StatManDu Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 (edited) Another message board (which will go nameless) has banned me for linking to my blog (www.whitesoxalmanac.com). However, they started a discussion which I really liked and would be interested in others opinions: The greatest pitched inning in franchise history. Over there, the consensus was El Duque in Game 3 of the 2005 ALDS. Can't argue with that but I put forth this story: Keith Foulke, who retired recently, will obviously go down as one of the great closers in White Sox history. His 100 saves – the third best total in club annals -- are a testament to that. But it was in his first job with the Sox – as a set up man – that “Foulkie” delivered what I consider his most memorable moment as a pivotal part of one of the most surprising campaigns in team history. The date was April 19, 2000 and the White Sox were playing the Seattle Mariners in a sparsely attended, rain-plagued affair on a “getaway” day at “new” Comiskey Park. The right-hander with the deadly change entered the game in the seventh inning in his role as the “lead-in” to Bobby Howry. It took some time for Foulke to convince manager Jerry Manuel that he was the right man for the closer’s job. Howry opened 2000 as the “go-to” guy in the Sox pen with Foulke serving as the set-up man. No one questioned this strategy since Howry had saved 28 games and Foulke whiffed 123 batters in 105.1 innings with a 2.22 ERA in those roles in 1999. Rain and threatening skies had emptied the park of most of its 8,425 spectators when Foulke surrendered a double to Stan Javier to start the frame. With the Sox holding a 4-2 lead, the tying run stepped to the plate in the form of the daunting Alex Rodriguez. What happened then was one of the great pitcher-hitter battles I have ever witnessed. I was lucky enough to have a “bird’s eye” view of this showdown from behind home plate. The stubborn Foulke and the determined Rodriguez went head-to-head for 12 pitches with neither man refusing to relent. The at bat included nine tension-mounting foul balls with at least five coming in succession. Foulke finally emerged as the conqueror in this donnybrook when he got “A-Rod” to ground out to Jose Valentin at shortstop. Javier moved to third on the play and things got hairy again when Foulke walked Edgar Martinez. Foulke then came through again when he induced long-time Sox killer John Olerud to bounce into a rare and niftly-executed 3-6-1 double play. When Foulke gloved the final out in that sequence, he delivered a modest fist pump while heading back to the dugout. Foulke knew immediately what he had accomplished. The Sox added a run in the bottom of the frame and Foulke turned in a 1-2-3 eighth before giving way to Howry. The Mariners went quietly in the ninth and the Sox had their 5-2 win. Sean Lowe, whom Foulke replaced, got the victory while Howry earned the save. The triumph was an important one as the Sox moved into first place for good in the A.L. Central. The team would be outright holders of the division’s top spot for all but three of the season’s remaining days. While Foulke was not rewarded statistically for his effort against Rodriguez, I am convinced that the sequence in which Foulke prevailed and that seventh inning was a turning point in the season. It didn’t take long after that for Manuel to give Foulke the full-time closer’s job. It could be argued that Foulke was the Most Valuable Player of the Sox 2000 Central Division title team. In that gratifying season, Foulke went 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA and 34 saves while giving up just 66 hits and striking out 91 in 88 innings. Edited March 20, 2007 by StatManDu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baines3 Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 (edited) I would also go with El Duque in game 3 of the ALDS. Your blog is excellent, I have it saved to my favorites. Edited March 18, 2007 by whitesox1976 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santo=dorf Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Apparently WSI wasn't big enough for two sports editors, but whatever. Charlie Robertson threw a perfect game in a White Sox uniform, How many people are aware of that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StatManDu Posted March 18, 2007 Author Share Posted March 18, 2007 QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 02:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Apparently WSI wasn't big enough for two sports editors, but whatever. Charlie Robertson threw a perfect game in a White Sox uniform, How many people are aware of that? Thanks, all. I appreciate the kind words and love doing the blog. It's all about Sox history, that's all. I never could really convince the fine folks at WSI that. O well. Other best pitched inning candidates that I will delve deeper into later: Bill Simas, Hollis Thurston, Scot Radinsky and Jack McDowell. That Foulke inning has a soft spot in my heart. It was intense and showcased all that was good about baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pants Rowland Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 QUOTE(StatManDu @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 07:46 AM) Thanks, all. I appreciate the kind words and love doing the blog. It's all about Sox history, that's all. I never could really convince the fine folks at WSI that. O well. Other best pitched inning candidates that I will delve deeper into later: Bill Simas, Hollis Thurston, Scot Radinsky and Jack McDowell. That Foulke inning has a soft spot in my heart. It was intense and showcased all that was good about baseball. Was the Bill Simas inning against Cleveland in 1996 (I think that was the season although it could have been 1997)? Sox again clinging to a 4-2 lead and were in the midst of winning like 22 out of 24 games or something to that effect? I seem to remember Simas coming up huge and striking out one or two of their most feared hitters. I could swear Mr. Thome was one of them as well. FWIW, I recall that as the greatest regular season Sox run I had witnessed since the second half of 1983. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ginger Kid Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Good stuff. But hands down in my book is the 6th inning in Boston, coming in with no outs and the bases juiced and not surrendering a run. In the playoffs. I still get goosebumps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSoxMatt Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 (edited) Well Let me submit this inning... 8th Inning vs Houston 2005 World Series Game 1 4-3 White Sox... Tavarez doubles off Contreras Cotts replaces Contreras Berkman singles off Cotts... Cotts then K's Ensberg on straight gas...1 out (OK now a DP gets us off the hook) Cotts then K's Lamb (13 straight Fastballs from Cotts to the 2 hitters)... Jenks replaces Cotts to face Bagwell Burke runs for Berkman Burke steals 2nd on 0-2 After several foul balls with the go-ahead run in scoring position ...Jenks K's Bagwell...Crowd goes wild!! Lead perserved, Sox add insurance in the 8th, the sweep started IMO a better IP and more important IP than El Duque, but it did take 2 P's Edited March 18, 2007 by WSoxMatt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayitaintso Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 QUOTE(WSoxMatt @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 10:12 AM) Well Let me submit this inning... 8th Inning vs Houston 2005 World Series Game 1 4-3 White Sox... Tavarez doubles off Contreras Cotts replaces Contreras Berkman singles off Cotts... Cotts then K's Ensberg on straight gas...1 out (OK now a DP gets us off the hook) Cotts then K's Lamb (13 straight Fastballs from Cotts to the 2 hitters)... Jenks replaces Cotts to face Bagwell Burke runs for Berkman Burke steals 2nd on 0-2 After several foul balls with the go-ahead run in scoring position ...Jenks K's Bagwell...Crowd goes wild!! Lead perserved, Sox add insurance in the 8th, the sweep started IMO a better IP and more important IP than El Duque, but it did take 2 P's This is what i was going to say for the best inning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StatManDu Posted March 18, 2007 Author Share Posted March 18, 2007 QUOTE(sayitaintso @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 11:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This is what i was going to say for the best inning. That's is a darn fine entry. I was there for that game and you captured it perfectly. The at bat against Bagwell was literally a moving experience. This is great stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LVSoxFan Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Nice stories here, but no doubt: El Duque's Boston miracle. That was just mind-blowing. I still can't believe we got out of that. Amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RME JICO Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 For one entire inning it was El Duque without a doubt. For one batter, the Jenks vs Bagwell was classic. Thats how I would separate those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmags Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 QUOTE(WSoxMatt @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 04:12 PM) Well Let me submit this inning... 8th Inning vs Houston 2005 World Series Game 1 4-3 White Sox... Tavarez doubles off Contreras Cotts replaces Contreras Berkman singles off Cotts... Cotts then K's Ensberg on straight gas...1 out (OK now a DP gets us off the hook) Cotts then K's Lamb (13 straight Fastballs from Cotts to the 2 hitters)... Jenks replaces Cotts to face Bagwell Burke runs for Berkman Burke steals 2nd on 0-2 After several foul balls with the go-ahead run in scoring position ...Jenks K's Bagwell...Crowd goes wild!! Lead perserved, Sox add insurance in the 8th, the sweep started IMO a better IP and more important IP than El Duque, but it did take 2 P's i was amazed at how little coverage this got in the dvds. Seriously incredible inning in an overall great game. but the el duque one was absolutely insane. Funny story, when he struck out damon i thought he had walked him, and i was screaming and swearing when everyone else was cheering, it took me a second to adjust and then acted like my swearing was the good kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimne piwo Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 (edited) Just loaded the DVD player and watched "Inning #6" again last night, let's just say that despite how great the first two ALDS games were, that was the defining moment where I first thought "hey, we're going to win this whole thing!!!" Let's not forget that El Duque didn't stop there and pitched two more fantastic innings after that!!! Edited March 19, 2007 by zimne piwo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmags Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 QUOTE(zimne piwo @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 05:38 AM) Just loaded the DVD player and watched "Inning #6" again last night, let's just say that despite how great the first two ALDS games were, that was the defining moment where I first thought "hey, we're going to win this whole thing!!!" Let's not forget that El Duque didn't stop there and pitched two more fantastic innings after that!!! very true. He was so on during the playoffs it was incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalapse Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 QUOTE(RME JICO @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 03:09 PM) For one entire inning it was El Duque without a doubt. For one batter, the Jenks vs Bagwell was classic. Thats how I would separate those. For a single batter I'd say game 3 Garland Vs Biggio in I want to say the 7th or 8th inning with a couple on base. Garland doubled up Biggio with a changeup but he fouled it up so Garland did the unthinkable and tripled him up to no avail he ended up throwing something like 6 straight changeups which goes against most every rule of pitching on the final pitch Biggio just watched it into the glove for the inning ending K. Talk about balls, Garland really showed what he was made of in that AB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodAsGould Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 There are many amazing single innings, but all things considered I dont know how anyone cant pick the El Duque inning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan101 Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 To me, this is so obviously the El Duque inning that the question should be what is the 2nd best inning. To do what El Duque did under those circumstances, you could argue that's one of the 5 best innings than anybody has ever pitched in any game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middle Buffalo Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 (edited) El Duque. Best game. Jack McDowell 1-0 against Seattle (I think it was Randy Johnson pitching for them). Ok, I'm officially old. I searched and can't find the best pitched game I remember. Never happened? Was I looking at BlackJack through goatee colored Sox shades? Closest thing to what I remember was 2-1 Sox over RJ. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SE...199406250.shtml Guess that makes me a fan. Edited March 19, 2007 by Middle Buffalo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2HH Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 I'm also going to have to say El Duque vs the Red Sox. That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen considering the implications/pressure of the situation. That wasn't just another ordinary game...that was the playoffs with a 1 run lead -- retained. It was flat out amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSqwert Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 QUOTE(Y2HH @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 01:37 PM) I'm also going to have to say El Duque vs the Red Sox. That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen considering the implications/pressure of the situation. That wasn't just another ordinary game...that was the playoffs with a 1 run lead -- retained. It was flat out amazing. And you forgot to mention that it was on the road in front of a hostile Boston crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2HH Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 01:43 PM) And you forgot to mention that it was on the road in front of a hostile Boston crowd. And it was on the road in front of a hostile Boston crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pants Rowland Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 QUOTE(Middle Buffalo @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 11:46 AM) El Duque. Best game. Jack McDowell 1-0 against Seattle (I think it was Randy Johnson pitching for them). Ok, I'm officially old. I searched and can't find the best pitched game I remember. Never happened? Was I looking at BlackJack through goatee colored Sox shades? Closest thing to what I remember was 2-1 Sox over RJ. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SE...199406250.shtml Guess that makes me a fan. As far as best games pitched to reference, there are a lot. Britt Burns' heartbreaker in the 1983 playoffs first comes to mind. I also remember either Burns or Dotson pitched a 12-0 one-hitter against KC in 1983 where the Sox hit back to back to back home runs early in the game and the no-no was broken up with one or two down in the 9th. Alvarez pitched a game a season or two after his no-no against the Orioles. I do not recall the opponent but I know it was like a 2 or three hit shutout and he was as on as I have ever seen a Sox pitcher. Even he said it was the best stuff he ever had in a game, including the no-hitter. I also recall a tight game between the Sox and Blue Jays in either 1993 or 1994 where Alex Fernandez gutted out a 2-1 victory in a matchup between the two premier teams in the league at the time. I recall another game where Black Jack gave up a leadoff home run to Paul Molitor of the _____ (I think he was still in Milwaukee) and then proceeded to dominate with a one-hitter that the Sox won by a large margin. As far as recent dominant performances, Garcia in Houston first comes to mind as do a handful of Buehrle's hour plus gems, in particular opening day 2005 versus Cleveland. I also must say that Contreras and Javier Vasquez had a two week span or so in the first half last year where they both were as unhittable as I have seen a tandem of Sox pitchers in a long time. I think between the two of them, they both took no-hitters deep into two games. I believe Javy's were consecutive where Jose's were spaced a bit apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 El Duque by a long shot. The odds of him making it out of that inning without giving up a run was 1 in a million. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 QUOTE(Beltin @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 08:02 AM) Was the Bill Simas inning against Cleveland in 1996 (I think that was the season although it could have been 1997)? Sox again clinging to a 4-2 lead and were in the midst of winning like 22 out of 24 games or something to that effect? I seem to remember Simas coming up huge and striking out one or two of their most feared hitters. I could swear Mr. Thome was one of them as well. FWIW, I recall that as the greatest regular season Sox run I had witnessed since the second half of 1983. i remember that inning. It was when the Indians were playing well. It was in Cleveland I believe. The bases were loaded with no one out and he got out of it with no runs. That was amazing. Has to be up there with the best inning ever. Cleveland had a great offense at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSoxMatt Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 QUOTE(Beltin @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 01:03 PM) As far as best games pitched to reference, there are a lot. Britt Burns' heartbreaker in the 1983 playoffs first comes to mind. I also remember either Burns or Dotson pitched a 12-0 one-hitter against KC in 1983 where the Sox hit back to back to back home runs early in the game and the no-no was broken up with one or two down in the 9th. Alvarez pitched a game a season or two after his no-no against the Orioles. I remember Burns giving up a single to California in the 1st and then retiring everyone else...it was 11-0...Back to back to back HRS for Fisk, Paciorek, and Luzinski in the 1st Inning off Tommy John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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