[THIS DATE IN SOX HISTORY: MAY 2ND]

THIS DATE IN SOX HISTORY: MAY 2ND

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com/

 

A FORFEIT FIRST

1901: The White Sox were on the losing end of the first forfeited game in American League history. The umpires awarded the visiting Detroit Tigers the victory because the Sox and manager Clark Griffith were stalling with the game threatened by darkness. When umpire Tom Connolly made the ruling, fans were so irate that owner Charles Comiskey had to take to the field and try to make peace. The scene was so intense Chicago police had to escort umpries from the field.

 

JOHNSON BLANKS A’S

1954: Don Johnson fired a four-hitter as the White Sox dumped the A’s 4-0 in the first game of a doubleheader in Philadelphia.

 

SOX TURN ON THE POWER

1965: The White Sox rode an early power surge to a 6-5 victory over the Twins in salvaging the second game of a doubleheader before 42,367 at Comiskey Park. Floyd Robinson put the Sox ahead with a solo home run in the first and Don Buford launched a two-run shot in the third to give the Sox an insurmountable 4-1 lead. Danny Cater had two hits to continue his early-season tear. Coupled with his two hits in the first game, Cater raised his average to .367.

 

FAREWELL AL

1969: Battling stomach problems, 60-year old Al Lopez resigned as White Sox manager and was replaced by longtime coach Don Gutteridge. The Senor stepped down with the Sox at 8-9 and in fourth place in the American League West. Lopez left the bench with an 840-650 record in 10-plus seasons as Sox manager. He guided the Sox to the 1959 pennant and nine consecutive winning and first-division finishes. Lopez was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

 

KNOOP DELIVERS

1970: Bobby Knoop’s RBI single in the eighth was the difference in the White Sox 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers before 4,712 at Comiskey Park. Knoop’s two-out single scored Gail Hopkins and followed Ed Herrmann’s game-tying single as the Sox won for the third straight game.

 

REICHARDT, ROMO ROCK WASHINGTON

1971: Rick Reichardt and Vincente Romo played the heroes in the White Sox 3-1 win at Washington. Reichardt’s two-run homer with two out in the eighth broke a 1-1 tie and Romo got the game’s final out with runners on first and second as the Sox won for the fourth straight game.

 

HOYT TOPS MORRIS AND THE CATS

1982: The White Sox treated a crowd of 39,204 at Comiskey Park to a 10-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. The crowd was the largest of the season to that point and would wind up being the fourth-largest of the season. LaMarr Hoyt got the win over Jack Morris. The victory improved Hoyt to 5-0 and was part of a string that would eventually reach a club record 14 in a row.

 

HOYT’S FINEST HOUR

1984: LaMarr Hoyt tossed the White Sox final one-hitter at Old Comiskey Park in a 3-0 win over the New York Yankees before 15,382 at 35th and Shields. Hoyt faced the minimum in logging his only shutout of the season. Between the first and seventh innings, the burly right-hander retired 19 consecutive batters before Don Mattingly singled with one out in the seventh. Hoyt then got Steve Kemp to bounce into a double play. Hoyt then retired the next eight to complete the gem. The Sox did all their damage in the second on RBIs by Scott Fletcher and Rudy Law and a balk. Mike Squires started at third base, marking the first time since at least 1936 that a southpaw started at the position. Squires played the first five innings at the hot corner with no chances before moving to first base.

 

A KING-SIZED EFFORT

1989: Eric King went eight innings and Ron Kittle and Ivan Calderon each hit two-run home runs as the White Sox topped Milwaukee 6-1 before 6,534 at Comiskey Park. King gave up a run in the first and then shut down the Brewers until Bobby Thigpen came in for mop-up duty in the ninth.

 

A NICE TRIBUTE

1992: Prior to their 4-1 loss to Texas at New Comiskey Park, the White Sox paid tribute to former Negro League stars in an emotional ceremony. The Sox wore Chicago American Giant replica hats in the 11-inning loss before 29,172 on the Southside.

 

CAMERON GOES DEEP FOUR TIMES VS. SOX

2002: Mike Cameron hit four homers and went back-to-back twice with Bret Boone as Seattle ripped the White Sox 15-4 before 12,891 at Comiskey Park. Cameron and Boone became the first players to hit consecutive homers twice in a game.

 

MOVIN’ ON UP

2004: Frank Thomas homered and Jon Garland pitched into the eighth inning as the White Sox moved into a first place tie in the American League Central with a 3-2 win over Toronto before 15,550 at US Cellular Field. Garland gave up 10 hits and got relief help from Damaso Marte, Cliff Politte and Billy Koch in earning his second win. Koch got through the ninth for his second save. Thomas’ blast came in the fourth and broke a 1-1 tie.

 

 

[THIS DATE IN SOX HISTORY: MAY 1ST]

THIS DATE IN SOX HISTORY: MAY 1ST

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

SOX SLAM THE FIRST SLAM

1901: The White Sox crushed Detroit 19-9 at SouthSidePark on the strength of two grand slams, including the first one in American League history by Herm McFarland. Dummy Hoy added a slam later in the game in support of winning pitcher Roy Patterson. The seventh game in franchise history, which saw the Tigers commit 12 errors, is still tied for the 12th highest-scoring game in franchise history.

 

 

BIG K FOR THE BIG REEL

1910: Ed Walsh fanned 13 batters in the White Sox 4-3 win in 15 innings against Detroit in Chicago. The output was tied for the second highest in franchise history, behind his 15 K effort at ClevelandOct. 2, 1908. Walsh’s 13 K effort is still tied for the 12th highest output in club history.

 

 

SAY HAYNES!

1945: Joe Haynes turned in the finest effort of his nine-year White Sox career in one-hitting the Detroit Tigers 5-0 at Tiger Stadium. Skeeter Webb’s single in the third was the only blemish on Haynes’ day. The one-hitter was the first by a White Sox pitcher in nearly two years and was the first road one-hitter by a Sox pitcher since July 20, 1935.

 

 

THE GO GO ERA ARRIVES

1951: Minnie Minoso made his White Sox debut in becoming the first African American to play for the team the day after being acquired from the Cleveland Indians. In his first plate appearance with the Sox, Minoso launched a home run off Yankee ace Vic Raschi in an 8-3 loss before 14,776 at ComiskeyPark. The home run was the first of 135 Minoso would hit for the Sox and properly inaugurated the franchise’s “Go Go” era, according to team historian Rich Lindberg. In that same game, the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle hit the first of his 536 home runs.

 

 

A TOTAL WYNN

1959: Early Wynn did it all in the White Sox 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox before 13,022 at ComiskeyPark. The future Hall of Famer one-hit the Boston Red Sox and his home run leading off the eighth accounted for the game’s only run. Wynn struck out 14 and walked seven. The only hit he allowed – a single to Pete Runnels -- came with one out in the first. The 14 strikeouts are tied for sixth on the franchise’s single-season list and were the most by a Sox pitcher in five seasons.

 

 

A FIRST FOR FORSTER

1971: Terry Forster earned his first career save by fanning the game’s final batter with a runner on base in the White Sox 5-3 win at Washington. The Sox got three hits, including a home run, from Carlos May in downing Denny McLain and winning their third game in a row. Tommy John got the win but got substantial help from Don Eddy, Steve Kealey and Forster, who combined to pitch 3.1 innings of one-hit shutout relief.

 

 

ALLEN GOES UP ON THE ROOF

1973: Dick Allen launched his only roof shot home run in a White Sox uniform in a 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles before 8,982 at ComiskeyPark. Allen’s blast came off Mike Cueller and was part of a two-homer day that helped the Sox to their fifth straight win in a streak that would eventually reach nine. Ed Herrmann broke the game open with a three-run blast in the fourth inning. The Orioles made a late charge at the Sox but Cy Acosta slammed the door shut by retiring Terry Crowley with runners on second and third for his first save of the season.

 

 

WALKER, HULETT, CALDERON GO DEEP IN THE SIXTH

1987: The White Sox rode the third three-homer inning in club history to a 5-1 win over the Orioles in Baltimore. Greg Walker ignited the barrage with a one out solo shot in the sixth. After a walk to Carlton Fisk, Ivan Calderon homered, sending Scot McGregor to the showers. Tim Hulett greeted reliever Mike Kinnunen with a homer to increase the Sox lead to 5-0. The three-homer inning was the Sox first in a road game and the team’s first since Aug. 24, 1985 when Rudy Law, Bryan Little and Harold Baineswent deep. The Sox second three-homer inning came Sept. 9, 1983 when Greg Luzinski, Tom Paciorek and Fisk left the yard.

 

 

A ROLLS REUSS OF A PERFORMANCE

1989: Jerry Reuss celebrated his 600th big league appearance by firing the 39th shutout of his career -- a four-hitter -- in the White Sox 6-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers before 7,625 chilled fans at ComiskeyPark. Reuss induced 18 groundball outs in posting the 214th victory of his career. The left-hander struck out four and walked none in improving to 3-2. The Sox supported Reuss with three in the second and three in the fifth on a Ron Kittle home run as the teams played through a brief snow squall.

