Tag / White Sox

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World Series Batting Leaders

2005worldseriesLast night, the Cubs made their first World Series appearance since 1945 when they squared off against the Indians.  To mark the appearance, let’s look at the offensive leaders in the 1 World Series game I have attended, game 2 of the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and the Astros.

Home Runs

Name Total
Morgan Ensberg 1
Scott Podsednik 1
Paul Konerko 1

Hits

Name Total
Willy Taveras 2
Aaron Rowand 2
Brad Ausmus 2
Juan Uribe 2
Carl Everett 2

Runs

Name Total
Willy Tavares 2
11 tied with 1

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 4
Lance Berkman 3
Jose Vizcaino 2
Joe Crede 1
Juan Uribe 1
Scott Podsednik 1
Morgan Ensberg 1

Doubles

Name Total
Juan Uribe 2
Lance Berkman 1
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#60 – Ellis Burks

eburksName: Ellis Burks

Rank: 60

Position: RF

Year With White Sox: 1993

Ellis Burks joined the White Sox in January of 1993, signing a one year deal as a free agent.  After years of injuries and declining performances, Burks bounced back for his best season in years, hitting .275 with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs.  He appeared in 146 games, his highest total since 1990.

In the ALCS against the Blue Jays, Burks was one of the more productive members of the White Sox offense.  Appearing in all 6 games, he hit .304 with a home run.

Following the season, Burks left as a free agent.

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

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LCS Pitching Leaders

With Game 1 of the 2016 NLCS between the Cubs and Dodgers in the books, it’s time to take an updated look at the pitching leaders from the 7 LCS games I’ve attended prior to last night since 2003, featuring the White Sox, Cubs, Angels, Marlins, and Mets.

Wins

Name Total
Jacob deGrom 1
Paul Byrd 1
Brad Penny 1
Chad Fox  1
Mark Buehrle 1
Bartolo Colon 1
Ugueth Urbina 1

Losses

Name Total
Jason Hammel 1
Mark Prior 1
Jose Contreras 1
Trevor Cahill 1
Kerry Wood 1
Kelvim Escobar  1
Mark Guthrie 1

ERA (> 4 IP)

Name Total
Jarrod Washburn 0.00
Mark Buehrle 1.00
Steven Matz 1.93
Jacob deGrom 2.57
Paul Byrd 3.00

Strikeouts

Name Total
Josh Beckett 8
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#61 – Jerry Hairston

jerry-hairston

Name: Jerry Hairston

Rank: 61

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 1973-1977,1981-1989

Jerry Hairston was selected by the White Sox in the 3rd round of the 1970 draft.  He made his major league debut on July 26, 1973 in the second game of a double header, going 1-4 in a 1-0 loss to the Royals in Kansas City.  Hairston appeared in 60 games for 1973 squad, hitting .271 with 23 RBI.

Hairston split the 1974 season between Triple A and Chicago, appearing in 45 games for the White Sox and hitting a disappointing .229.  1975 again saw Hairston splitting time between the minors and the big league team, appearing in 69 games and improving his average to .283.  1976 was another down year for Hairston, as his average dropped back to .227 in only 44 games for the White Sox.

Hairston played in only 13 games for the White Sox in 1977 before being purchased by the Pirates on June 13.  After 4 seasons in the Mexican League, Hairston rejoined the White Sox in September of 1981.  He appeared in 9 games and hit .280, including his first home run in a White Sox uniform.

Hairston spent the entire 1982 season on the south side for the first time, appearing in 85 games and hitting a disappointing .233 while setting a career high with 5 home runs.  1983 was a bounce back year for Hairston, who raised his average to .294 with another 5 home runs.  He appeared in 2 games during the ALCS loss to the Orioles, going hitless in 3 at bats.

1984 was a disappointing year for the White Sox as they failed to repeat as Western Division champs, but Hairston saw the most playing time of his career.  He set career highs in games played and at bats, hitting .260.  Hairston struggled in 1985, as he saw his average drop to .243 in 95 games.  1986 was another bounce back year, as Hairston improved his average to .271 and tied his career high in home runs for the 4th time.

Hairston had another down year in 1987, appearing in just 66 games and hitting .230, his worst numbers since returning from Mexico.  As spring training was winding down in 1988, Hairston was released, but he was resigned at the end of August and appeared in 2 games over the final month of the season, going hitless in 2 at bats.  He was released again following the season and, once again, resigned with the White Sox in September of 1989, appearing in 3 games and getting 1 hit in 3 at bats.  He was released again following the season and his career came to an end.

