*Prior to Swarzak, the last Sox pitcher other than David Robertson to save a game vs. the Cubs was Matt Lindstrom on May 5, 2014 at Wrigley Field.
*The Sox lead the all-time series with the Cubs, 58-51.
*The Sox won their first game as defending champs vs. the Cubs. On May 19, 2006, Mark Buehrle and the Sox, backed by a Jim Thome homer, dumped Greg Maddux and the Cubs 6-1 at Wrigley Field.
*Rick Renteria and Robin Ventura are the only Sox managers to win their debuts vs. the Cubs. … Terry Bevington, Jerry Manuel and Ozzie Guillen all dropped their first games vs. the Cubs.
*Statcast finally determined Matt Davidson’s homer went 476-feet with an exit velocity of 110 mph.
Bases-loaded triples have fascinated me for a long time now.
I don’t know if it’s because the play can be a game-changer or the triple is the most exciting play in baseball but something about this situation prompted me to start logging these incidents years ago.
The same is true for one-out saves and 1-0 White Sox victories (256 of them by the way!).
I have logged every White Sox bases-loaded triple digging as deeply as I can before the lack of information delayed me.
For those of you scoring at home, that is 1947!
With that being said (and with some always-sensational contributions from the great Chris Kamka at @ckamka), here’s a deep look inside Moncada’s bases-loaded triple Friday in Kansas City, which was his first big league hit:
–Moncada’s bases-loaded triple came in a Sox loss, which is a recent rarity. Prior to Friday, the Sox had won three in a row and five of their last six games in which they had a bases-loaded triple. … In the last 10 seasons, the Sox are 15-3 in games in which they had a bases-loaded triple
–Along those same lines, the Sox SHOULD NOT lose the next game in which they have a bases-loaded. Dating to 1947, the Sox have NEVER lost consecutive games when they have logged a bases-loaded triple
–Moncada’s bases-loaded triple was the first by a Sox sixth-place hitter since Jose Valentin on May 27, 2000 vs. Cleveland at Comiskey Park
Yoan Moncada: first #WhiteSox bases loaded triple since Yolmer Sanchez 6/25/2015
–Moncada’s bases-loaded triple was the first by a Sox player in Kansas City since Conor Gillaspie on Sept. 16, 2014
–Moncada’s bases-loaded triple padded the Sox lead, which is a rarity based on recent history. Prior to Moncada, the last two and five of the last six Sox bases-loaded triples had given the Sox the lead. The only one that padded a Sox lead in that span was Marcus Semien’s three-bagger at Texas on April 20, 2014
Last 2 players with bases loaded triple within 1st 3 games with #WhiteSox: Yoan Moncada (2nd game) 7/21/2017 José Abreu (3rd game) 4/3/2014
–Three of the last four Sox bases-loaded triples (and four of the last seven) have been by second basemen (Brent Lillibridge Aug. 1, 2010, Moncada, Sanchez and Semien).
–Friday was the Sox first bases-loaded triple by a second baseman in Kansas City since Ray Durham on April 15, 1996
–2016 broke a string of three seasons in which the Sox had had a bases-loaded triple. … That was the longest streak since a 10-year run from 1994 to 2003
–The Sox did not have a bases-loaded triple between June 30, 1986 (Ozzie Guillen) and May 17, 1992 (Steve Sax)
–Among the more obscures players to notch bases-loaded triples with the Sox are Liu Rodriguez, Tony Muser, Bob Spence, Matt Batts, Phil Masi, Bob Souchock and …
JIM McANANY!
–July 12, 1959 was the greatest day in the history of White Sox bases-loaded triples. In fact, it could be argued that day is the greatest day ever in the history of bases-loaded triples. On that day at Comiskey Park, Jim McAnany logged a bases-loaded triple in each game of a doubleheader!
*ON Q: I will miss Jose Quintana, who was dealt to the Cubs for three prospects on Thursday.
Not only was the left-hander a classy and consistent performer, there were some aspects to his being that really helped the @SoxNerd on Twitter and in the Scoreboard Control Room at Guaranteed Rate Field. This, of course, in addition to all the standard information that the accomplished career of Quintana provided.
