Tag / Shingo Takatsu

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There Goes The Boom

Bobby Jenks, the man standing on the pitcher’s mound when the White Sox got the final out of the 2005 World Series, passed away yesterday in Portugal, near his wife’s family, after battling a form of stomach cancer.  Jenks, who turned 44 in March, was diagnosed with Stage 4 adenocarcinoma in January, just weeks after losing his home to the Palisades wildfires.

Jenks joined the White Sox organization following the 2004 season, after being selected off waivers from the Angels.  He started 2005 in Double A and was called up to the big-league club on July 5, making his major league debut the following day.  When Shingo Takatsu proved ineffective and Dustin Hermanson went down with a back injury, Jenks became the closer in September, finishing the regular season with six saves.  In the ALDS against the Red Sox, he threw three scoreless innings and picked up two saves in the three-game sweep.  Thanks to four consecutive complete games to finish the ALCS against the Angels, Jenks was well rested for the World Series.  He appeared in all four games against the Astros, throwing five innings and earning the save in Games 1 and 4.

He spent the next five seasons with the White Sox, making two All-Star teams and continuing to endear himself to White Sox fans.  In 2007, he tied a major league record by retiring 41 consecutive batters, becoming the first reliever to achieve the feat.  After the 2010 season, he left as a free agent, but injuries and a botched surgery ended his career.  He returned to Chicago in 2024, serving as the manager of the Windy City Thunderbolts independent team.

Next weekend, the White Sox are celebrating the 20th anniversary of that World Series team.  Jenks had been planning to attend, reportedly telling his doctors not to schedule any appointments for him in early July, but unfortunately it was not to be.

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

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Against The Indians All Time Leaders – Through 2021

In the past, we’ve looked at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. This offseason, we will take our first ever look at those leaders against all 30 clubs.  We continue today with the former Cleveland Indians.

The Indians, then known as the Bluebirds, were one of the charter members of the American League in 1901.  After a few name changes, they settled on the Indians name in 1915 before finally deciding to change again, becoming the Guardians starting this upcoming season.  I’ve seen them play 58 times, including games 4 and 5 of the 2016 World Series at Wrigley Field and 2 games against the White Sox in their home stadium in September of 2019.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 12
Jim Thome 4
Adam Eaton 3
Alex Rios 3
Alexei Ramirez 3
Seby Zavala 3
Jose Abreu 3

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 38
A.J. Pierzynski 27
Alexei Ramirez 26

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 23
Alejandro de Aza 13
Gordon Beckham 13

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 28
Alexei Ramirez 13
Alex Rios 10
Jim Thome 10

Doubles

Name Total
Paul Konerko 7
A.J. Pierzynski 6
Tim Anderson 4
Alejandro de Aza 4
Gordon Beckham 4

Triples Continue reading →

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Against The Braves All Time Leaders – Through 2021

bravesIn the past, we’ve looked at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams.  This offseason, we will take our first ever look at those leaders against all 30 clubs.  We continue today with the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves began life in Boston, moving to Milwaukee in 1953 and finally landing in Atlanta in 1966.  I’ve seen them play 20 times, 12 against the Cubs, 7 against the White Sox, and once against the Yankees, including games 3 and 4 of the 2003 NLDS against the Cubs.

Home Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 2
Eric Karros 2
Frank Thomas 2

Hits

Name Total
Moises Alou 9
Alex Rios 8
Alexei Ramirez 7
Aramis Ramirez 7

Runs

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 5
Alexei Ramirez 5
Alex Rios 4
Alejandro de Aza 4
Derrek Lee 4

RBI

Name Total
Alex Rios 9
Jeromy Burnitz 5
Derrek Lee 4
Rene Rivera 4

Doubles

Name Total
Derrek Lee 2
Alex Gonzalez 2
Mark Grudzielanek 2
Josh Phegley 2

Triples Continue reading →

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By The Numbers – 45

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 #45. 92 different players have donned #45 while playing in Chicago, but only one of whom notched the final out in a World Series clincher.

Bobby Jenks joined the White Sox organization on December 17, 2004, when he was selected off waivers from the Angels.  After starting the 2005 season in Double A, he was called up to the big league club on July 5 and made his major league debut the following day, ending the season as the closer after Shingo Takatsu proved ineffective and Dustin Hermanson went down with a back injury.  In the ALDS against the Red Sox, he threw 3 scoreless innings and picked up 2 saves in the 3 game sweep.  Thanks to the 4 complete games in the ALCS against the Angels, Jenks was well rested for the World Series.  He appeared in all 4 games against the Astros, throwing 5 innings and earning the save in Games 1 and 4.

With a World Championship under his belt, Jenks became the full time closer in 2006, earning his first All Star nod and becoming the first White Sox pitcher to notch a save in the Mid-Summer Classic.  2007 was a good year for Jenks, as he made his second straight All Star team and tied a major league record by retiring his 41st consecutive batter, becoming the first reliever to achieve the feat.  He continued his dominant ways in 2008, as the White Sox bounced back in to contention, and he threw a scoreless inning and picked up the save in the only White Sox victory in the ALDS against the Rays.

