I needed a little extra time to digest that crazy Sunday night game in St. Louis. Here’s the latest round of “Who Knew?”
Shortstop with Pop
With two home runs in a losing effort on Saturday night, Tim Anderson is the first shortstop in White Sox history with multiple multi-HR games before turning 25.
Youngest White Sox shortstops with multi-HR game:
Luis Aparicio 23 y, 131 d September 7, 1957
Tim Anderson 24 y, 279 d March 29, 2018
Tim Anderson 24 y, 316 d May 5, 2018
MLB
Leury García 26 y, 55 d May 12, 2017
He’s the second White Sox shortstop with multiple multi-HR games in a season, joining the greatly underrated (in my opinion) José Valentín.
José Valentín 3 multi-HR games 2000
José Valentín 3 multi-HR games 2002
José Valentín 3 multi-HR games 2003
Tim Anderson 2 multi-HR games 2018
Entering Tuesday, Anderson is one of only four players in MLB this season with at least six home runs and six stolen bases:
Mike Trout 12 HR 6 SB
A.J. Pollock 10 HR 8 SB
Trevor Story 7 HR 7 SB
Tim Anderson 6 HR 10 SB
Digging in
José Rondón made his White Sox debut Saturday night in a pinch hitting capacity, and he made the most of it. His initial plate appearance for the Southsiders was a 12-pitch battle which resulted in a lineout.
It was the longest White Sox debut plate appearance in a while… but maybe not as long ago as you might think.
We need to go back to April 6, 2015 when Second Baseman/Artist Micah Johnson battled for 13 pitches in the first plate appearance of his MLB Debut on opening day.
35th and Shields
On Sunday afternoon, James Shields nearly tossed a no-hitter at a ballpark which stands on the corner of 35th and Shields.
He is one of two pitchers this season age 35 or older to take a no-hitter through six innings. The other one happened to hit his lone career home run off Shields. Of course, it’s Bartolo Colón (April 15 at Houston).
In fact, at age 36 years, 99 days, Shields is the oldest White Sox pitcher to take a no-hitter through six innings since Scott Sanderson (37 y, 332 d) on June 19, 1994.
Báez Bonus Inning Blasts
Lost in a tough loss in St. Louis on Sunday night, Javier Báez did it again. He launched a 14th-inning home run to give the Cubs a 3-2 lead. It checked a box.
He’s now already the only player in Cubs history to homer in the 12th, 13th, 14th & 15th innings.
The 12th inning HR was in his Major League debut on August 5, 2014
The 13th inning HR was a Mother’s Day walkoff blast on May 8, 2016 – the lone walkoff HR of his career
The 14th inning HR at St. Louis
The 15th inning HR was a grand slam in Cincinnati June 28, 2016
Nobody else in Cubs history can match his four career home runs from the 12th inning on.
Báez’s 14th inning blast came in a game which started on May 6th – Willie Mays’ birthday. Mays is the only player in MLB history to have homered in each inning from 1-16. Although Báez is yet to homer in the 10th or 11th inning, he joins Mays as the only players in MLB history to homer in innings 12-15 (thanks to Ryan Spaeder for that one. Follow him if you aren’t doing so already: @theaceofspaeder). Even the great Babe Ruth can’t make that claim. He never homered in the 13th.
Tough Luck Luke
After allowing a walkoff HR to Kolten Wong on Saturday and a walkoff HR to Dexter Fowler on Sunday, Luke Farrell became the first pitcher in Cubs history to allow walkoff HR in consecutive games.
The last batter to hit walkoff home runs in consecutive games against the Cubs remains Albert Pujols, who did so June 4 (off Jeff Samardzija) and June 5 (off Rodrigo Lopez) in 2011… which was the last time prior to this weekend the Cubs lost consecutive walkoff games in St. Louis.
Bonus walkoff trivia:
- Pujols is the only active player with multiple walkoff home runs against the Cubs (those two games in 2011)
- Only one player in MLB history has as many as three career walkoff HR against the North Siders: Bob Aspromonte (all three with the Astros during the 1960s)