 

 

SOX LOSE MILWAUKEE MARATHON

1991: The White Sox dropped a 19-inning, six-hour and five-minute affair to the Brewers in Milwaukee. The game is just one of nine in Sox history that has lasted as long as 19 innings. Willie Randolph’s single in the 19th lifted Milwaukee to a 10-9 win. The game was the Sox longest by innings since their two-day, 25-inning triumph of Milwaukee in 1984.

 

 

NINE MORE GOOSE-EGGS FOR GAR

2005: Jon Garland fired his second consecutive shutout, extended his scoreless streak to 22 innings to become the American League’s first five game winner in the White Sox 5-0 triumph of the Tigers before 20,862 at US Cellular Field. Garland limited the Tigers to four hits and one walk while striking out six in becoming the first Sox pitcher to twirl back-to-back shutouts since Jack McDowell accomplished the feat in 1991. The Sox grabbed the lead for the 25th consecutive game to start a season, tying the big league record held by the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. The Sox offense featured a home run by Timo Perez and Pedro Lopez’s first big league hit.

 

 

NO. 200 FOR OZZIE

2006: Paul Konerko’s three-run home run in the first inning sent the White Sox on their way to an 8-6 win at Cleveland and handed Ozzie Guillen his 200th victory as manager. Bolstered by Scott Podsednik’s four hits and four steals, the Sox stretched their winning streak at Jacobs Field to eight games, their longest in Cleveland since Aug. 20, 1966 to May 6, 1967.

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 30TH]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 30TH

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

THE ONLY PERFECT GAME IN WHITE SOX HISTORY

1922: Rookie Charlie Robertson pitched the only perfect game in White Sox history by shutting down the Tigers 2-0 in Detroit. Making his second start of the season, Robertson mesmerized the sellout crowd of 25,000 at Navin Field with his fastball and slider. So frustrated by Robertson were the Tigers, they insisted he was doctoring the ball. The great Ty Cobb personally inspected every inch of Robertson's uniform but could not find any foreign substances. The Tigers managed just one hard hit ball off Robertson, who struck out six, but Johnny Mostil ran it down in left field while fighting off spectators and mounted police. The spectators were on the field -- a common practice during this era -- and the police were there to keep the crowd in check. The Sox scored twice in the second inning on Earl Sheely's single, which scored Harry Hooper and Mostil. When Robertson retired pinch-hitter Johnny Basler to end it, he had the sixth perfect game in big league history and even earned a standing ovation from the normally harsh Detroit faithful. The "perfecto" was the highlight of the Texan's big league career. Robertson played for the Sox in 1919 and from 1922 to 1925. He pitched for the Browns in 1926 before finishing his career with the Boston Braves in 1927 and 1928. Robertson won 14 games for the 1922 Sox and then 13 for the Sox the next season. After that, Robertson never won more than eight games in a season. (Source: Rich Lindberg's White Sox Encyclopedia).

 

MINOSO COMES ABOARD

1951: Minnie Minoso began his productive and colorful tenure with the White Sox when he was acquired in an involved three-team swap which also included the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Indians and seven players. The Sox acquired Minoso from Cleveland and Paul Lehner from the A's and sent Gus Zernial and Dave Philley to the A's.

 

HOYT’S 100TH RELIEF SPARKS A STREAK

1967: The White Sox began a 10-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory over Cleveland in the second game of a doubleheader before 9,336 at Comiskey Park. The occasion also marked the 100th relief win for Hoyt Wilhelm, a major league record. The Sox scored one run in each of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings in overcoming a 2-0 deficit. Al Weis' RBI tied it in the fifth and Tommie Agee's hit.

 

A DAY LATER, THINGS ARE BETTER

1970: A day after being drubbed 18-2 by the Orioles, the White Sox exacted a little revenge from the reigning American League champs with a 6-3 win before 1,469 at Comiskey Park. Tommy John aided his own cause by driving in the go-ahead run in a four-run sixth. John pitched seven innings for his first victory of the season after five consecutive losses.

 

MAY, REICHARDT PROVIDE THE POWER

1971: Rick Reichardt's home run in the fourth tied the game and Carlos May's two-run single put the Sox on top in an 8-1 win over the Senators in Washington. The Sox banged out 15 hits with Ed Stroud, May, Reichardt, Mike Andrews, Ed Herrmann and Jay Johnstone each collecting two hits. Bart Johnson went the distance and allowed one run on five hits with four walks and eight strikeouts to move to 3-2.

 

HERRMANN SLAMS TIGERS

1972: Ed Herrmann's second career grand slam powered the White Sox to a 6-3 win over the Tigers in Detroit. The bases-loaded blast came in the sixth inning off Joe Coleman with the Sox trailing 2-1 with two outs and Carlos May, Jay Johnstone and Mike Andrews on base. Starter Tom Bradley got the victory but Terry Forster was the pitching hero, tossing four shutout innings of relief for his second save.

 

SANTO MAKES HIS FIRST SOX HR COUNT

1974: Ron Santo’s two-run home run off Jim Palmer in the seventh was all Stan Bahnsen needed in a 2-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles before 5,836 at Comiskey Park. Santo, starting at second base, followed Ken Henderson’s leadoff single with his first home run in a Sox uniform. Bahnsen went the distance giving up seven hits and three walks while fanning six.

 

ORTA, FORSTER TOO MUCH FOR TIGERS

1976: The White Sox did all of their scoring in the middle innings in doubling over the Detroit Tigers 8-4 to stop a five-game losing streak before 9,009 at Comiskey Park. Jorge Orta’s one-out solo homer in the fourth gave the Sox the lead for good. Terry Forster started and gave up three runs on nine hits while walking three and fanning four in 7.1 innings for the victory.

 

SCRAPPY SOX RETURN TO TOP

1980: The White Sox played "small ball" in pulling out a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox before 10,626 at Comiskey Park. The scrappy victory enabled the White Sox to regain first place in the American League West by one game over the Oakland Athletics. The Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Mike Squires clubbed the second home run of his career. After Boston tied the game in the seventh, the Sox staged their game-winning rally in the eighth. With two outs, Alan Bannister coaxed a walk out of Dennis Eckersley and stole second. Rookie Harold Baines then singled scoring Bannister. Ed Farmer, in the midst of an All-Star and 30-save season, pitched a scoreless ninth for his sixth save in relief of Richard Dotson, who gave up one run in eight innings to improve to 3-1.

 

KITTLE, BURNS TURN BACK YANKS

1984: The White Sox scored four in the first and held on for a 5-3 win over the New York Yankees before 15,322 at Comiskey Park. Ron Kittle keyed the early rally with a three-run home run off Ron Guidry. The Yankees scored three in the ninth but Britt Burns put out the fire to earn his first save in relief of winner Floyd Bannister. Burns got a force out with runners on first and third to end the game for his second save of the season and of his career.

 

BONILLA, KITTLE KEY WIN OVER BIRDS

1986: Back-to-back RBIs by rookie Bobby Bonilla and Ron Kittle helped the White Sox dump the Orioles 8-6 before 9,575 at Comiskey Park. Bonilla's single tied the game and Kittle's home run, a two-run shot, put the Sox on top for good in a six-run third. Richard Dotson picked up his first win of the season with relief help from Bill Dawley and Bob James, who notched his fourth save.

 

SOX RETURN ORIOLES TO THEIR LOSING WAYS

1988: A night after the Orioles snapped their record-setting 21-game losing streak to start a season, they succumbed to the White Sox, 4-1, before 16,078 at Comiskey Park. Carlton Fisk drove in the eventual game winner in the third. Ricky Horton got the win with seven strong innings while Ivan Calderon launched his sixth homer and Bobby Thigpen earned his fourth save.

 

SOX SCOOT PAST RANGERS

1990: Rodney "Scooter" McCray made his Major League debut a memorable one in the White Sox 5-4 win -- their fourth straight -- over the Texas Rangers in 13 innings before 8,406 at <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Comiskey Park. McCray was called up from Double-A Birmingham prior to the game and made his debut as a defensive replacement in extra innings. McCray made a fine running catch in extra innings to preserve the tie. Lance Johnson ended the five hour game in the 13th when his single to center scored Sammy Sosa, who had reached on an error. McCray was the last White Sox player to make his Major League debut at Old Comiskey Park.

 

BELL TOLLS FOR TEXAS

1992: George Bell went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two singles and a homer and Craig Grebeck added three hits with a career-best six RBI in the White Sox 12-1 rout of the Texas Rangers before 24,134 at Comiskey Park. Jack McDowell improved to 5-0 to become the first Sox pitcher to have an unbeaten month with at least five decisions since LaMarr Hoyt went 7-0 in September of 1983.

 

APRIL EXCELLENCE

1993: The White Sox recorded their franchise-record 13th victory in April by whipping Toronto 10-2 before 29,497 at Comiskey Park. Frank Thomas highlighted the victory with his second career grand slam (in the third off Todd Sttotlemyre) and matched his career-best with five RBI.

