Star nods, numerous MVP votes, and a Cy Young Award.  However, a lock down All Star closer is a luxury for a team that never managed to finish over .500 during those 5 years, so Sutter was dealt to the Cardinals in December of 1980, for Leon Durham, Ken Reitz, and Ty Waller.

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#33 – Ron Kittle

Name: Ron Kittle

Rank: 33

Position: LF/DH

Years With White Sox: 1982-1986, 1989-1990, 1991

Ron Kittle joined the White Sox organization in Septmber of 1978.  He worked his way through the minor leagues before making his major league debut on September 2, 1982, pinch hitting for Aurelio Rodriguez and striking out in the White Sox 6-5 victory over the Rangers at Comiskey Park.  Kittle got sporadic playing time over the final month of the season, earning just 29 at bats in 20 games.  He hit .241 with a single home run.

Kittle, and the White Sox, broke out in a big way in 1983.  While the team charged towards their first division title, Kittle earned an All Star nod and finished the year with a team rookie record of 35 home runs while hitting .254 and driving in 100.  Kittle was knocked out of the ALCS against the Orioles after getting hit by a pitch in Game 3, finishing the series with just 2 hits in 7 at bats.  His season earned him Rookie of the Year honors.

1984 was a bit of a letdown for both Kittle and the White Sox.  While the team failed to perform up to the expectations set the previous year, Kittle did the same, falling to a .215 average.  His power numbers remained, as he clubbed 32 home runs, but his OPS was down by 70 points.  There was a slight improvement in 1985, with his average improving to .230, but he hit only 26 home runs and drove in just 58 runs in 116 games.

In 1986, Kittle was hitting .213 with 17 home runs at the trade deadline when he, along with Joel Skinner and Wayne Tolleson, were sent to the Yankees for Ron Hassey, Carlos Martinez, and a player to be named later.  He rejoined the White Sox a year and a half later, signing as a free agent after the 1988 season.

Injuries limited Kittle to just 51 games in 1989.  In 169 at bats, he hit .302 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI.  He returned in 1990, seeing his average drop to .245 with 16 home runs in 83 games when, again at the trade deadline, he was sent to the Orioles in exchange for Phil Bradley.

Kittle returned for one final hurrah with the White Sox in 1991, signing as a free agent on June 19 before being released on August 15.  In between, he appeared in 17 games and hit only .191 with 2 home runs.

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

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#115 – Tom Paciorek

wimpyName: Tom Paciorek

Rank: 115

Position: 1B/LF

Years With White Sox: 1982-1985

Tom Paciorek was traded to the White Sox from the Mariners in December of 1981, for Rod Allen, Todd Cruz, and Jim Essian.  He became the primary first baseman for the White Sox in 1982 and finished the year second on the team with a .312 average.

In 1983, Paciorek split time between first base and the outfield, due to the emergence of young players like Greg Walker and Ron Kittle.  He finished the year with a team-leading .307 average as the White Sox took home their first division title, by a record 20 games.  Paciorek appeared in all 4 games of the ALCS, picking up 4 hits in 16 at bats as the White Sox fell to the Orioles.

Paciorek saw his playing time diminish further in 1984, as the White Sox struggled to repeat their success of the prior year.  His personal highlight came on May 8th (and 9th), when he set an odd major league record, garnering 5 hits in a game he did not start.  Paciorek replaced Ron Kittle in the 4th inning of what would become the longest game in major league history, with the White Sox eventually defeating the Brewers in 25 innings, with Paciorek going 5-9.

By 1985, Paciorek’s playing time was decreased even further.  He had only 122 at bats when, on July 16, he was traded to the Mets for outfielder Dave Cochrane, drawing his White Sox playing career to an end.

Following his playing career, Paciorek rejoined the White Sox as color commentator on their television broadcasts from 1988 through 1999, and appeared as an occasional fill-in in more recent times.

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

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#125 – Ron Hassey

hassey

Name: Ron Hassey

Rank: 125

Position: C/DH

Years With White Sox: 1986-1987

Ron Hassey was originally acquired by the White Sox, along with Joe Cowley, in a December 1985 trade with the Yankees for Britt Burns and some minor leaguers.  Two months later, just as pitchers and catchers were about to report to spring training, he was traded back to the Yankees, along with Matt Winters and 2 other minor leaguers, for Neil Allen, Scott Bradley, a minor leaguer, and cash.  5 months later, at the trade deadline, he was acquired again by the White Sox, along with Carlos Martinez and a player to be named later, for Ron Kittle, Joel Skinner, and Wayne Tolleson.  Hassey put up good numbers over the last 2 months of 1986, hitting .353 in 49 games, driving in 22 runs and scoring 20 himself.

Following off-season knee surgery, Hassey was limited in 1987.  He once again appeared in 49 games for the White Sox, but this time saw his average fall to .214.  Once the season came to an unsatisfactory end, for both Hassey and the White Sox, he became a free agent.

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

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#146 – Joel Skinner

joelskinnerName: Joel Skinner

Rank: 146

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1983-1986

Acquired in 1982 by the White Sox as a free agent compensation pick from the Pirates organization, Joel Skinner made his major league debut on June 12, 1983 in a victory over the A’s.  He appeard in only 6 games for the eventual AL West champions, garnering 3 hits in 11 at bats.

