By Woodrow Carroll
It was only last week that the Chicago White Sox could boast the best record of any team in Major League Baseball (MLB). Things can change in a hurry, especially early in the season. Poof, it did!
After Sunday’s games, the White Sox were 26-19 (.578). Not the worst of situations because the White Sox still led the American League Central Division, 1.5 games in front of the second-place Cleveland. As for the best record in MLB? Forget about it.
At the beginning of the week, there were seven teams with better records than the White Sox, four in American League, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Oakland Athletics, and in the National League, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants.
It does not take much to make a move in the standings early in a season. The White Sox were 4-6 in their 10-game run that ended Sunday. Not the worst of showings, yet, when another team hits a hot streak it can change things in a hurry.
The White Sox closed out a three-game series in New York by falling, 5-4, to the Yankees Sunday. By sweeping the Sox in three straight games, the Yankees extended their winning streak to six games. At the same time the Yankees were tacking on the victories, the Yankees’ AL East Division rival Tampa Bay was on its own streak. With a wild, 11-inning, 14-8 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays Monday afternoon, the Rays collected their 11th victory in a row.
One thing is certain. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays, as part of the same AL East Division means the teams soon will be playing each other. Winning streaks will be of shorter duration. The same holds true for the National League West for the Padres, Dodgers, and Giants. The moment of truth will soon be at hand.
How valid is run differential? At the start of the week the White Sox had outscored the opposition by 64 runs, the best record among the 15 teams in the AL. Yet, the Oakland A’s, with a slightly superior 28-20 (.583) record than the White Sox, has been outscored by 11 runs overall.
The answer to our trivia question is Andy Hawkins. The question is, ‘Who is the only San Diego Padres pitcher to win a World Series game?’
With the Padres off to a strong start this season, we need to remember the Padres have only made two World Series appearances, 1984 and 1998.
In 1998 the Padres were swept four straight by the New York Yankees.
In 1984, San Diego, after defeating the Chicago Cubs, later opened the World Series at home against the favored Detroit Tigers and lost, 3-2, at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego.
Game two of the 1984 World Series did not start off well for the Padres. San Diego starting pitcher Ed Whitson gave up three runs in the top of the first inning and was pulled with two outs. Hawkins came in and pitched 5.1 innings of scoreless relief. The Padres came back to win the game, 5-3, giving the victory to Hawkins.
Games three, four, five, in Detroit went the way of the favored Tigers for a Detroit World Series championship.
In Game five of the 1984 World Series the Tigers jumped on Padres’ starter Mark Thurmond, who retired only one batter before being replaced by Hawkins.
Once again the Padres battled back to tie the score at three-all. In four innings of relief, Hawkins yielded one run on two hits. However, the lone run Hawkins gave up proved to be a fatal stat.
In the Detroit fifth, the Tigers scored their lone run off Hawkins to go ahead, 4-3. From there Detroit went on to win, 8-4, to make Hawkins the losing pitcher
Hawkins, 84-91 lifetime, later pitched for the Yankees and Athletics.
From 2008-2015, Hawkins served as a pitching coach for the Texas Rangers.