 

FINALLY, A WIN IN 1995

1995: The White Sox pounded out 17 hits in logging their first win of the season with a 17-11 decision over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Ron Karkovice launched his fifth career grand slam to tie Harold Baines and Robin Ventura for first place in club history. The victory improved the White Sox to 1-4 in a season that started late because of a work stoppage.

 

SKID ENDS

2002: The White Sox halted a three-game losing streak by topping the Seattle Mariners 8-4 before 16,253 at Comiskey Park. Frank Thomas untied a 3-3 game with a two-run double in the fourth and Paul Konerko extended his hitting streak to 17 games with two hits as the Sox closed April at 16-10. Dan Wright was solid, giving up three runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts for his third win.

 

BIG SEVENTH DOES IT

2005: The first-place and future World Champion White Sox scored three in the seventh to defeat the Tigers 4-3 before 30,189 at US Cellular Field. Tadahito Iguchi’s single scored Joe Crede with the winning run after Scott Podsednik’s ground out scored A.J. Pierzynski with the tying run. Orlando Hernandez got the win with seven strong innings while Dustin Hermanson earned his third save as the surprising Sox improved to 17-7.

 

SCRATCHING OUT A WIN

2006: Pinch-runner Pablo Ozuna scored on a wild pitch in the ninth as the first-place White Sox pulled out a 6-5 win over the Angels in Anaheim. Chris Widger started the rally with a single and was lifted for Ozuna. After a steal and a sacrifice, Ozuna came home on a Scot Shields wild pitch.

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY/APRIL 29TH (I'm back!)]

I have been at the park for the homestand and didnt' get a chance to update ... If you were at the park, you saw some of the dates between the 23rd and 28th scrolled on the left field matrix (black and white) boards.

 

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 29TH

 

For more (or to see the dates I did not post here visit www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

SOX LEND REDS A HAND

1913: Wearing borrowed White Sox uniforms, the Cincinnati Reds lost to the Cubs 7-2 at Chicago’s West Side Grounds. After a game in St. Louis, the Reds’ trainers forgot to load the team’s uniforms on the train, prompting the wardrobe loan from the Sox.

 

A JOLLY GOOD TRADE

1932: The White Sox traded catcher Bennie Tate and outfielders Smead Jolley and Johnny Watwood to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for catcher Charlie Berry.

 

A 12-RUN ROUT

1937: The White Sox defeated the St. Louis Browns 12-0 at Comiskey Park. Monty Stratton got the win in the Sox largest victory by shutout since a 12-0 win at Detroit since April 18, 1933.

 

DONOVAN GETS ON THE BOARD

1955: The fifth time proved to be a charm for White Sox pitcher Dick Donovan in a 7-0 win over the Red Sox. The right-hander, in his fifth trial in the big leagues, blanked Boston on four hits for his first big league victory nearly five years to the day after making his big league debut for the Boston Braves.

 

ONE TOUGH TURK

1960: Turk Lown tossed 5.1 innings of shutout relief and was rewarded with a victory in the White Sox 3-1 win over the Tigers before 20,408 at Comiskey Park. Lown gave up four hits with a walk and a strikeout and was put into position to win when Roy Sievers’ two-out single scored Nellie Fox, who had tripled, in the fifth with the eventual winning run.

 

TWO GAMES, TWO CGs, TWO WINS

1962: The White Sox got a pair of complete game efforts in sweeping a doubleheader from the Boston Red Sox before 12,509 at Comiskey Park. John Buzhardt gave up four hits and overcame seven walks in a 2-1 win in the first game. Early Wynn gave up three hits and struck out six in a 5-1 win in the nightcap.

 

STREAK REACHES FIVE

1966: The White Sox extended their winning streak to five by taking care of the Indians 4-1 in Cleveland. The Sox took the lead utilizing the offense that was so typical of this era for the franchise. Tommie Agee led off the game with a double, looked to be picked off second but was bailed out by an error and took third. Don Buford then lofted a sacrifice fly to right to score Agee. Gary Peters helped his own cause with a solo home run in the fifth. Peters got the win, allowing one run on six hits with one strikeout in six innings. Bob Locker earned the save with three shutout innings as the Sox moved to within a game of first place.

 

A RICH EFFORT

1971: A couple of Riches -- McKinney and Morales -- came through big time for the White Sox in a 5-4 win at Washington. In a five-run seventh, Morales delivered the game-tying single while McKinney followed by driving in two to give the Sox the lead for good. Tom Bradley started and got the win to improve to 3-0.

 

SOX GRAB A SHARE OF FIRST

1973: Backed by three home runs, Wilbur Wood tossed a seven-hit shutout as the White Sox beat the Red Sox 5-0 in Boston and moved into a tie for first in the American League West. Bill Melton hit a two-run shot while Ed Herrmann and Dick Allen each hit solo shots powering the Sox to their fourth straight victory in a streak that would reach nine. In the nine wins, the Sox posted five shutouts, including three in succession, and allowed just 12 runs and nine of those runs were in two games.

 

LeFLORE PROVIDES THE SPARK

1982: Ron LeFlore was the catalyst in the White Sox 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers before 7,519 at Comiskey Park. LeFlore went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a stolen base from the leadoff spot. His two-run blast padded a 1-0 lead obtained in the second Billy Almon brought home Carlton Fisk with a two-out single. Dennis Lamp started and picked up the win while rookie Salome Barojas struck out four in 2.2 innings to earn his sixth save.

 

KITTLE FINISHES OFF JAYS

1983: Rookie Ron Kittle's three-run homer in the seventh punctuated the White Sox 9-3 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto. Harold Baines went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs while Rudy Law drove in two runs and Tony Bernazard doubled twice in support of starter Richard Dotson. At 3-1, Dotson owned 38 percent of the Sox victories to that point.

 

KITTY ON THE ROOF

1984: Ron Kittle blasted a roof shot home run added another roundtripper in the White Sox 6-4 win over Boston before 23,565 at Comiskey Park. Kittle victimized Al Nipper for the third “roofer" of his career, which tied him with Greg Luzinski for the all-time lead in that department. The Sox did all of their damage in the first and third innings with three runs in each frame. The Red Sox had the tying run at the plate in the ninth but Al Jones struck out Dwight Evans to earn his first career save.

 

ORIOLES STOP 21-GAME LOSING STREAK

1988: The Orioles posted a 9-0 win before 14,059 at Comiskey Park to snap their record-setting 21-game losing streak to start season.

 

SOX, SAMMY SLAM JAYS

1990: Sammy Sosa hit a grand slam and Ozzie Guillen went 3-for-4 with two doubles as the White Sox beat Toronto 10-3 before 12,936 at Comiskey Park. Craig Grebeck collected his first career hit and Wayne Edwards tossed four no-hit innings of relief with three strikeouts and one walk to earn his first career save in relief of winner Eric King.

 

SOX STORM BY BREWERS

1993: The White Sox rallied from a 4-1 deficit in defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-4 before 23,431 at Comiskey Park. A four-run fourth gave the Sox the lead for good and made a winner of Dave Stieb for the first time with the team. Dan Pasqua's RBI in the fourth put the Sox ahead to stay. Pasqua added a two-run homer in the seventh.

 

HOT END TO APRIL

1996: Roberto Hernandez finished off the Angles and April with a flurry. Hernandez fanned the side to nail down his ninth save, a personal monthly high, in preserving the White Sox 4-3 win over California before 12,949 at Comiskey Park. The win gave the Sox a 5-0 homestand (their best since July 13-19, 1989), a seven-game winning streak and lifted the club to 15-9 matching its best start since 1982.

 

NAVARRO, BELLE, SOX EDGE RANGERS

1997: Albert Belle’s sacrifice fly in the ninth scored Ray Durham and made a winner out of Jaime Navarro in the White Sox 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers before 16,143 at Comiskey Park. Navarro scattered six hits and fanned seven in posting his first complete game of the season and the 30th of his career.

 

SOX DROP SIX BOMBS ON BIRDS

1998: The White Sox used the longball in ripping the Baltimore Orioles 16-7 before 12,262 at Comiskey Park. The Sox clubbed six home runs – their most in a game since July 14, 1979 and one shy of the April 23, 1954 club record – in posting the easy win. Albert Belle and Wil Cordero each homered twice while Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura each homered once to make a winner out of Jaime Navarro. Ventura’s homer was the 154th of his career, tying him with Bill Melton for fourth place in Sox history.

 

ANOTHER ONE-RUNWIN IN MOTOWN

2000: A day after winning their inaugural game at Detroit's Comerica Park by one run, the Sox duplicated the feat by trimming the Tigers 2-1. The victory enabled the surging and surprising White Sox moved to 10 games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 15, 1996. The Sox got all they needed in the fifth when doubles by Jeff Abbott, Greg Norton and Jose Valentin produced two runs. Cal Eldred got the win with seven strong innings while Keith Foulke earned his third save.

 

SOX SALVAGE ONE IN SEATTLE

2001: Paul Konerko enabled the White Sox avoid a three-game sweep to Seattle in a 2-1 win before 25,442 at Comiskey Park. Konerko’s RBI single with two outs in the 14th inning scored Magglio Ordonez with the winning run. Konerko’s single extended his hitting streak to 12 games and his streak of reaching base to 22 games. Four White Sox pitchers combined to limit the Mariners to just four hits in 14 innings. Mark Buehrle started and gave up one run on two hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in eight innings. Gary Glover got the win with a dominating performance. The rookie right-hander fanned four in three innings of one-hit ball in improving to 2-1.