Skinner again split time between the minor leagues and the major leagues in 1984, though he had more of a lasting impact at the big league level than the year before.  He appeared in 43 games for the White Sox, struggling at the plate and hitting only .213.

Skinner got another opportunity with the White Sox in 1985, when backup catcher Marc Hill went down with a hip contusion.  He appeared in 22 games and hit a surprising .341.  This convinced incoming general manager Ken Harrelson that he was ready to take over behind the plate in 1986.

To accomodate Skinner, Harrelson had manager Tony LaRussa move Carlton Fisk to left field.  The White Sox stumbled out of the gate and Skinner struggled to hit.  On May 9, with Skinner hitting in the .150s and LaRussa’s job on the line, he moved Fisk back behind the plate and the White Sox proceeded to win 10 of their next 13 games.  Skinner got another chance behind the plate in July when a virus knocked Fisk out of the lineup, but his days with the team were numbered.

As the trade deadline approached at the end of July, Skinner, along with Ron Kittle and Wayne Tolleson, were sent to the Yankees in exchange for Ron Hassey, Carlos Martinez, and a player to be named later, who eventually became Bill Lindsey.

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

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#159 – Oscar Gamble

Veeck4Name: Oscar Gamble

Rank: 159

Position: DH

Years With White Sox: 1977, 1985

With the 1977 season about to get underway, Oscar Gamble, along with Robert Polinsky, LaMarr Hoyt, and $200,000, was traded to the White Sox from the Yankees in exchange for Bucky Dent.  As one of the spark plugs for the team that would eventually become known as the South Side Hitmen, Gamble had a career year, hitting 31 home runs with a .297 average and a .588 slugging percentage.

Owner Bill Veeck couldn’t afford to keep Gamble past the 1977 season, so he was allowed to leave as a free agent.  But his time on the south side wasn’t done, as Gamble returned to the White Sox as a free agent in 1985.  Unfortunately, his second go around did not go as well.

Gamble split time at DH with Ron Kittle, but did not put up much offense.  He managed a paltry 4 home runs with a lowly .203 average.  He was designated for assignment on August 12 to make room for rookie Joe DeSa.  “The fact Oscar only hit four homers doesn`t mean he didn`t help us,” manager Tony LaRussa said.  “What he needed to do was hit for a higher average. He had one of the highest on-base percentages on the club with all his walks. I thought Oscar did all right with us.”

Gamble’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#218 – Phil Bradley

philbradley

Name: Phil Bradley

Rank: 218

Position: OF

Year With White Sox: 1990

With a surprising White Sox squad only 3 games behind the reigning champion A’s for the AL West crown in 1990, they swung a deadline deal that sent Ron Kittle to the Orioles in exchange for Phil Bradley.  “I have always liked the way Phil Bradley plays,” general manager Larry Himes said.  “He has good fundamentals, is very aggressive and a fine addition to our club.”

While Bradley was hitting .270 for the Orioles at the time of the trade, his average plummeted to .226 while with the White Sox as the A’s ran away with the division title.  He went 0-3 in his final appearance of the season, the last night game at Comiskey Park.

Following the season, Bradley left the White Sox to play in Japan and never again played in the major leagues.

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

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2014 Tickets – Southside Edition

Word came down yesterday afternoon that Cub season tickets had started to arrive, so imagine my surprise when I got home and found this sitting on my doorstep:

2014soxbox

Inside the box were the two ticket books, a collection of parking passes, and some miscellaneous paperwork.  The tickets themselves have returned to a portrait orientation, and feature photos of all-time White Sox greats.

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by jim

2013 Games Of Interest

408542_10151670598888298_1264282517_nFireworks Night

June 7
June 28
July 3
July 19
July 27
August 9
August 23 (Elvis Night)
September 14 (Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day)

Family Day (Replaces Kids Day)

April 7
April 21
April 28
May 26
June 9 (1983 White Sox Kids Jersey)
June 30
July 21
July 28
August 11 (Spirit & Mascot Day)
August 25
September 15
September 29

Other Fun Stuff

April 6 – 1983 White Sox Knit Bomber Hat
April 20 – White Sox Puzzle Cube
April 27 – Harold Baines Bobblehead
May 11- Paul Konerko Bobblehead
June 8 – Southpaw’s Birthday Party
June 29 – Billy Pierce Replica Statue
July 20 – 1983 White Sox Replica Batting Helmet
August 10 – Ron Kittle Bobblehead

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#332 – Carlos Martinez

carlosmartinezName: Carlos Martinez

Rank: 332

Position: 1B/3B

Years With White Sox: 1988-1990

Carlos Martinez was sent to the White Sox in 1986, along with Ron Hassey, by the Yankees in exchange for Ron Kittle, Joel Skinner, and Wayne Tolleson.  He made his major league debut on September 2, 1988 against the Indians.  Martinez spent most of 1989 with the big league club, setting his career highs in average, at-bats, hits, runs, and doubles.  He was also named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team.

In 1990, Martinez took over as the White Sox primary first baseman until August 2nd, when a rookie named Frank Thomas was brought up.  With first base settled for the next decade or so, and pending legal issues in his homeland of Venezuela, Martinez was granted free agency in February of 1991, ending his White Sox career.

Unfortunately, Martinez passed away in 2006 at the age of 40 in his native Venezuela following a long illness.

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

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