Meet the Sox

Geoff Blum

Talk about not overstaying your welcome.

Geoff Blum made the perfect exit, leaving fans wanting more when he wouldn’t have been able to deliver it.

That’s no knock against Blum, who will forever be known as the guy who hit the game-winning homer in the 14th inning of Game 3 of the World Series. 

Let’s relive that moment:

Jermaine Dye started off the inning with a single off Ezequiel Astacio, but Paul Konerko hit a rocket that Morgan Ensberg swiftly turned into a double play.  It looked like it’d be another scoreless inning for the Sox when Geoff Blum lined a 2-0 pitch into the right field seats. 

He was the second unlikely homer hitter in two games, as Scott Podsednik hit the walk-off shot in Game 2, and even though Blum had two more regular-season homers in comparison to Pods, I felt his was more unlikely.

You see, Blum struggled after coming to the White Sox from San Diego in Kenny Williams’ only midseason trade.  With a batting line of .200/.232/.274, he was hitting worse than every other White Sox on the 25-man roster.

Yes, even Timo.

In a key game against Detroit while the Sox were desperately trying to clinch a playoff spot, Blum was brought in to pinch-hit for Chris Widger with the bases loaded and the Sox down by one.  Blum promptly tapped back to the pitcher for a 1-2-3 double play, and Chicago ended up losing the game.

Sure, Blum bristled when media reporters referred to him as a “scrub,” but that’s pretty much what he was.  When the Sox had to decide on their playoff roster, I didn’t want Blum on it.  The only unique ability Blum possessed was his ability to play a good first base – and Ross Gload, who is a much better hitter, could do that as well.

Then, with one fateful at-bat in the World Series, he told all of us critics where to stick it. 

Between that homer, his awesome hair, his triplets and his self-deprecating humor, Blum became a fan favorite (and you can see all of those on the World Series DVD).  He was the ringleader of Group 4 – the players who were the last priority when it came to batting practice – and the embodiment of what the White Sox did all season long.  The Sox may have been short on superstars, but they made up for it with timely hits from everybody on the roster.

But the Sox couldn’t count on Blum to do that every single time – he was a guy who failed to post a .300 OBP in the last three seasons, and before that heroic plate appearance, he hit the ball with less authority than any other Sox.  The Sox knew they could upgrade that position for the next 162 games, so they let Blum go back to San Diego and replaced him with Rob Mackowiak.

It’s really the best of both worlds for Blum – he gets to go back to San Diego, where his expanded family set down roots last year.  Meanwhile, he closes his Chicago career on the highest of high notes.  People may remember that he didn’t hit worth anything before Game 3 of the World Series, but nobody will care.