Tag / Royals

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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.

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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 →
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Royals All Time Leaders – Through 2015

royalsWith 2 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 today with the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

The Royals began life in 1969, joining the American League following the abandonment of the Kansas City market by the A’s following the 1967 season.  I’ve seen them play 40 times, first in 1985 at old Comiskey Park where Willie Wilson took a throw to second base of the noggin, to this past July, where I saw them sweep a series at US Cellular Field.

Home Runs

Name Total
John Buck 4
Billy Butler 4
Alex Gordon 3
Salvador Perez 3

Hits

Name Total
Billy Butler 30
Alex Gordon 18
Eric Hosmer 18
Alcides Escobar 18

Runs

Name Total
Billy Butler 13
Alex Gordon 12
Alcides Escobar 7
John Buck 7

RBI

Name Total
Billy Butler 16
John Buck 9
3 tied with 8

Doubles

Name Total
Billy Butler 6
Alex Gordon 5
Mark Teahen 5
Alcides Escobar 5

Triples Continue reading →

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#113 – Brent Morel

morelName: Brent Morel

Rank: 113

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 2010-2013

Brent Morel joined the White Sox organization as their third round selection of the 2008 draft.  He made his major league debut a little over 2 years later on September 7, 2010, appearing as a pinch hitter against the Tigers in a 9-1 White Sox loss.  A few days later, he hit a home run for his first major league hit against Bruce Chen and the Royals.  He finished the year with a .231 average in 21 games.

Morel spent the entire 2011 season with the White Sox, earning the starting third baseman job.  He boosted his average to .245 and appeared in a career high 126 games.  Unfortunately, this was the high point of his career.

2012 saw Morel battling injuries which affected him at the plate, as his average plummeted to .177 in only 35 games.  In 2013, Morel was back in Triple A for most of the year, getting into only 12 games for the White Sox.  Following the season, Morel was selected off waivers by the Blue Jays, ending his White Sox career.

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

Continue reading →

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#121 – Chris Getz

getz

Name: Chris Getz

Rank: 121

Position: 2B

Years With White Sox: 2008-2009

Chris Getz was selected by the White Sox in the 6th round of the 2002 draft, but instead elected to attend Wake Forest.  3 years later, following a transfer to Michigan, Getz was again drafted by the White Sox, this time in the 4th round.  By 2008, Getz appeared in the Futures Game before making his major league debut on August 12 against the Royals.  He appeared in 10 games, but managed only 7 at bats for the year as the White Sox won the AL Central.

With Alexei Ramirez moving to shortstop in 2009, second base was left open for Getz and manager Ozzie Guillen awarded him the every day job coming out of spring training.  Getz led the league with a 92.6 stolen base percentage and tied for first among AL rookies with 28 multi-hit games.

Following the season, Getz, along with Josh Fields, was traded to the Royals for Mark Teahen.

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

Continue reading →

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2016 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers

baseballhof

The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2016 last Monday.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 6th, with induction taking place next July. After Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 17 holdovers along with 15 newcomers, which may start to cause a bit of a problem.  The current BBWAA rules continue to limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10, and there may be more than 10 deserving candidates, so there will be too many qualified candidates fighting for limited spots in a shorter amount of time.  Once again, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.

Last Thursday, we looked at the returning candidates.  Today, it’s time to look at the newcomers and who will be thankful come January.

Garret Anderson

The long-time Angel had a proud career, but has no chance to stay on the ballot for another year, let alone earn election at some point.

Brad Ausmus

It should be a quick one and out for the current Tigers manager.

Luis Castillo

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

David Eckstein

Wow, this batch of newcomers is starting to look a little weak.

Jim Edmonds

The defensive whiz will likely get some support, but not enough to get elected in this, or any other, year.

Troy Glaus

Another long time Angel who has no chance of being elected.

griffeyKen Griffey Jr.

The former Mariner, Red, and White Sox outfielder is likely to be the only newcomer elected in his first year of eligibility.  630 career home runs, without a hint of PED suspicion, will let him easily surpass the 75% threshold.

Mark Grudzielanek

Yeah, that’s not going to happen.

Mike Hampton

The one-time poster child for bad long term contracts is unlikely to get much support in what should be his one HOF election.

