EIGHT factoids today: August 23, 1906 - The Sox beat Washington 4-1 for their 19th straight win, a franchise record that still stands. Roy Patterson picked up the win. This was the streak that propelled the Sox into a position to take the A.L. pennant and eventually the World Series crown beating the Cubs in the only all-Chicago World Series. During the run the Sox beat Boston six times, Philadelphia five times, New York seven times and Washington once. When the streak started on August 2 the Sox were seven and a half games behind Philadelphia, when it ended on August 25 at Washington, the team was in first place by four games over the A’s. August 23, 1956 – In a double header sweep at Yankee Stadium, Sox second baseman Nellie Fox recorded seven consecutive hits, six singles and a triple in the 8-3 and 6-4 wins. Fox went 5 for 5 in game one with four RBI’s then recorded two hits in his first two at-bats in the nightcap game. For the day Nellie went 7 for 10 with two runs scored and those four RBI’s. August 23, 1958 – Nellie Fox pops right up again, with another momentous feat. On this day, Fox struck out, in the first inning of a 7-1 win at Yankee Stadium, vs. Whitey Ford. A strike out doesn’t sound like much until you realize it was the first time Nellie struck out in 98 games setting a Major League record! The streak started back on May 17, in a 3-2 win over Cleveland. He logged 451 plate appearances and 356 official at-bats during those 98 games, leading the White Sox to a 54-43 record. Fox struck out only 216 times in his 21-year career. For the 1958 season he’d finish with a .300 batting average and only fan 11 times leading the league with 187 hits. August 23, 1972 - Sox slugger Dick Allen would make history again on this day. He slammed a pitch from the Yankees Lindy McDaniel into the center field bleachers directly under the scoreboard at Comiskey Park, becoming the first Sox player to ever do this. It came in the seventh inning with a man on base. Sox announcer Harry Caray, who was broadcasting the game from that area, nearly caught the ball in his fishing net which he kept with him for just such an occasion. The Sox would win it 5-2. August 23, 1983 - Normally a first baseman, manager Tony LaRussa moved Mike Squires to third base in the eighth inning of a 10-2 loss to the Royals. Squires was left-handed! Squires faced three batters from that spot without handling any chances. Twice Mike also caught an inning left-handed as well. During the 1983 and 1984 seasons Squires was moved to third base a total of 14 times by manager Tony LaRussa the most ever for a left hander in big league history. August 23, 2002 - Sox third baseman Joe Crede hit the 1,000th home run at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) when he put one into the seats off former Sox pitcher Tanyon Sturtze during the 8-2 loss to the Devil Rays. His home run came in the ninth inning. August 23, 2005 - In an excruciating game in Minnesota, the Sox Freddy Garcia tossed a complete game one-hitter and lost 1-0. The only mistake he made was allowing a home run to Jacque Jones leading off the eighth inning. August 23, 2011 - Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, a mainstay for the team since being acquired in a trade before the start of the 1999 season, collected his 2,000th career hit in a 5-4 loss to the Angels in Anaheim. The hit was a single that tied the game at four all. All but 48 of those 2,000 hits came with the White Sox. He’d finish with 2,340 of them over 18 years.
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