City of the Day

East Chicago, IN. 7 Players, 1 Active. First Player: Bob Anderson (1957-1963).

East Chicago, an industrial suburb situated between the Illinois/Indiana border and the southern shore of Lake Michigan, has produced its fair share of successful ballplayers.  Bob Anderson was the first player to come from East Chicago, who's main street is E Chicago Avenue. Anderson pitched for the Chicago Cubs, and enjoyed his best year in 1959 by going 12-13 with a 4.13 ERA over 37 games (36 starts). He finished his career 36-46 with a 4.26 ERA, also pitching 32 games for Detroit.  Up next was Jim Hicks, who debuted the year after Anderson retired and went on to play three years for another Chicago team–the White Sox.  He never found much success there, and finished his career with just a .163 average and four home runs over 93 games. Danny Lazar played both his seasons, 1968 and 1969, with the White Sox, going 0-1 with a 5.56 ERA and continuing the trend of East Chicago players to drift to Chicago teams.  Stan Perzanowski became the fourth straight East Chicagoan to debut with a Chicago team, has he debuted with the White Sox.  He had only one good season out of his six, when he was 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA for Texas in 1975.  That year, Tim Stoddard, arguably the greatest pitcher to come out of East Chicago, debuted with the White Sox, making it so all five players from East Chicago debuted with Chicago teams.  He pitched just one inning with the ChiSox, then went on to dominate for the Orioles for six years.  His best year came in 1980, as he assumed closer's duties and was 5-3 with a 2.51 ERA and 26 saves.  He finished up in 1989 with 76 saves and a 3.95 ERA over 485 games.  In 1991, Kenny Lofton, the greatest player to come from East Chicago, broke the Chicago streak by debuting with the Astros.  After leaving the Astros, he went on to have a wildly successful nine year tenure in Cleveland, which included four Gold Gloves, five All Star selections, and 479 stolen bases.  His best year was the strike shortened 1994, when he hit 12 home runs, batted .349, and stole 60 bases in just 112 games.  He was on pace for 17 home runs, 85 stolen bases, and 228 hits should he have played in 160 games.  He brushed it off by stealing 75 bases in 1996.  He did end up with the White Sox in 2002 and the Cubs in 2003, extending a streak of six straight East Chicagoans who played for Chicago teams.  Lofton finished his career with 130 home runs, 622 stolen bases, and a .299 average.  The only active player from East Chicago is Jason Repko, an outfielder who is currently in the minors.  Repko, who has played for the Dodgers, Twins, and Red Sox, has yet to play for a Chicago team.  Over his eight years, he has 16 home runs, 27 stolen bases, and a .224 average through 360 games.  

News

Cubs signed Starlin Castro to a seven year, $60 million extension ($8.57 million per season).

Angels outfielder Mike Trout set another record by becoming the youngest player ever with 25 home runs and 40 stolen bases in one season.  He was also the first player this season to 100 runs scored.

Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista will have season ending wrist surgery.  He finished with 27 home runs in 92 games.

Nationals signed Chad Tracy to a one year, $1 million extension.Padres snapped their 8 game winning streak.

Game Scores

Marlins (59-71) beat the Nationals (77-51) 9-0.

Angels (67-62) beat the Red Sox (62-68) 6-5.

Yankees (75-54) beat the Blue Jays (57-71) 2-1.

Mets (60-69) beat the Phillies (61-68) 9-5 (10 innings).

Rockies (53-75) beat the Dodgers (69-61) 8-4.

Braves (74-56) beat the Padres (60-71) 2-0.

Rangers (77-52) beat the Rays (70-59) 1-0.

Brewers (61-67) beat the Cubs (49-79) 4-1.

Top Scorer: Mets beat the Phillies 9-5 (10 innings), Pirates beat the Cardinals 9-0, Marlins beat the Nationals 9-0, and Royals beat the Tigers 9-8.

Standings

AL East: Yankees (75-54, .581 WPCT).  AL Central: White Sox (71-57, .555).  AL West: Rangers (77-52, .597).

NL East: Nationals (77-51, .602).  NL Central: Reds (79-52, .603).  NL West: Giants (72-57, .558). 

AL Wild Cards: Orioles and A's (71-57, .555).  NL Wild Cards: Braves (74-56, .569) and Cardinals (71-58, .550).

Bottom Team: Astros (40-89, .310).  Longest W Streak: Orioles and A's, 4 games.  Longest L Streak: Diamondbacks and Nationals, 5 games.

League Leaders

Offensive: AVG: Melky Cabrera (Giants), .346.  Home runs: Adam Dunn (White Sox), 38.  RBI: Josh Hamilton (Rangers), 111.  Stolen bases: Mike Trout (Angels), 41.

Pitching: Wins: Johnny Cueto (Reds), 17.  K's: Justin Verlander (Tigers), 198.  ERA: Felix Hernandez (Mariners), 2.43 (196.2 innings, 53 earned runs).  Saves: Jim Johnson (Orioles), 40.

Top Performers

Offensive: Pedro Alvarez (Pirates): 4-5, double, 2 home runs (25), 4 RBI, 3 runs, AVG up .007 from .240 to .247, hitting streak to 4 games (9-15, .600 AVG).

Pitching: Ricky Nolasco (Marlins): Win (10-12), 9 shutout innings, 5 hits, no walks, 6 K's (102), ERA drop: 0.29 runs from 5.07 to 4.78.

Worst Pitching Performance: Justin Verlander (Tigers): No decision, 5.2 innings, 8 earned runs, 12 hits, 3 walks, 6 K's (198), ERA jump: 0.30 runs from 2.50 to 2.80.

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Teams followed in this update: Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.

HR: home runs.  RBI: runs batted in.  AVG: batting average.  SB: stolen bases.  ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched.  K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage

Zack Silverman