EIGHT factoids today: August 30, 1941 - Sox pitcher Johnny Humphries had his string of 35 consecutive scoreless innings snapped on a home run by the Browns Chet Laabs in the second inning. The Browns won that afternoon going away 10-1. Humphries threw three consecutive shutouts going into the Browns game and started his scoreless streak back on July 19 with some coming in relief. August 30, 1949 - The Sox organized and celebrated “Jackie Hayes Night” at Comiskey Park. Hayes was a fine second baseman who suddenly lost his sight due to glaucoma. After a shower one afternoon, he felt as if he had soap in his right eye. The next day his vision was blurry, and the club sent him back to Chicago for treatment. “I thought it was just a cinder in there at first,” he said, “but specialists all over town have looked me over and they say it’s an infection somewhere else settling in my eye. All I know is, I can’t see very well and it’s getting no better.” It never did. Hayes visited 10 doctors and received several diagnoses — infection, inflammation, cataract — but no relief. Incredibly before he completely lost his sight, he played 18 games in the 1940 season, when he eyesight began to go bad and he hit .195. He literally closed his right eye when batting! August 30, 1955- The good news was that the White Sox beat the Red Sox, 7-5, in front of 41,166 at Comiskey Park to move into first place in the American League. The bad? Catcher Sherm Lollar was ejected from the game by home plate umpire Larry Napp in the sixth inning because he waved a towel in the dugout after teammate Millard “Dixie” Howell was called out on strikes. Sox G.M. Frank Lane, incensed by the decision, ran down from the press box and into the box seats to berate supervisor of umpires Cal Hubbard and A.L. president William Harridge. Commissioner Ford Frick fined Lane $500 dollars and ordered him to apologize. It wasn’t the first time Lane took on the establishment over what he considered unfair treatment for his club. He got into hot water after making comments about how the Yankees, he felt, were getting preferential treatment from the league office. August 30, 1959 - The Sox sealed a huge four game sweep of their closest pursuers in the American League by beating Cleveland at Municipal Stadium 6-3 and 9-4. Early Wynn and Barry Latman picked up the wins. The four-game sweep increased the Sox lead to five and a half games in the league and basically ended any suspense as to who was going to win the 1959 American League championship. An oddity came in game two when Latman’s sacrifice fly in the second inning scored both Johnny Romano and Al Smith! Latman hit a long drive caught at the fence by the Indians Rocco “Rocky” Colavito (who’d join the Sox in 1967) which scored Romano easily but Smith never hesitated and slid safely before third baseman George Strickland could even make a throw. The double header sweep was played in front of over 66 thousand fans. Sportswriter Gordon Cobbledick of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote that it was time for the Sox to “Go-Go home…” August 30, 1981 - The Sox dealt three prospects to the Twins for pitcher Jerry Koosman. The three were “Bambi” Mesa, Ron Perry and Randy Johnson (no… not THAT Randy Johnson). This Johnson was a Sox utility player who appeared in 12 games in 1980. It was a small deal pulled off by G.M. Roland Hemond that turned out to have big implications in future years. Koosman was like a second pitching coach, tutoring young Sox hurlers. He’d start games, pitch long relief and be a situational left hander in his two plus years on the South Side. He’d win 23 games and save five more overall in his time in Chicago. August 30, 1983 - Carlton Fisk, one of the fastest catchers in baseball history, hit an inside the park home run off the Rangers Dave Stewart at Comiskey Park. His drive struck the top of the wall in left center field and bounded back towards the infield. While the Texas outfielders were tracking the ball down, Fisk circled the bases. The Sox won that night, 5-0. August 30, 1990 - Ron Karkovice, not the fastest catcher to ever play the game, (although he amazingly had 10 steals in 1992!) hit an inside the park grand slam off the Twins David West at Minnesota. With the bases loaded in the fourth inning Karkovice hit a line drive just over shortstop that rolled to the wall in left center. Outfielder Dan Gladden was picking the ball up when he started to slip and fall. As he did so, he tossed the ball towards outfielder John Moses to try to start a relay, except that Moses wasn’t looking for it and the ball rolled towards center field. By the time the Twins got to it, Karkovice and all the runners had scored. It was the difference in a 4-3 win. August 30, 2004 - Sox outfielder Joe Borchard hit what’s believed to be the longest home run ever hit at U.S. Cellular Field (now Rate Field). He drove a pitch from the Phillies Brett Myers, a future Sox pitcher, an estimated 504 feet to right field, in the second inning, smacking off the wall at the back of the bleacher seats. It was part of a Sox 9-8 win. At the time he was drafted in the first round in 2000, Borchard got the largest bonus ever handed out by the franchise… 5.3 million dollars.
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