 

ESTEBAN LOAIZA: MR. APRIL

2004: Esteben Loaiza continued his dominance in April in helping the White Sox top the Blue Jays 6-4 before 11,210 at U.S. Cellular Field. Loaiza completed his second consecutive perfect April in improving to 10-0 in his last 11 starts in the month. With his six-inning effort, Loaiza moved to 4-0 in 2004 and 18-3 lifetime in April. The Sox climbed out of a 3-1 hole behind a five-run fifth. Aaron Rowand's fielder's choice tied the game while Willie Harris' single fronted the Sox for good. Neal Cotts preserved the lead with three strikeouts in two shutout innings while Billy Koch worked a scoreless ninth for his second save.

 

CONTRERAS EXTENDS STREAK

2006: The defending champion and first placeWhite Sox got an RBI from Jermaine Dye, a home run from Jim Thome and another solid outing from Jose Contreras en route to a 2-1 win over the Angels in Anaheim. Contreras gave up one run on five hits in 8.1 inningsfor his 12th consecutive win. Bobby Jenks worked out of a jam in the ninth to earn his seventh save. Dye’s RBI in the fourth gave the Sox the lead for good. Thome’s homer in the sixth was his 10th of the year enabling the affable slugger to reach double digits in dongs in fewer games than any player in franchise history

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 23RD/29 runs!]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 23RD

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com/ ENJOY!

 

WHITESOXALMANAC.COM GAME OF THE DAY

29 RUNS ON 29 HITS

1955: The White Sox administered a record 29-6 pasting of the Athletics in only the White Sox second game ever in Kansas City (it was only the A’s fourth game in KC after relocating from Philadelphia). The 29 runs tied an American League record and the 29 runs, 29 hits and seven home runs were club records that still stand. Sherm Lollar tied an American League record with a pair of two-hit innings and went 5-for-6 with two homers and five RBIs. Bob Nieman, who homered twice, and Walt Dropo, who homered once, each drove in seven runs while Minnie Minoso, who homered, brought home five. Jack Harshman started and also homered for the Sox. Chico Carrasquel had five hits as the Sox totaled 55 bases and scored at least two runs in every inning except the scoreless fifth and ninth.

 

A GOOD START TO SEASON NO. 2

1902: The White Sox opened their second American League campaign by thrashing Detroit 12-2 at South Side Park. Nixey Callahan notched the first of his 16 wins for the White Sox.

 

STREAKING SOX SURGE IN CLEVELAND

1912: The White Sox scored six runs in the seventh in beating the Indians 7-4 in Cleveland. The win pushed the Sox into a first place tie and was the Sox third in a winning streak that would eventually reach seven.

 

A BIG WIN ON OPENING DAY

1919: The White Sox began their drive for their second American League pennant in three years with an easy 13-4 win over the Browns in St. Louis. The 13 runs were the most scored by the White Sox on Opening Day in 11 years. It took the Sox until 1951 to score more than 13 runs in a season-starter.

 

WORKING OVERTIME

1921: The White Sox trimmed the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in 11 innings at Comiskey Park. Shovel Hodge got the win in relief of Red Faber.

 

ANOTHER TRIUMPH FOR “PERFECT CHARLIE”

1925: The White Sox pushed across a run in the last of the ninth in beating the Detroit Tigers 1-0 at Comiskey Park. Charlie Robertson, who fired the franchise’s lone perfect game April 30, 1922, was the winner.

 

OWEN DOUBLES HIS PLEASURE … FOUR TIMES

1939: Marv Owen tied a White Sox record with four doubles in a 17-4 win vs. the St. Louis Browns at Comiskey Park. Two years earlier, Mike Kreevich set the record at Detroit. Johnny Rigney got the win as the Sox posted their first win of the season. The 17 runs were the most by the Sox since a 17-2 win vs. the Athletics Sept. 11, 1936.

 

SLUGGING GUS COMES ABOARD

1947: The White Sox purchased Gus Zernial from the Cleveland Indians. The slugging outfielder from Beaumont, Texas made his big league debut April 19, 1949. Zernial set a Sox record with 29 homers in 1950, a record that would stand until Bill Melton clubbed 33 dingers in 1970.

 

WIN NO. 1 FOR BILLY

1949: Billy Pierce won the first of his 186 games with the White Sox in a 12-5 win over the St. Louis Browns before 8,086 at Comiskey Park. The left-handed Pierce, acquired from Detroit in November, got the win in relief as the Sox scored four in the sixth and five in the seventh to pull ahead.

 

FISHER FINISHES STRONG

1965: Eddie Fisher turned in four shutout innings in preserving the White Sox 5-3 win at Washington. The Sox took the lead with three in the sixth on Danny Cater’s home run, which put reliever Bob Locker, who also pitched four innings, in position for the victory. Fisher made sure that happened with his performance, which included four strikeouts.

 

SHAW SALVAGES A SPLIT

1961: The White Sox scored five runs in the first inning to make things easy on starter Bob Shaw in winning the second game of a doubleheader 7-1 before 16,953 at Comiskey Park. Roy Sievers drove in the first two runs while Minnie Minoso, who had three hits, padded the lead with a two-run blast. Sherm Lollar’s RBI single capped the scoring in the inning. Shaw went the distance and gave up one run on nine hits with no walks and four strikeouts in posting his first win of the year. The Sox lost the first game 4-3.

 

HEY BUDDY!

1969: Buddy Bradford put the White Sox over the top with a three-run home run in the fourth inning in a 7-1 win over the Angels in a home-away-from-home game before 8,565 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Carlos May and Luis Aparico also drove in two runs in support of Gary Peters, who went the distance with seven strikeouts for his first victory of the year.

 

KNOOP+ERROR=WIN

1970: Bobby Knoop’s homer tied it and the White Sox got some help in getting past the Twins 7-5 in Minnesota. Knoop started the eighth inning with a game-tying homer and the Sox overtook the Twins later in the frame when two runs scored on an error. Tommie Sisk worked 1.1 scoreless innings of relief for his only victory in a Sox uniform.

 

A DOUBLE SHY OF THE CYCLE

1972: MVP-to-be Dick Allen singled, tripled and homered in the White Sox 3-2 win over the Royals before 12,108 at Comiskey Park. Allen also scored the go-ahead run in the eighth as the Sox won their fifth straight game in a winning streak that would reach seven.

 

ALLEN DOOMS BREWERS

1974: Dick Allen scored twice, doubled and drove in a run in the White Sox 3-2 win over the Brewers before 4,382 at Comiskey Park. Cy Acosta worked 2.2 shutout innings of relief for his first save as starter Jim Kaat improved to 2-0.

 

SOX DROP 18 RUNS AND 26 HITS ON BIRDS

1981: Billy Almon and Chet Lemon each had four hits as part of the White Sox 26-hit effort in an 18-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader before 6,839 at Comiskey Park. Lemon drove in four runs while Almon drove in three as the Sox scored seven runs in both the fourth and sixth innings. Tony Bernazard, Carlton Fisk and Greg Pryor each had three hits in support of Richard Dotson, who went the distance for his first victory of the season. The Sox took the nightcap 5-3 to win their third straight overall in a streak that would reach six.

 

BACK ON TRACK

1982: After two straight losses following an 8-0 start, the White Sox regained their victorious form with a 4-2 win at Baltimore. The Sox broke a 2-2 tie in the ninth on an RBI triple by Jim Morrison and a run-scoring double by Ron LeFlore.

 

CRUZ GETS BURNS A RELIEF VICTORY

1984: Julio Cruz’s single scored Vance Law with the winning run in the White Sox 7-6 victory over the Orioles before 16,939 at Comiskey Park. Cruz’s single followed back-to-back walks by Law and Scott Fletcher made a winner out of Britt Burns, who struck out seven in three shutout innings of one-hit relief.

 

SOUTHSIDE HIT-MAN COMES THROUGH

1985: Oscar Gamble, in his second stint on the Southside, brought home Harold Baines with the winning run in the 10th inning as the White Sox overtook the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 before 10,719 at Comiskey Park. The Brewers took the lead in the 10th but the Sox tied the game in the bottom of the frame on a Harold Baines single, setting the stage for Gamble’s pinch-hit heroics.

 

LAST TRIUMPH FOR TOM TERRIFIC

1986: Tom Seaver earned his last win in a White Sox uniform in a 2-1 win at Milwaukee. Reid Nichols’ double in the ninth scored Bobby Bonilla with the eventual winning run as Seaver won his second game of the season and the 306th of his career. The Sox took the lead in the second on Jerry Hairston’s home run before the Brewers tied it in the third. Seaver would drop his next four decisions for the White Sox before being dealt to the Boston Red Sox in a June trade.