Notes on digging deep on Quintana …
–I got a lot of mileage of his Major League rankings among natives of Colombia. Quintana ended his White Sox career the all-time leader among Colombians with 890 strikeouts, 169 starts among pitchers and 1,055.1 innings and second to Julio Teheran with 50 victories. …Quintana was the first native of Colombia to make an Opening Day start for an American League team (2017)
–I loved the fact that his last name started with ‘Q,’ which put him in rare air in White Sox history. He and “Long” John Quinn and Tom Qualters are the only pitchers with a last name that starts with ‘Q’ to play for the Sox. Quintana is the first ‘Q’ to earn decisions and victories for the Sox since Quinn in 1918. … In addition, Quintana and Quinn (Boston 1922 and Brooklyn 1931) are the only ‘Q’ pitchers to make an Opening Day start.
–His high number of 62 also provided some good stuff. It was difficult to nail down a pitcher with a higher number to make a start for the Sox. Gerry Staley is listed as wearing No. 66 for the 1956 Sox but he wore two different numbers that season, which muddies the research waters a bit. Still, though, I transformed that high number into a few nuggets.
*MORE Q: I was hoping Quintana would get one more start with the White Sox so I could flash a few of the stats I dug up after his sacrifice fly in his last start.
Here are a few I Tweeted out …
#JoseQuintana aka @jose_quintana24 1st sac fly RBI by a @whitesox pitcher since #JoelHorlen on 5-12-71 vs Washington @ ComiskeyPark
#JoseQuintana aka @jose_quintana24 1st sac fly RBI by a @whitesox starting pitcher since @TommyJohn288 on 9-14-69 vs Oakland @ ComiskeyPark
#JoseQuintana aka @jose_quintana24 1st sac fly RBI by a @whitesox starting pitcher on the road since GaryPeters on 6-24-69 @ Seattle
From our pal Chris Kamka …
José Quintana: first #WhiteSox pitcher with 10+ K and an RBI since Bart Johnson 9/17/1971
–Quintana’s sac fly was the first by a Sox player with a Q last name since Aug. 14, 2011 when Carlos Quentin’s fourth-inning fly plated Juan Pierre in a 6-2 win over Kansas City at U.S. Cellular Field on Aug. 14, 2011
–Quintana drove in his right fielder, Willy Garcia, with his sac fly. The last time a Sox pitcher plated his right fielder in that fashion was on July 31, 1966 when Horlen brought in Ken Berry in a 4-1 win over the Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park.
Sorry, Q you won’t see these next week. We love ya’ but you’re the enemy now!
Some @WhiteSox related All-Star notes (@SoxNerd style):
*Garcia is the first Sox position player to be an All-Star since 2014 (first baseman Jose Abreu and shortstop Alexei Ramirez) … This was also the last time Sox players batted in the game (Abreu 0-for-1, Ramirez 1-for-2)
*Ramirez, who replaced Derek Jeter in that 2014 game, is the last Sox player to hit safely (single) and steal a base in the All-Star Game
*Garcia is the first outfielder to represent the Sox at an All-Star Game since Carlos Quentin in 2011
*Frank Thomas (1995) and Magglio Ordonez (2001) are the only White Sox players to homer in an All-Star Game. … TODAY IS THE 22ND ANNIVERSARY OF FRANK’S HOMER!
*The last Sox double, multi-hit game and RBI in All-Star Game was by Paul Konerko in the ill-fated tie in 2002 in Milwaukee. PK would have been the MVP that year if the A.L. had one, IMHO
*The only Sox All-Star triple belongs to Luis Aparicio. “Little Looie” led off the third with a three-bagger off Don Drysdale in 1962’s first All-Star Game in Washington DC
*The Sox are 3-for-3 in steals in All-Star Games (Ramirez, Ray Durham 1998, Aparicio 1958)
*Chris Sale started last year’s All-Star Game as the White Soz rep. The last position player to start an All-Star Game was Thomas at first base in 1995
*Right field is the only position, including DH (Harold Baines 1989) where the Sox have NOT had an All-Star starter
*The Sox are 1-for-13 in the All-Star Game since 2008.