Jenks started to struggle in 2009, as he saw his save total drop to 29, his lowest full-season total to date.  2010 was even worse, as his ERA rose again, to 4.44, and his WHIP was up again as well.  Despite his highest strike out total since 2006, he ended the year with a 1-3 record and only 27 saves.  Following the season, the White Sox declined to tender him a contract for the 2011 season, making him a free agent.

On the north side of town, reliever Tom Gordon donned #45 in 2001 and the first part of 2002, earning 27 saves before being shipped to the Astros for, basically, nothing.

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#20 – Bobby Jenks

Name: Bobby Jenks

Rank: 20

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2005-2010

Bobby Jenks joined the White Sox organization on December 17, 2004, when he was selected off waivers from the Angels.  After starting the year in Double A Birmingham, he was called up to the big league club on July 5 and made his major league debut the following day, throwing a scoreless inning against the Devil Rays at US Cellular Field.  When Shingo Takatsu proved ineffective and Dustin Hermanson went down with a back injury, Jenks became the closer in September.  He finished the regular season with 6 saves, to go along with a 1-1 record and a 2.75 ERA.  In the ALDS against the Red Sox, he threw 3 scoreless innings and picked up 2 saves in the 3 game sweep.  Thanks to the 4 complete games in the ALCS against the Angels, Jenks was well rested for the World Series.  He appeared in all 4 games against the Astros, throwing 5 innings and earning the save in Games 1 and 4.

With a World Championship under his belt, Jenks became the full time closer in 2006.  He earned his first All Star nod, and became the first White Sox pitcher to notch a save in the Mid-Summer Classic.  Despite a 4.00 ERA, he finished the year with 41 saves in 45 chances while compiling a 3-4 record.

2007 was a down year for the White Sox, but a good one for Jenks.  He made his second straight All Star team and lowered his ERA to 2.77.  He tied a major league record on August 12, when he retired 41st consecutive batter, becoming the first reliever to achieve the feat.  He finished the year with 40 saves and a 3-5 record in 66 appearances.

Jenks continued his dominant ways in 2008, as the White Sox bounced back in to contention.  He finished with a winning record for the only time in his career and set a career low with a 2.63 ERA.  He notched 30 saves and helped the White Sox return to the post season for the first time since his rookie year.  He threw a scoreless inning in picking up the save in the only White Sox victory in the ALDS against the Rays.

In 2009, Jenks started to struggle, as his ERA and WHIP were up while his strikeouts were down.  Finishing the year with a 3-4 record, his ERA was 3.71 and his save total dropped to 29, his lowest full-season total to date.

2010 was Jenks’ worst year with the White Sox.  His ERA rose again, to 4.44, and his WHIP was up again as well.  Despite his highest strike out total since 2006, he ended the year with a 1-3 record and only 27 saves.  Following the season, the White Sox declined to tender him a contract for the 2011 season, making him a free agent.

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

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#117 – Dustin Hermanson

dustinhermName: Dustin Hermanson

Rank: 117

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2005-2006

Dustin Hermanson signed with the White Sox as a free agent in December of 2004.  He started the 2005 season as the set-up man, but moved into the closer role when the incumbent, Shingo Takatsu, failed to perform.  As the White Sox cruised to a big lead in the AL Central, Hermanson put together the best season of his career, with a stellar 2.04 ERA and 34 saves.

Hermanson lost his closer position due to a back injury in September, when he was replaced by Bobby Jenks as the White Sox tried to keep their tenuous grasp on the AL Central lead.  As the White Sox cruised through the playoffs on their way to their first World Championship in 88 years, Hermanson sat on the sidelines.  He made his only post-season appearance in Game 3 of the World Series, throwing 1/3 of scoreless relief in the south sider’s 14 inning victory over the Astros.

When 2006 got underway, Hermanson’s back was still causing him issues.  He only appeared in 6 games for the White Sox, before spending most of the year on the disabled list.  Following the season, he became a free agent and never pitched in the major leagues again.

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

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#148 – Shingo Takatsu

Name: Shingo Takatsu

Rank: 148

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2004-2005

After a 13 year career in the Japanese baseball league, Shingo Takatsu signed with the White Sox on January 22, 2004, becoming the first Japanese born player to sign with a Chicago team.  As a 35 year old rookie, he made his major league debut on April 9, 2004 against the Yankees, facing countryman Hideki Matsui as his first batter.

Takatsu eventually became the closer for the 2004 White Sox, earning 19 saves in 56 appearances with a sparkling 2.31 ERA.  Unfortunately, his success was short lived.

Takatsu began the 2005 season as the team’s closer, earning the save in the Opening Day 1-0 victory over the Indians.  Sadly, the league seemed to catch on to his trickery, as his ERA grew to 5.97 in 31 games.  He was replaced as closer by Dustin Hermanson and, while the White Sox went on to win the division and the World Series, Takatsu was released on August 1st.

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

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