Konerko's 16-year run with Sox comes to an end
After going hitless in his first 3 at-bats Sunday in a 6-4 loss to the Royals at U.S. Cellular Field, Paul Konerko knew it was time.
The White Sox' popular captain knew it was officially over when he grounded out to third base leading off the fifth inning against Kansas City reliever Casey Coleman.
Konerko trotted back out to first base in the top of the sixth, but per his request to manager Robin Ventura, he was lifted before the inning started.
After acknowledging a standing ovation as he made his way back to the dugout and bouncing out once more for a curtain call, Konerko had no second thoughts about retiring.
“Today I felt very at peace with it,” said Konerko, who exits the game as one of only 37 players in baseball history to record more than 400 doubles and 400 home runs. “I wish it was a little bit better. But I was cool with it all. It's tough on you as a player because you don't see yourself doing the same kind of things.
“I haven't swung the bat well for me since probably 2011, even 2012 when I got off well in the beginning, that wasn't the way I swing the bat. I had a lot of hits. It's been a long time since I felt what I know I've done. So, I think that in a way makes it easier. I haven't really been myself for a while.”
Konerko took a lap around the Cell after the game and thanked all the fans that have been supporting him the past 16 seasons.
“That's such the beauty of this game, there is no switch,” Konerko said after going 0-for-10 on his final homestand. “You've got to be good, you've got to have your act together and it's almost in a way for me, just a nice, gentle reminder on the way out you don't get what you want all the time when it comes to on the field stuff.
“But everything else couldn't have been better. I know I've been here a while and I knew there'd be something at the end that would be commemorating me being here for a while. But this whole thing, the fans and all that (Saturday) night, I never thought that I was one of those guys that gets that. I just didn't think I was, but I guess I was.”
Wait til next year:
After losing to the Royals Sunday, the White Sox finish the season with a 73-89 record.
That is much better than last year's 63-99 showing, but not nearly good enough.
“If you're asking me for a pass/fail grade on the 2014 season, it's a failure,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “The goal is to win a championship. The goal is always to win a championship, and we're not going to do that. From the standpoint of putting ourselves in position to win multiple championship, there are some successes that we can feel happy about.”
Hahn listed Jose Abreu, who is going to win American League Rookie of the Year honors in a landslide, Adam Eaton, Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Avisail Garcia as building blocks to future success, but he still has plenty of holes to fill before the Sox can be considered contenders.
“We knew going in, going back 15 months or so when this thing (rebuild) began in earnest, this was going to be a multiyear process,” Hahn said. “We can be pleased about how that first year-plus of it has gone, but we absolutely have to follow it up with another success, another strong year of success, and that starts in earnest (Monday).”
Ventura safe:
As expected, White Sox manager Robin Ventura has talent the brunt of the blame for back-to-back losing seasons.
GM Rick Hahn said the Sox' tailspin is not Ventura's fault.
“Robin continues to do an excellent job at the helm of the club,” Hahn said. “Obviously, when you evaluate managers, you have to take into account the personnel that they're given. I don't think it's fair to expect them to have every player on the roster consistently overachieve or achieve at perhaps a level beyond the player's capabilities.”
It's a wrap:
The Sox drew 32,266 Sunday, finishing the season with an attendance of 1,650,821. The White Sox' gate has declined eight straight years … Chris Sale (2.17) finished second to Seattle's Felix Hernandez (2.14) in the American League ERA race ... Jose Abreu finished fifth in batting (.317), tied for third in home runs (36) and fourth in RBI (107).