*Between Carlton Fisk in 1991 and Konerko in 2002, Sox hitters were 14-for-20 (.700) with four doubles, two homers and seven RBI
*The game is in Miami, a National League park tonight. The Sox haven’t gotten an All-Star on NL grounds since Konerko went 2-for-2 in Pittsbugh in on this date in 2006
*Garcia is the sixth Venezuelan to represent the Sox at the All-Star Game. The others: Ordonez, Wilson Alvarez, Ozzie Guillen, Aparicio and Chico Carrasquel. A shortstop, Carrasquel was the first Latin All-Star as a Sox rep in 1954
On this date in 1990, Bobby Thigpen worked a perfect inning in the All-Star Game at Wrigley Field (image: http://www.sportsmemorabilia.com/player/Bobby_Thigpen)
With the All-Star break picking up steam and the White Sox idle, here’s a look at some White Sox events that occurred on this date to satisfy our Sox fix!
*1901, FIELDER JONES!: Fielder Jones’ RBI single in the 11th was the difference in the White Sox 5-4 win at Milwaukee. Frank Shugart’s RBI in the eighth forced OT as the Sox won for the second straight day, improved to 42-24 and moved into a virtual tie for first place.
*1916, DOUBLE DIP SHUTOUT: Lefty Williams and Reb Russell each fired shutouts in the White Sox doubleheader sweep over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The White Sox and Williams won the first game 4-0 while Russell took the nightcap 3-0. It was the franchise’s second doubleheader shutout in 43 days. The Sox wouldn’t get another one for 24 years.
*1920, JOE AND RED: “Shoeless” Joe Jackson had four hits and Red Faber tossed a five-hitter in the White Sox 6-0 win at Philadelphia.
*1934, “BUCKETFOOT AL”: White Sox outfielder Al Simmons started the second All-Star Game at the Polo Grounds in New York and went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI in the A.L.’s 9-7 win. “Bucketfoot Al,” though, was the fourth of Carl Hubbell’s record-setting and eye-popping five consecutive strikeouts. Jimmy Dykes also represented the White Sox.
*1951, ALL-STAR SOX … SIX OF ‘EM! A record six White Sox players — Nellie Fox, Chico Carrasquel, Minnie Minoso, Eddie Robinson, Jim Busby and Randy Gumpert — were named to the American League All-Star team for the game in Detroit. Fox started at second base and went 1-for-3 with an error in the American League’s 8-3 loss. Carrasquel started at shortstop and went 1-for-2. Minoso also played and went 0-for-2 while Robinson went 0-for-1 and Busby made a late-inning defensive appearance in left field. Gumpert, a pitcher, was named to the A.L. team but he did not play.
*1956, TOUGH DAY FOR PIERCE: Billy Pierce was the tough-luck loser in the American League’s 7-3 setback in the All-Star Game at Washington. Pierce, starting his second consecutive All-Star Game and third in four years, allowed just one run on two hits in three innings with five strikeouts. Second baseman Nellie Fox, making his second consecutive All-Star start and sixth appearance in a row, was 2-for-4 with a run. Catcher Sherm Lollar and pitcher Jim Wilson both saw their first All-Star action. Lollar went 1-for-2 while Wilson, making his lone All-Star appearance for the Sox, gave up one run on two hits in an inning of work.
*1962, TRIPLE FOR LOOIE: Luis Aparicio became the first White Sox player to triple in an All-Star Game in the N.L.’s 3-1 win at Washington. Named to his seventh All-Star team, Aparicio was making his third start. His triple off Don Drysdale in the seventh was the first by an A.L. player in an All-Star Game since 1951. The three-bagger also ended Aparicio’s 0-for-12 All-Star drought. Aparicio also flew out to Willie Mays for game’s final out becoming the second Sox player to be the All-Star Game’s last out (Roy Sievers 1961). Aparicio tied an All-Star record for shortstops by participating in two double plays.
*1984, TOUGH DOT: Richard Dotson pitched two scoreless innings in relief with two strikeouts in the A.L’s 3-1 loss in the All-Star Game at San Francisco. The right-hander entered the game in the fifth in relief of Jack Morris and gave up a leadoff single to Tony Gwynn but then retired Ryne Sandberg, Steve Garvey and Dale Murphy to get out of the inning. Dotson struck out Mike Schmidt and Bob Brenly in the sixth. The strikeout of Brenly ended the inning and came with runners on second and third. Dotson earned a spot on the staff with an 11-4 record and a 2.64 ERA.
*1988, BOSTON GETS LaPOINT: Dave LaPoint tossed seven shutout innings as the White Sox closed the first half with a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox before 15,163 at Comiskey Park. The Sox scored two in the first and never looked back. LaPoint gave up three hits while walking two and fanning three in improving to 7-9.
