Shin-Soo Choo records golden sombrero against White Sox (4/2/2011)

Bottom 1: Choo walks against Edwin Jackson

Bottom 2: Choo strikes out swinging against Jackson

Bottom 5: Choo strikes out swinging against Jackson

Bottom 7: Choo strikes out swinging against Chris Sale

Bottom 9: Choo called out on strikes against Sergio Santos

It is with deep regret that I bring to you the first golden sombrero of the 2011 MLB season, mostly because he’s my favorite player.  That’s right, Gordon Beckham, the face of the Chicago White Sox for years to come, fanned four times in four at-bats on Sunday afternoon.  Poor Gordie; he doesn’t deserve such humiliation.  And of all things, a Spring Training sombrero! It just breaks my heart.

Anyway, here’s a recap of how it happened:

1^st inning: Beckham is called out on strikes against Brewers’ starter Marco Estrada

2^nd inning: Beckham strikes out swinging against Estrada

5^th inning: Beckham strikes out swinging against Estrada

7^th inning: Beckham strikes out swinging against reliever Mike Difelice

As a team, the White Sox struck out six times in the game, four of which were Beckham’s.  I don’t think it’s far-fetched to argue that this may be the only time that Beckham wears the sombrero in his career.  Still, poor Gordie.

Hits were scarce for the San Francisco Giants in Game 3 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers.  And then there was Pat Burrell.  Pat “The Bat” wore the golden sombrero, turning in an 0-4, 4K performance that included three against starter Colby Lewis, and a final one against closer Neftali Feliz to lead off the ninth.

Against Lewis, Burrell swung through — what felt like — every slider and curveball.  He fouled a couple of them off, but it seemed like he was just delaying the inevitable rather than staying alive.

Neftali Feliz made quick work of the Burrell to lead off the ninth with a series of high 90s fastballs.  After seeing a steady diet of offspeed pitches from Lewis, he appeared overmatched and unable to adjust to Feliz’s heat.

Burrell joins teammate Andres Torres as the only players to notch a golden sombrero in the 2010 postseason.

On Sunday night, San Francisco Giants center fielder Andres Torres became the first player in the 2010 postseason to notch a golden sombrero. For those out there who are unfamiliar with such terminology, a golden sombrero is the illustrious four-strikeout game.

Torres, who is no stranger to the sombrero, struck out against Philadelphia Phillies starter Roy Oswalt in each of his four plate appearances in Game 2, which Philadelphia ultimately won 6-1. In his first three at bats, Torres was blown away by Oswalt’s overpowering fastball; in his final at bat, Oswalt dropped a nasty, backdoor curve on the Giants leadoff hitter, making the sombrero official.

Of Oswalt’s nine strikeouts in the game, Torres was responsible for four of them.

Let’s just say that Adam LaRoche has had better games than Friday night’s contest against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The strikeout-prone first baseman, who has cooled off after a productive month of August, notched four strikeouts in four atbats in Friday’s loss.

As if wearing the golden sombrero wasn’t humiliating in itself, LaRoche looked utterly bewildered in his three at-bats against Kershaw.  However, it was his third and final at-bat against the young lefthander that truly epitomized the extent of LaRoche’s struggles at the plate.

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