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

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FB2: Week 36

fb2_week36A good week, my 4th straight over 50,000 steps.  The week got off to a strong start thanks to the regular season finale at US Cellular Field between the White Sox and the Twins.  The rest of the work week hovered right near the 6000 step mark except for Tuesday, which managed to surpass 8000 steps, and Friday, which climbed near 11,000 thanks to a post-work trip to Wrigley Field for the first game of the NLDS between the Cubs and the Giants.  Saturday surpassed 8000 steps thanks to another trip down to the Friendly Confines for game 2 of said series.

Total steps: 52,095

Daily average: 7442.1

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#62 – Jason Bere

jasonbere

Name: Jason Bere

Rank: 62

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1993-1998

Jason Bere was selected by the White Sox in the 36th round of the 1990 draft.  By 1993, he was ranked as the 8th best prospect in all of baseball.  On May 27, 1993, he made his major league debut, giving up 3 first inning runs and picking up the loss against the Royals at Comiskey Park.  The rest of the season went much better for Bere, as he won his final 7 starts to finish 12-5 and helped the White Sox to capture the AL West title.  Bere started Game 4 of the ALCS against the Blue Jays, lasting only 2 1/3 innings in a game the White Sox eventually came back to win.  After the season, he finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Tim Salmon of the Angels.

Bere continued his regular season success in 1994, earning his first All Star nod and possessing a 12-2 record when the season ended prematurely due to the strike.  After a little more than a season and a half in the big leagues, Bere had a career mark of 24-7 and looked to be heading towards a promising career.  Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way.

When baseball resumed in 1995, Bere started to feel tendonitis in his throwing elbow.  His fortunes reversed completely, as he finished the year with a 7.19 ERA and led the American League with 15 losses.  Bere made only 5 starts in 1996, giving up 19 earned runs in only 16 2/3 innings pitched, before being shut down.  In September, he underwent Tommy John surgery.

Bere returned to the White Sox rotation in August of 1997, following the White Flag trade.  He made 6 starts down the stretch, going 4-2 with a 4.71 ERA, his best results since 1994.

1998 saw more struggles for Bere.  He appeared in 18 games, making 15 starts, and went 3-7 with a 6.45 ERA.  On July 16, he was released, ending his White Sox career.

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

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Playoff Pitching Leaders

As the Cubs and Giants prepare to kick off their NLDS series later today, it’s time to take our updated look at the pitching leaders from the 20 post-season games I’ve attended since the White Sox won the AL Central in 2000.

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 2
18 tied with 1

Losses

Name Total
Matt Clement 2
18 tied with 1

ERA (> 6 IP)

Name Total
Chad Billingsley 1.35
Clayton Richard 1.42
Mark Prior 2.20
Greg Maddux 2.57
Jacob deGrom 2.57

Strikeouts

Name Total
Mark Prior 13
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All Time Playoff Team Records

baseballs3As the Cubs prepare for their second consecutive post-season appearance, it’s time to take an updated look at the team records for the now 20 playoff contests I have attended.  These contests come from the ALDS in 2000, 2005, and 2008, the NLDS in 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2015, the NLCS in 2003 and 2015, the ALCS in 2005, and, of course, the 2005 World Series.

Post-Season Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Florida Marlins 3 0 1.000
Seattle Mariners 2 0 1.000
New York Mets 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 2 9 0.182
St. Louis Cardinals 0 1 0.000
Houston Astros 0 1 0.000
Boston Red Sox 0 2 0.000
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The Rick Renteria Era Has Begun

renteriaRick Renteria was officially named the 40th manager in White Sox history this morning, replacing Robin Ventura.  Renteria had spent the 2016 season as Ventura’s bench coach.  Many players sang Renteria’s praises, including Jose Abreu, Chris Sale, and Adam Eaton.  How many of them will still be on the roster when Renteria’s first squad takes the field next April remains to be seen.

Renteria will become only the second man to manage both the White Sox and the Cubs, following Johnny Evers, who led the Cubs in 1913 and 1921 and was the White Sox skipper in 1924.  Renteria spent one season leading the Cubs in 2014 before being replaced unceremoniously by Joe Maddon.