 

WINDY CITY SUCCESS

1990: Dave Gallagher threw out the tying run at the plate in the last of the ninth to end the game in the White Sox 6-5 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field in the Windy City Classic. Jerry Kutzler got the win and Dan Pasqua was named MVP after going 3-for-3 with a home run. Sox utilityman Steve Lyons played every position in the game.

 

ORIOLES GET THE BIG HURT

1991: Frank Thomas powered the Sox to a 10-4 win over Baltimore with a homer, a double and four RBI before 23,215 at Comiskey Park. Robin Ventura and Craig Grebeck also homered in helping Jack McDowell improve to 3-1.

 

KARKO PLAYS PARTY-POOPER

1993: Ron Karkovice’s three-run double in the seventh inning spoiled the good time of 50,000-plus fans in Toronto in the White Sox 5-4 victory. Karkovice’s two-bagger was part of a five-run inning which made a winner out of Kirk McCaskill. Roberto Hernandez picked up his third save as the future A.L. West Division champions improved to 8-7.

 

ONE DOG CLEARS ‘EM

1994: A bases-clearing triple by Lance Johnson and a two-run home run by Ron Karkovice highlighted a six-run first inning in the White Sox 9-3 win over Detroit before 39,846 at Comiskey Park.

 

BALD-WIN NO. 1

1996: James Baldwin tossed four scoreless innings in earning his first big league win in the White Sox 6-5 win at Texas. Baldwin departed after giving up five runs in the fifth. Tony Phillips went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and two RBI and Harold Baines homered for the second consecutive game to fuel the Sox offense.

 

SIROTKA SHUTS OUT DETROIT

1999: Mike Sirotka fashioned the White Sox best pitching performance of 1999 by whitewashing the Detroit Tigers 5-0 before 9,837 at Comiskey Park. Sirotka limited the Tigers to five hits and allowed just runner to reach third base in the Sox first complete game shutout since Wilson Alvarez turned the trick against the Cubs June 18, 1997.

 

SOX BEAT UP TIGERS AGAIN

2000: While the fighting stopped, the White Sox assault on the Tigers did not. A day after a fight-filled game, the White Sox ripped the Tigers 9-4 before 12,154 at Comiskey Park for their fifth consecutive win. The Sox scored eight runs in the first two innings and then cruised to victory in completing a three-game sweep of the Tigers. Magglio Ordonez was a single shy of hitting for the cycle while James Baldwin improved to 3-0.

 

RITCHIE TOUGH ON INDIANS

2002: Todd Ritchie gave up one run on three hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in the White Sox 5-1 win at Cleveland. Ritchie gave up a homer to Jim Thome in the second inning and then shut down the Indians. The Sox took the lead for good off Bartolo Colon on Carlos Lee’s two-run double in the fourth.

 

CREDE’S FLY DOES IT

2004: Joe Crede’s sacrifice fly in the 10th gave the White Sox a 3-2 win over Tampa Bay before 12,049 at US Cellular Field. The Sox trailed 2-0 early but got a homer from Frank Thomas in the fourth and tied the game on an error in the seventh. In the 10th, Magglio Ordonez reached on an error, took second on a balk and moved to third on a wild pitch to set the stage for Crede’s heroics.

 

THE BEST 18-GAME START IN FRANCHISE HISTORY

2005: The future World Champions improved to 14-4 with a 3-2 win over the Royals in 10 innings in Kansas City. Aaron Rowand’s RBI in the 10th helped the White Sox to their best 18-game start in franchise history. The Sox escaped trouble in the ninth when Damaso Marte tagged out a runner on a pitch that got away from catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Marte got the win after getting out of a bases loaded jam in the ninth and tossing a scoreless 10th.

 

URIBE SHOWS OFF HIS MUSCLE

2006: Juan Uribe hit two home runs in support of starting pitcher Jose Contreras, who extended his winning streak to 11, as the White Sox blasted the Twins 7-3 before 38,102 at US Cellular Field. Uribe drove in four and Joe Crede and Brian Anderson also homered as the White Sox improved to 13-5 and extended their wining streak to eight games.

 

PAULIE POWER

2007: Paul Konerko’s second homer of the game in the eighth inning snapped a 3-3 tie and powered the White Sox to a 7-4 win over the Royals before 12,265 at US Cellular Field. Konerko’s 20th career multi-homer game helped make a winner of Mark Buehrle, who went seven innings in his first start since no-hitting Texas.

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 22ND]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 22ND

 

For more see www.whitesoxalmanac.com/ ENJOY!

 

GAMES OF THE DAY:

11 RUNS ON ONE HIT IN ONE INNING

1959: The White Sox scored 11 runs on one hit in the seventh inning in beating the Athletics 20-6 before 7,446 in Kansas City. The Sox used a Johnny Callison single, a hit batsman, three errors and 10 walks in getting their 11 runs. Bob Shaw got the win with 7.1 innings of shutout relief of starter Early Wynn. Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio combined for nine RBIs as the Sox pounded out 18 hits in logging their first 20-run game since a 20-2 win in the first game of a doubleheader against Washington at Comiskey Park on June 17, 1956.

 

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BRAWL-GAME

2000: The White Sox pounded the Detroit Tigers 14-6 in a fight- and ejection-filled game before 16,410 at Comiskey Park. A huge brawl broke out in the seventh which lasted 13 minutes and resulted in six ejections. In the ninth, another brawl ensued which prompted two more ejections. The fights resulted in seven members of the White Sox roster drawing suspensions from the American League. Many pointed to this game as the galvanizing force behind the White Sox unexpected run to the American League Central Division championship. The fights overshadowed a great day by Chris Singleton, who went 5-for-5 with a double, a home run and three RBI.

 

VICTORY NO. 1

1900: The White Sox defeated Connie Mack’s Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 for their inaugural victory. Roger Denzer was the winning pitcher.

 

HISTORY IN THE AIR

1955: In their first game in Kansas City, the White Sox stopped the Athletics, who had spent the previous 54 seasons in Philadelphia, 5-3. The April 22-24 series was part of road trip which would make the Sox the first American League team to fly from one city to another. The road trip began April 21 in Detroit. Virgil Trucks started and got the win for the Sox.

 

AGEE, HORLEN SINK SENATORS

1967: Tommie Agee’s second inning home run was all Joel Horlen, who carried a no-hitter into the eighth, needed as the White Sox nipped the Senators 1-0 in Washington. Agee’s homer, which led off the second, was just one of two hits the Sox recorded off Phil Ortega and Darold Knowles. Horlen gave up two singles and one walk with three strikeouts in improving to 2-0.

 

WOODY DOES IT ALL

1972: Wilbur Wood reached on a fielder’s choice and scored the game’s only run on an error and pitched a complete game seven-hitter in the White Sox 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals in the first game of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park. In the nightcap, Carlos May’s solo homer in the eighth was the difference in a 3-2 win before 6,863 on the Southside.

 

HAVE A DAY JOHNNY JETER

1973: Johnny Jeter went 4-for-5 with a home run in the White Sox 8-4 win over the Royals in the first game of a doubleheader at Kansas City. Carlos May also went deep and Terry Forster fired four shutout innings of relief to save Wilbur Wood’s third victory and extend the Sox winning streak to four. The Royals won the nightcap 6-1.

 

A’S TAKE A RISK AND PITCH TO ZISK

1977: Richie Zisk had perhaps his best day in a White Sox uniform by going 4-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs in an 8-2 win at Oakland. Zisk hit a two-run homer in the first and then put the Sox on top for good with a tiebreaking dinger in the third inning. Zisk capped the Sox scoring when his double scored Jerry Hairston in the ninth. Francisco Barrios went the distance and struck out 10 as the Sox won for the seventh time in eight games.

 

VERSATILE SQUIRES

1984: Mike Squires started the Sox game at Detroit at first base and finished it on the mound. In between, the left-hander played third base. Squires retired Tom Brookens, the only man he faced, on a shallow fly ball to end the eighth inning in the Sox 9-1 loss.

 

KING HONORS PIERCE

1989: Eric King paid tribue to Billy Pierce on Billy Pierce Night in fitting fashion. King fired a Pierce-esque three-hitter with six strikeouts in a 1-0 win before 15,007 at Comiskey Park. Ron Kittle gave King all he needed with a fourth-inning single that scored Dave Gallagher.

 

BIG HURT SETS OFF THE BOARD FOR THE FIRST TIME

1991: Frank Thomas launched the first White Sox home run in the first night game at New Comiskey Park in an 8-7 victory over Baltimore before 30,480 on the Southside. Thomas’ historic blast came off Ben McDonald in the fifth inning with one on and two out and gave the Sox the lead for good in their second win in their new home.

 

DURHAM SEES THE ERRORS OF CLEVELAND’S WAYS

1998: Ray Durham tied a Major League record by reaching base three times on errors in the White Sox 14-7 pasting of the Indians at Jacobs Field. Frank Thomas got the Sox going with his 64th career first-inning homer and then the Southsiders, who had 16 hits, finished the job with a nine-run fifth.

 

LOAIZA TOUGH AGAIN

2003: Esteban Loaiza hurled 8.1 shutout innings in improving to 4-0 as the White Sox stopped the Orioles 3-1 in Baltimore. Loaiza limited the Orioles to three hits before yielding a home run with one out in the ninth. He finished with eightstrikeouts and no walks. Frank Thomas fronted the Sox for good with a homer in the first.