*1990, OZ AND BOB STAR: White Sox representative Bobby Thigpen tossed a scoreless inning and teammate Ozzie Guillen handled three errorless chances at shortstop in the American League’s 2-0 win in the 61st All-Star Game at Wrigley Field. Guillen also had two assists while Thigpen logged a perfect seventh inning. Thigpen fanned Darryl Strawberry to cap his inning of work after retiring Will Clark and Tim Wallach.
*1997, RAY LEADS THE WAY: Ray Durham was 3-for-5 with a double and a homer as the White Sox opened the second half by waxing the Kansas City Royals 6-3 in Missouri. The Sox scored four times in the first two innings in supporting starter Jaime Navarro, who evened his record at 7-7. Three relievers blanked the Royals over the final four innings. Roberto Hernandez finished up for his 21st save.
*1998, BELLE RINGS UP ROYALS: Albert Belle homered twice as the White Sox plastered the Kansas City Royals 10-3 before 15,378 at Comiskey Park. Belle and Thomas reached milestones in this victory. Belle’s second homer was his 293rd tying Matt Williams and Kent Hrbek for 80th on the all-time list. Thomas’ third inning double was the 266th of his career, moving him past Hall of Famer Eddie Collins into fourth place on the Sox all-time list.
*2001, MAGS STAR BLAST: Magglio Ordonez hit the White Sox second All-Star Game homer in the A.L.’s 4-1 win in the Mid-Summer Classic in Seattle. Ordonez connected off the Cubs’ Jon Lieber in the sixth inning in joining Frank Thomas as the lone Sox players to homer in an All-Star Game. Thomas hit his homer in the 1995 All-Star Game at Texas off the Reds’ John Smiley. Derek Jeter followed Ordonez’s homer with a homer of his own making them just the fifth teammates in All-Star history to go back-to-back. Ordonez also singled in the eighth off Jeff Shaw making him the only player in the game to log two hits.
*2004, GOOD EYES: The Sox used a pair of bases loaded walks from Paul Konerko and Joe Crede in taking the lead for good in the fifth inning of their 3-2 win over Seattle before 37,405 at U.S. Cellular Field. Mark Buehrle went eight innings and Shingo Takatsu struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his fourth save.
*2010, Q! Carlos Quentin launched two homers and Gavin Floyd allowed one run in 7.2 innings for the win in the White Sox 5-1 win over the Royals before 32,339 at U.S. Cellular Field.
*2012, SALE, PAULIE IN ACTION: White Sox representative Chris Sale pitched a scoreless inning in his All-Star debut in the American League’s 8-0 loss in the All-Star Game in Kansas City. Paul Konerko made his final All-Star appearance but did not bat int the game where Melky Cabrera earned MVP honors fot the N.L.
*2015, SORRY CUBS: JB Shuck’s sac fly in the eighth was enough for the White Sox in a 1-0 win over the Cubs before 41,580 at Wrigley Field.
*MILESTONE: The White Sox are seeking their 100th victory on July 4th when they take on the Athletics in Oakland today.
I have the Sox at 99-78 on Independence Day.
*STREAKING: The Sox have won seven in a row on July 4th.
The run is the Sox best on the holiday since a 14-game winning streak between Game 2 in 1934 and Game 1 in 1941.
*HOME SWEET …: All seven of those wins have come at home.
The Sox last Fourth of July roadie was a 6-4 loss at Kansas City.
The streak of seven consecutive home games on July 4th is the longest in club history.
*GO 4TH AND HIT! Jose Abreu is 4-for-13 with a double, a triple, a homer and three RBI in his three games on the Fourth.
*FOR STARTERS … AGAIN: James Shields will be making his second consecutive Independence Day start for the Sox today,
Shields got the win in last year, going six innings and giving up two runs in six innings in the Sox 8-2 home win vs. the Yankees.
*FOURTH HOMERS: Carl Reynolds and Paul Konerko are the Sox all-time leaders with three homers on July 4th.
Those with two homers on Independence Day are Ollie Bejma, Cass Michaels, Sherm Lollar, Ed Herrmann, Ron Kittle, Frank Thomas, Ray Durham, Carlos Lee, Jermaine Dye, Juan Uribe and Adam Dunn.
*FIREWORKS: The first player to set off the fireworks with a homer on July 4th at Comiskey Park was Roy Sievers in 1960.