Trevor Hoffman Continue reading →

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#127 – Chad Kreuter

Chad Kreuter (1998 White Sox)

Name: Chad Kreuter

Rank: 127

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1996-1997, 1998

Following the 1995 season, the White Sox signed Chad Kreuter to back up incumbent starter Ron Karkovice.  He appeared in only 46 games before his season came to a premature end on July 19 due to a home plate collision with the Royals’ Johnny Damon.  Kreuter suffered a shattered shoulder socket and a lacerated stomach, which nearly claimed his life.  Surgery tried to repair the shoulder, but Kreuter was told he would likely never play baseball again.

When Kreuter started to regain strength in his arm in mid-October, he dedicated himself to making it back to the big leagues.  General Manager Ron Schueler offered him a minor league deal for 1997, with a chance to earn a roster spot in spring training.  He not only earned his way onto the roster, but had supplanted Karkovice as the everyday catcher by mid-May, when he was traded, along with Tony Phillips, to the Angels for Jorge Fabergas and Chuck McElroy.

Following the 1997 season, Kreuter re-signed with the White Sox and once again became the primary catcher.  In September, for the second consecutive year, he was traded to the Angels, ending his White Sox career.

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

Continue reading →

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2015 Final Standings

baseballs3Now that the Cubs have been swept from the NLCS by the Mets, the physical attendance portion of the 2015 baseball season, for me, has come to an end.  I made it to 39 games this year, in 4 stadiums (1 new) across 2 countries.  Here are the final standings for those games, and the 15 different teams that I saw in person this year.

2015 Team Records
Team Won Loss Winning Pctg
New York Mets 2 0 1.000
Kansas City Royals 3 1 0.750
Detroit Tigers 3 1 0.750
Toronto Blue Jays 2 1 0.667
St. Louis Cardinals 2 1 0.667
Minnesota Twins 4 3 0.571
Seattle Mariners 1 1 0.500
New York Yankees 1 1 0.500
Cincinnati Reds 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 16 18 0.471
Chicago Cubs 3 5 0.375
Baltimore Orioles Continue reading →
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2015 Predictions Revisited

baseballs2Six months ago, as the 2015 baseball season was scheduled to kick off at Wrigley Field, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what.  Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Blue Jays

After a middling first half, the Blue Jays turned things around after the All Star break, especially after acquiring David Price and Troy Tulowitzki at the trade deadline, earning them their first division title since 1993.

Central: Indians

Well, I correctly predicted the end of the Tigers reign after four seasons, but I wrongly assumed that the Royals would regress after their World Series appearance last year.  Instead, they went and ran away with the AL Central crown while the Indians struggled to stay out of the cellar.

West: Angels

It came down to the final day, but the Rangers, who finished in last place in 2014, managed to hold off the Astros and the Angels to win the division.

Wild Cards: Tigers, Mariners

I completely missed the boat here, as both teams failed to live up to their pre-season expectations.  The Yankees return to the post-season and so do the surprise Astros.

AL Champion: Angels

Cy Young: Felix Hernandez

MVP: Mike Trout

Only one of these seems like a possible choice at this point, with Mike Trout the frontrunner for the MVP award.  The Cy Young award is up in the air at this point.

National League

Continue reading →

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#134 – Josh Fields

Name: Josh Fields

Rank: 134

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 2006-2009

Josh Fields joined the White Sox organization as their first round pick in the 2004 draft.  He made his major league debut on September 13, 2006 as a defensive replacement in the White Sox 9-0 victory over the Angels.  6 days later, Fields became the third White Sox player, following Carlos Lee and Miguel Olivo, to homer in their first major league at bat.

Fields entered the 2007 season rated as the second-best prospect in the White Sox organization, and got his first chance at extended playing time in the major leagues when Joe Crede went down with a season-ending back injury.  Fields appeared to be one of the bright spots on that miserable team, finishing the year with a .244 average and 24 home runs in only 100 games, good enough for one third place Rookie of the Year vote.

With a healthy Crede back in the fold for 2008, Fields returned to Triple A, where he had a disappointing, injury-marred season.

Fields became the starting third baseman in 2009, with Joe Crede moving on to the Twins.  Fields appeared in 79 games, but struggled to hit with consistency and was eventually replaced by rookie Gordon Beckham.  The highlight of his season came on July 23, when he hit a grand slam and recorded the final putout in Mark Buerhle’s perfect game against the Rays.

Following the season, Fields, along with Chris Getz, was traded to the Royals for Mark Teahen.

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

Continue reading →