 

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER LEAD

2005: The White Sox grabbed a lead for the 17th consecutive game at the start of a season – a club record – in beating the Royals 8-2 in Kansas City. The first-place White Sox increased their lead to three games in the American League Central behind another solid effort from Freddy Garcia in winning their fifth straight game. The big right-hander gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings – retiring 12 in a row at one point – with three strikeouts in moving to 2-1. Joe Crede extended his hitting streak to a career-best 13 games while Scott Podsednik swiped three bases to lead an offense that pumped out 12 hits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 21ST/1st game ever, 1st win at N]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 21ST

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

GAME OF THE DAY:

THE FIRST WIN AT NEW COMISKEY PARK

1991: The White Sox notched their first win in their new home with a 5-4 triumph of the Detroit Tigers before 29,776 at New Comiskey Park. Lance Johnson singled home Scott Fletcher in the ninth with the game-winner that set off a wild celebration both on the field and in the stands. The White Sox got a huge break in the inning when an error by Tiger outfielder Rob Deer allowed Ozzie Guillen to score with the tying run. After an intentional walk, Johnson delivered. Rookie reliever Brian Drahman was the winning pitcher.

 

WHITE SOX OPEN SHOP

1900: The White Sox played their inaugural game and lost to Connie Mack’s Milwaukee Brewers in a revamped cricket field at 39th and Princeton. As gametime approached, construction crews were applying the final touches to the tiny wooden grandstand. The Sox lost 7-1 before a crowd estimated at 2,000 to 3,000.

 

UP ON THE ROOF

1938: Future Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers hit the fourth Comiskey Park roof-shot home run. He connected off John Rigney in the Tigers’ 9-3 victory before 2,500 on the Southside.

 

SOX VICTIMIZED BY 13-RUN FRAME

1956: The Kansas City A’s victimized the White Sox with the most prolific second inning in Major League history. Kansas City scored 13 times en route to a 15-1 win over the Sox in Missouri. The A’s set an A.L. record that still stands by having 13 consecutive batters reach base safely in that big second.

 

4-0 IN 1957

1957: The White Sox improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1945 and for only the fourth time in franchise history with a 1-0 win in 10 innings vs. Kansas City before 8,009 at Comiskey Park. Jim Wilson went the distance and limited the A’s to three hits while striking out eight in his first start of the season. Sherm Lollar’s RBI sac fly in the 10th made sure that Wilson’s sterling performance did not go to waste. The other Sox teams that started 4-0 were the 1920 and 1914 teams.

 

MOOSE POWER

1965: Moose Skowron’s two-run home run in the 11th powered the White Sox to a 3-1 win over the Red Sox in a matinee affair at Fenway Park. John Buzhardt pitched 10 innings and got the win while Eddie Fisher got the final two outs for the save.

 

A FIVE-HIT GAME FOR JORGE

1974: Jorge Orta collected the first of his club-record three five-hit games in an 11-7 win over the Royals before 7,890 at Comiskey Park. Orta was 5-for-6 with a double and an RBI. Two of Orta’s hits came in a seven-run sixth, which allowed the Sox to erase a 6-4 deficit. Orta’s three five-hit games were one shy of the big league record held by Wee Willie Keeler (1897), Ty Cobb (1922) and Stan Musial (1948).

 

SOX TOP THE ROCKET

1985: The White Sox broke open a 1-1 game with a seven-run seventh in besting Roger Clemens and the Red Sox 7-2 win before 22,987 at Comiskey Park. The Sox took the lead for good when Rudy Law greeted reliever Mark Clear with an RBI single, which scored Julio Cruz who had walked off Clemens to start the frame. The Sox scored two more runs when the Red Sox botched a Joe DeSa bunt and on a two-run double by Carlton Fisk and RBIs from Daryl Boston and Ozzie Guillen (the first of his career at Comiskey Park). The win put the Sox back in first place in the American League West. The win was also Tim Lollar’s first with the White Sox.

 

I AM FROM MILWAUKEE AND MY STREAK IS STOPPED

1987: The White Sox ended the Milwaukee Brewers’ Major League-record tying 13-game win streak to open the season with a 7-1 win at Comiskey Park. Joel Davis was the streak-stopper before a crowd of 17,023, which included a lot of Brewer fans who had made the trip south from the Brew City. Davis fired 5.2 shutout innings for the win while Jim Winn went the rest of the way and allowed a run on three hits for the save. Donnie Hill’s second inning home run ignited the Sox rout.

 

A KNEE TO THE GROIN: OZZIE LOST FOR THE YEAR

1992: Ozzie Guillen was lost for the season when he suffered a hyperextension of his right knee in the ninth inning of the Sox 4-3 loss to the Yankees before 23,249 at Comiskey Park. Guillen rehabbed his knee under the tutelage of Sox trainer Herm Schneider and returned to hit a career-high .280 the next season.

 

THE MILKMAN ARRIVES

2000: In one of the all-time great steals in club history, the White Sox claimed third baseman Herbert Perry off waivers from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Perry was activated two days later and went on to have a career year with the White Sox. The off-season dairy farmer hit .308 with 12 homers and 61 RBI while playing a solid third base for the Central Division champs.

 

LATE CHARGE TAMES TIGERS

2005: The first-place White Sox scored two in the seventh to overtake the Tigers 4-3 in Detroit. Scott Podsednik’s two-run single in the seventh put the Sox over the top as the team improved to an impressive 12-4 in winning for the fourth straight game. Mark Buehrle (3-1) went seven innings for the victory while Shingo Takatsu tossed a perfect ninth for his fifth save.

 

WHITE SOX STAY HOT

2006: The White Sox improved to 11-5 with a 7-1 win over the Twins and Johan Santana before 31,287 at US Cellular Field. Jim Thome hit his third home run to give the Sox the lead for good in the sixth. Mark Buehrle tossed eight four-hit innings to improve to 3-0 as the Sox won their sixth straight.

 

BIG COMEBACK IN DETROIT

2007: The White Sox climbed out of a 4-0 first-inning hole and eventually beat the Tigers 7-5 in Detroit. A Jermaine Dye double anda Juan Uribe sacrifice fly in the 10th gave the White Sox the lead for good. The Sox forced extra innings in the eighth on Joe Crede’s run-scoring single. David Aardsma got the win. He struck out the only batter he faced in the ninth and then gave way to Bobby Jenks, who worked a flawless 10th for his sixth save as the Sox won their fourth in a row.

 

Editor's Note: Information for these entries is gleaned from the author's files, retrosheet.org, various Internet sources, press reports of the day, White Sox media guides and the many White Sox books written by the great Rich Lindberg.

 

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 20th (with 19th below)]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 20TH

 

For more see, www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

GOOD START AT HOME FOR FUTURE CHAMPS

1906: The future World Series champion White Sox (aka “The Hitless Wonders”) won their home Opener by dumping Detroit 6-1 at South Side Park. Nick Altrock was the winning pitcher.

 

NOT THIS TIME, RUBE

1908: The White Sox KO’d future Hall of Famer Rube Waddell with a five-run sixth and a two-run seventh en route to a 7-1 win over the St. Louis Browns at South Side Park.

 

A SCORELESS K-FEST IN ST. LOUIS

1912: Jim “Death Valley” Scott fanned 13 batters in a 15-inning scoreless tie with the Browns in St. Louis. At the time, the 13 strikeouts were tied for sixth place on the White Sox single-season list.

 

BREWERS STREAK AT SOX EXPENSE

1987: The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the White Sox 5-4 at Comiskey Parkto run their season-opening winning streak to 13 games, tying a Major League record. Chuck Crim got the win while Jose DeLeon absorbed the loss. Many of the 24,019on hand were Brewer fans who made the trek down I-94 from Wisconsin.

 

FRANCO COMES THROUGH

1994: Julio Franco broke a 6-6 tie with an RBI single in the 12th in helping the Sox to an 8-6 win over Milwaukee at County Stadium. Roberto Hernandez pitched three innings for his first win of the season. Also in the game, Tim Raines became just the sixth player in American League history to reach base safely in seven consecutive plate appearances. Raines had three singles and four walks in becoming the first A.L. player to accomplish the feat since George Brett did it on June 27, 1985.

 

DOMINANCE IN DETROIT

2005: The future World Series champion White Sox got four RBIs from Jermaine Dye and three more from Joe Crede in smashing the Tigers 9-1 in Detroit. Jon Garland fashioned eight sparkling innings for the win as the surprising Sox improved to 11-4 with their third straight win.

 

RELIEF IN MOTOWN

2007: Five relievers fired 4.1 shutout innings in helping the White Sox top the Tigers 5-4 in Detroit. After John Danks failed to get out through the fifth, Nick Masset, David Aardsma, Matt Thornton, Mike MacDougal and Bobby Jenks held the Tigers at bay while the offense mustered up enough to squeeze out a win. Darin Erstad’s RBI in the seventh put the Sox on top to stay and handed Masset his first big league win. Bobby Jenks got Gary Sheffield looking to end it for his fifth save and the Sox third straight win.