Bill Veeck installed the “exploding scoreboard” at Comiskey Park in 1960.
The last Sox player to give the Comiskey faithful an in-game fireworks show with a dinger was Kittle, who launched two in a 10-7 loss to Detroit in the stadium’s final year of 1990.
*DOUBLE DINGER: Kittle and Bejma (1939) are the only Sox players with a two-homer game on July 4th.
*THE FIRST: The White Sox first July 4th homer was hit by Hall of Fame pitcher Ed Walsh.
In 1908, Walsh, in relief of Doc White, went deep in an 8-4 win over St. Louis at South Side Park.
*THE LAST: Konerko hit the final home run of his career on the Fourth of July 2014.
PK launched his 439th bomb off Charlie Furbush in the eighth inning of a 7-1 win over Seattle at U.S. Cellular Field.
*YANKEE DOODLE DANDIES: This is the Sox first July 4th game in Oakland. … The Sox lost to Oakland 7-1 in Chicago in their last Independence Day meeting. … The Sox have played on every Fourth of July since 1982. The 1981 game was cancelled because of the strike. … Holiday doubleheaders were once a staple in baseball but are now a thing of the past. The Sox haven’t played a July 4th twinbill since splitting with the Angels at Comiskey Park in 1969. That was the last of the Sox 60 Fourth of July DHs.
*ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Nerd loves to log certain things: 1-0 Sox wins, Sox bases-loaded triples and … walkoff wins at New Comiskey Park, U.S. Cellular Field and Guaranteed Rate Field.
WE HAD A WALKOFF LAST NIGHT!
Jose Abreu’s two-run single with two out in the ninth handed the White Sox a 4-2 win over the Yankees Tuesday for their 188th walkoff victory at their home since 1991.
*SOX STUMPER: Here is the trivia question I submitted for the Sox game on this date in 2016: Name the reliever who escaped a bases-loaded jam by fanning Albert Belle and Jim Thome and retiring Eddie Murray in the Sox 4-2 win over Cleveland 20 years ago today (answer below).
*MORE WALKOFFS: Here are some more nuggets on White Sox walkoffs:
–Tuesday was the Sox second walkoff of the season. The first came on May 13 when Yolmer Sanchez’s one-out single in the ninth scored Tyler Saladino for a 5-4 win over the Padres
–This was the Sox 11th walkoff vs. the Yankees at NCP/USCF/GRF.
–Prior to Tuesday, the Sox last walkoff vs. Yankees came on May 23, 2014 when Adam Dunn’s homer in the ninth with Moises Sierra on base delivered a 6-5 triumph
*SOX ALMANAC: On this date in 2002, Paul Konerko’s two-run homer capped a six-run sixth as the White Sox overcame an 8-0 deficit after three in beating the Cubs 13-9 before a record crowd of 46,027 at Comiskey Park.
The deficit was the largest overcome by the Sox since they climbed out of a 9-0 hole at Cleveland on June 13, 1978.
Konerko went 4-for-4 with a pair of two-run home runs to make him 8-for-9 over the last two games.
Matt Ginter got the win with 3.1 innings of shutout relief.
More on walkoffs …
–Harold Baines was the hero in the White Sox first walkoff vs. the Yankees at NCP/USCF/GRF. On May 11, 1996, Baines’ two-run homer in the ninth off John Wetteland got the Sox 7-5 victory. Baines blast came an inning after Tony Phillips tied it with a two-out RBI double that scored Ron Karkovice.
–Other walkoff RBIs vs. the Yankees at the “new” park were provided Baines (HR on 8-12-96), Phillips (BB on 4-20-97), Jose Valentin (1B on 6-23-00), Magglio Ordonez (HR on 9-22-03), Jermaine Dye (1B on 8-8-06), Joe Crede (1B on 4-24-08), Dewayne Wise (1B on 7-30-09) and Alejandro De Aza (3B on 8-7-14).
–The Sox first walkoff vs. the Yankees came on May 22, 1903 when Bill Hallman’s sac fly plated Lee Tannehill for a 2-1 win in 11 before a Ladies Day crowd of 3,930 at South Side Park.
–Tuesday was the Sox seventh consecutive walkoff in the ninth inning, the longest such streak in club history. The last OT walkoff was a 10-9 win over the Tigers in 12 innings on June 13, 2016
The latest @SoxNerd Blog …