 

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 19TH

 

MINNIE RETURNS WITH A BANG

1960: Minnie Minoso turned in one of the great Opening Day performances in big league history as the White Sox began defense of their American League crown with a thrilling 10-9 win over the Kansas City Athletics before 41,660 at Comiskey Park. Minoso celebrated his return to the White Sox with a fourth inning grand slam and a roundtripper in the ninth that won the game.

 

SOX PLAY HOMEWRECKER TO ANGELS

1966: A couple of Tommys -- Tommie Agee and Tommy John -- played spoiler as the White Sox christened Anaheim Stadium with a 3-1 win over the Angels. Agee tied the game in the sixth with a solo home run and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth on a Don Buford single. John gave up one run on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts in seven innings to get the victory. For the record, Agee was the first batter in the history of the stadium.

 

SOX ABSORB WHITEY FORD’S LAST WHITEWASHING

1967: Future Hall of Famer Whitey Ford and the Yankees defeated the White Sox 3-0 in New York. The victory was the second to last of Ford’s career and the last of his 45 career shutouts. Six days later at Comiskey Park, Ford would go the distance for the 236th and final victory of his career.

 

FORSTER FINISHES WITH A FLURRY

1974: Terry Forster finished off the Kansas City Royals with a flurry in the White Sox 5-4 win before 9,317 at Comiskey Park. With the Sox clinging to a one-run lead and a runner on first with one out in the ninth, manager Chuck Tanner summoned Forster from the bullpen to take over for Jim Kaat. Forster responded by whiffing the Royals best hitters -- John Mayberry and Hal McRae -- to end the game. The Sox tied the game in the fourth when Jorge Orta scored on Jerry Hairston’s fielder’s choice. The Sox took the lead for good in the fifth on Orta’s RBI.

 

BAINES’ FIRST BLAST

1980: Harold Baines hit the first home run of his career in the White Sox 5-4 win in 12 innings over the Orioles in Baltimore. Baines touched future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer for the first of his 221 White Sox home runs immediately after Jim Morrison led off the seventh with a roundtripper. The outburst sent Palmer to the showers and pulled the Sox to within one at 4-3. The Sox forced extra innings in the ninth when Mike Squires’ single scored Baines. The game remained tied until the 12th when Marv Foley drilled a two-out home run which provided the difference. Ed Farmer got the win with 1.2 scoreless innings. The real pitching hero, however, was Tex Wortham, who turned four shutout innings of one-hit relief while striking out three.

 

WARM DAY, WARM FEELINGS

1985: The White Sox opened the 1985 home season with a comfortable 8-1 win over the Boston Red Sox before 40,807 on an unseasonably mild and sunny spring day. The Sox took control early when Rudy Law, their second batter, homered. The Sox also got roundtrippers from Carlton Fisk, Luis Salazar and Harold Baines in supporting the complete-game effort of Britt Burns. The left-hander gave up six hits and one walk and struck out seven in improving to 2-0. The only blemish on Burns’ day was a fifth inning home run by Bill Buckner. The complete game was the first by a Sox pitcher in the home opener since Wilbur Wood blanked the Royals in 1976. This game marked the Comiskey Park debut of Ozzie Guillen. Batting leadoff, Guillen was 0-for-4.

 

 

GRAND THEFT FRAZIER

1998: Lou Frazier tied the 93-year-old club record with four steals in the White Sox 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays in Toronto. Frazier equaled the mark of George Davis and Jimmy Callahan despite going 0-for-3. Frazier walked twice and reached once on an error en route to the record, which would be tied by Scott Podsednik in twice in 2005 and once in 2006.

 

EPIC SHOWDOWN LEADS TO WIN

2000: The White Sox moved into first place for good in the American League Central with a 5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners before 8,425 at Comiskey Park. The Sox held first place until the end of the season. They were outright holders of the top spot for all but three of the season’s remaining days. Sean Lowe got the win and Bobby Howry earned the save but Keith Foulke may have gotten the biggest out of the game when he outdueled Alex Rodriguez in the pivotal seventh inning which also included a rare 3-6-1 double play. With the Sox leading 4-2 and the tying run at the plate, Foulke and Rodriguez battled for 12 pitches before Foulke got A-Rod to ground out to third base. The at bat included nine foul balls with the last five coming in succession. After Foulke retired Rodriguez, he walked Edgar Martinez but got John Olerud to ground into a 3-6-1 DP to end the inning.

 

WELLS ON HIS GAME

2001: In his best outing with the White Sox, David Wells vexed the Tigers in a 3-1 win in Detroit. The portly southpaw carried a shutout into the eighth inning before yielding an RBI double but did finish off the Tigers for his 46th career complete game and 25th since 1998. Wells gave up eight hits while fanning six and walking none in improving to 2-2. At one point, Wells retired 11 in a row and he threw 81 of his 100 pitches for strikes, which was the highest percentage by a starter since the start of the 2000 season. This was the first complete game victory by a White Sox lefty in Detroit since Floyd Bannister accomplished the feat with a 4-0 shutout July 29, 1987 at Tiger Stadium. Magglio Ordonez drove in two runs and Josh Paul drove in the other to make Jerry Manuel’s 500th game as Sox manager a joyous one.

 

SOX START PULLING AWAY

2005: The White Sox, who would never relinquish first place, opened a two game lead in the American League Central with a 3-1 win over the Twins before 18,310 at US Cellular Field. Orlando Hernandez gave up 10 hits but managed to keep the Twins off the board for six innings. The Sox took the lead in the fifth on RBIs by Joe Crede, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and Scott Podsednik. Paul Konerko added an insurance run with his seventh homer of the year in the fifth.

 

JAVVY, SOX FINISH OFF KC

2006: Javier Vazquez fired eight scoreless innings as the White Sox finished off a sweep of the Royals with a 4-0 win before 26,327 at US Cellular Field. Vazquez gave up two hits and struck out seven to complete a series in which Sox starters limited the Royals to one run in 21.1 innings.

 

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

2007: Still basking in the glow of Mark Buehrle’s no-hitter the previous day, the White Sox scored three in the eighth – one on a Joe Crede tie-breaking single – en route to a 6-4 win over Texas before 25,459 at US Cellular Field. Rob Mackowiak added some insurance later in the frame with a two-run home run. Matt Thornton got the win with a scoreless inning of relief while Bobby Jenks earned his fourth save despite yielding a run in the ninth.

 

 

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 18TH/What a day!]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 18TH

 

For more see, www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

WHITESOXALMANAC.COM GAME OF THE DAY:

BUEHRLE’S NO-HITTER

2007: Mark Buehrle fashioned the 16th no-hitter in club history in the White Sox 6-0 win over the Texas Rangers before 25,390 on a raw night at U.S. Cellular Field. Buehrle faced the minimum in firing the first no-no by a Sox pitcher since Wilson Alvarez accomplished the feat in Baltimore on Aug. 11, 1991. This was also the first no-hitter at U.S. Cellular Field/New Comiskey Park and the first by a Sox pitcher in a home game since Joel Horlen victimized the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a doubleheader Sept. 10, 1967 at the old park. The only thing that prevented Buehrle from notching the second perfect game in team history was a one-out walk to Sammy Sosa in the fifth. Buehrle promptly picked Sosa off first and then got the next 13 Rangers to finish off the no-no. The left-hander fanned eight and was backed by a sparkling defense, which included a dandy of a play by third baseman Joe Crede to get Jerry Hairston in the third. Buehrle got offensive help from Jim Thome, who hit two homers, and Jermaine Dye, who launched a grand slam. The no-hitter was secured when a charging Crede threw out Gerald Laird to end it. The play touched off a wild celebration, capping a game that was the highlight of an otherwise dismal season.

 

CHAMPS 2-0 AT HOME

1907: The defending World Series champion opened their home season with a 2-0 win over St. Louis. The victory at South Side Park improved the Sox to 4-2.

 

THE FIRST OF 40

1908: Ed Walsh posted the first of his club-record 40 victories in the White Sox 3-0 win over the St. Louis Browns at South Side Park. Walsh went the distance and struck out four with no walks in notching the first of his league-leading 11 shutouts. The future Hall of Famer finished 1908 40-15 with a 1.42 ERA. In addition to wins and shutouts, the “Big Reel” led the league with 66 games, 49 starts, 464 innings and 269 strikeouts. Walsh set club records that still stand in wins, shutouts, innings, starts, strikeouts and complete games in 1908.

 

A FIRST: A 5-0 START

1914: The White Sox improved to 5-0 for the first time in franchise history with a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Browns at Comiskey Park.

 

100 GRAND KAMM

1923: Willie Kamm, the first minor leaguer purchased for $100,000, made his big league debut for the White Sox in a 6-5 loss at Cleveland. Kamm doubled and handled two chances at third base in starting a career that would eventually get him voted by fans to the franchise’s all-time team. Kamm, who would play with the White Sox until 1931, was acquired from the minor league San Francisco Seals for three players and 100 grand on May 22, 1922.

 

WILD ONE TO WHITE SOX

1953: In a game that featured 26 walks, six errors and two hit batsmen, the White Sox beat the Indians 7-6 before 4,915 at Comiskey Park. The 26 walks were four shy of the big league record set on May 9, 1916. Harry Dorish got the win in relief of Tommy Byrne.

 

SOX HARSH ON KC

1957: The White Sox got home runs from Minnie Minoso, Sherm Lollar and winning pitcher Jack Harshman to defeat Kansas City 6-2 before 10,814 in the Comiskey Park opener.

 

A SCORE FOR THE SOX

1960: Bill Veeck startled a Bards Room press conference with the announcement that the White Sox had acquired former 20-game winner Herb Score from Cleveland in exchange for pitcher Barry Latman. In 1957, Score had suffered a severe eye injury when struck by a line drive and the lefty would attempt his comeback with the White Sox. Score went 5-10 with a 3.72 ERA for the 1960 Sox. He then went 1-2 in 1961 and appeared in four games for the 1961 Sox before calling it a career.

 

A GEM FROM HERBERT

1963: Ray Herbert flashed the All-Star form he used in 1962 by blanking the Kansas City Athletics in his first start of 1963. The right-hander, who was the winning pitcher in the 1962 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field, limited the A’s to three hits in the Sox 3-0 win before 2,588 at Comiskey Park. Herbert walked one and struck out five in the 1 hour and 57 minute affair. After giving up consecutive singles to start the game, Herbert retired 21 of the next 22 batters he faced. The Sox got a run in the second on a Ron Hansen sacrifice fly and padded their lead in the seventh when Floyd Robinson doubled and scored on a wild pitch and Dave “Swish” Nicholson homered.

 

PETERS DOES IT ALL

1964: Gary Peters did it all in the White Sox 10-4 win at Boston. The left-hander doubled twice, drove in four runs and was the winning pitcher in the White Sox first triumph of the year after three consecutive losses.

 

BIG DAY FOR DANNY

1965: Danny Cater went 4-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI in the White Sox 5-1 win over the Washington Senators in the first game of a doublheader before 9,316 at Comiskey Park. Cater’s first hit -- a single -- was part of a two-run second which put the Sox ahead to stay. Lefty Gary Peters gave up five hits and fanned six in 8.2 innings to improve to 2-0. Cater banged out two more hits in the nightcap but the Sox lost the game, 4-1.

 

HOWARD GOES THE DISTANCE

1967: Bruce Howard held the Red Sox scoreless on three hits for eight innings in the White Sox 5-2 win before 1,313 at Comiskey Park. Howard, a righty, gave up two runs in the ninth but got the complete game for his first victory of the season.

 

BREW CITY COMEBACK

1970: In their first game as a visitor in Milwaukee, the White Sox overtook the Brewers 8-5 at County Stadium. The Sox, who played a handful of home games in Milwaukee in 1968 and 1969, trailed 4-0 and 5-2 before rallying. The Sox took the lead with four in the seventh on a two-RBI single by Luis Aparicio and one each from Ken Berry and Bill Melton. Wilbur Wood got the victory with a scoreless inning of relief but the pitching hero was Danny Murphy. Originally signed by the Cubs as an outfielder in 1960, Murphy joined the Sox as a pitcher when he was acquired from Houston in the Nellie Fox trade. Murphy earned his first save of 1970 with three scoreless innings.

 

A GREAT START TO A GREAT SEASON

1972: The White Sox opened the home schedule of one of their most memorable seasons with a 14-0 drubbing of the Texas Rangers before 20,944 at Comiskey Park. The victory was the largest shutout victory by a Sox team in a home opener. Pat Kelly got the season off to a great start when he tripled to lead off the first. Jorge Orta followed with a single and the rout was on. By the time the first inning ended, the Sox were ahead 5-0 thanks, mostly, to a three-run homer by Carlos May. The Sox added four in the fourth and five in the fifth to complete the scoring. May was the hitting hero, going 4-for-4 with a double and six RBIs, in addition to the roundtripper. Wilbur Wood cruised with the lead. Wood limited the Rangers to three hits while walking one and striking out seven.

 

ALLEN LEADS THE CHARGE

1973: The White Sox reached the .500 mark by edging the Texas Rangers 6-5 before 5,545 at Comiskey Park. The Sox took a 4-1 lead in the second behind back-to-back homers from Dick Allen, a three-run shot, and Bill Melton. Texas managed to take the lead but Allen bailed the Sox out with an RBI double in the fifth. Wilbur Wood pitched 8.2 innings and got the victory, his first of the season, but needed some help. Terry Forster earned his first save of the season by retiring the only man he faced with a runner on to end the game.

 

GROUNDING THE SPACEMAN

1976: Jack Brohamer, Jim Spencer and Bucky Dent drove in all but one run in the White Sox 10-4 win at Boston. Brohamer drove in three with a home run off Bill “The Spaceman” Lee in the second inning which gave the Sox the lead for good. Spencer and Dent each had two-run doubles in the third as the Sox built a 7-0 lead. Wilbur Wood went the distance to improve to 2-1. Tex Wortham pitched eight innings and struck out six while giving up five runs to improve to 3-0.

 

TROUNCING TORONTO

1979: Chet Lemon, Alan Bannister, Eric Soderholm, Mike Squires and Greg Pryor each had three hits as the Sox pasted the Blue Jays 12-5 in Toronto. Greg Pryor drove in four runs while Soderholm plated three as the Sox won for the third straight game.

 

FISK HAUNTS BOSOX AGAIN

1981: Carlton Fisk doomed his old team for the second time in the young season in the White Sox 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox before an afternoon gathering of 36,782 at Comiskey Park. Fisk accounted for all of the White Sox scoring with a two-run homer off Sox-killer Frank Tanana in the fifth inning. Steve Trout pitched 7.2 innings and gave up one run for the victory. LaMarr Hoyt pitched 1.1 perfect frames for his first save.

 

EIGHT IS GREAT

1982: The White Sox ran their record to 8-0 by beating Baltimore 6-4 before 34,322 at Comiskey Park. The triumph enabled the Sox to extend their club record for consecutive wins at the start of a season. The Sox scored two runs in the seventh and then hung on thanks to the relief pitching of LaMarr Hoyt and Salome Barojas. The Sox jumped on top when Vance Law and Ron LeFlore walked to start the seventh and then executed a double steal. The play prompted Rick Dempsey to make a throwing error, which allowed Law to score. Hoyt got the win and Barojas picked up his eye-popping fifth save of the young season.

 

A FANTASTIC FOURTH

1988: The Sox did all their damage in the fourth in beating the Mariners 4-0 in Seattle. The Sox scored their first run on an RBI by Harold Baines and then got a two-run homer from Ivan Calderon and solo shot from Carlton Fisk. Dave LaPoint tossed seven shutout innings to move to 2-1. The veteran lefty gave up four hits and one walk while striking out three as the Sox won for the fourth straight game.

 

A FIRST FOR ROBIN

1990: Robin Ventura clubbed his first big league home run in a 7-5 loss to Boston at Comiskey Park. Ventura’s dinger came in the seventh inning off Roger Clemens.

 

A SOUR CHRISTENING

1991: The White Sox opened New Comiskey Park before a crowd of 42,191 on a crisp Thursday afternoon. Dignitaries and many members of the White Sox family past and present watched Detroit score a 16-0 win. The game got so out of hand that Tigers pitcher Frank Tanana batted and struck out in the eighth inning.

 

BLACK JACK FINISHES THE JOB

1992: Jack McDowell logged his first complete game of the season in the White Sox 4-3 win over Minnesota before 29,680 at Comiskey Park. The Sox scored the winning run in the seventh inning on Mike Pagliarulo’s error.

 

RAINES GOES DEEP THRICE

1994: Tim Raines celebrated Patriots’ Day in Boston by slugging three home runs in the White Sox 12-1 win over the Red Sox. Raines became the 10th player in White Sox history to hit at least three homers in a game and the first since Harold Baines turned the trick Sept. 17, 1982. Raines also became the first Sox switch-hitter to hit three homers in a game.

 

MAGS SETS THE TONE

1999: Magglio Ordonez’s three-run home run in the first inning sent the White Sox to a 7-5 win over the Royals in Kansas City. The Sox pounded out 11 other hits including five doubles. Greg Norton was 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and Ray Durham was 3-for-5 with a double and two runs as the Sox won for the second time in a streak that would eventually six. James Baldwin got the win but he got big help from relievers Keith Foulke, Bryan Ward, Bill Simas and Bob Howry. Howry earned his second save with a scoreless ninth.

 

AN 11-RUN INNING!

2000: The White Sox ransacked the Seattle Mariners 18-11 in their biggest outburst since scoring 19 runs against Minnesota Aug. 4, 1992. The White Sox exploded for 11 runs in the fourth inning. The Sox entered the frame trailing 6-2 but strung together six consecutive hits to get back into the game. Greg Norton hit a two-run homer and Mark Johnson added a three-run shot in the inning which was the Sox biggest since Oct. 3, 1987. Tanyon Sturtze got the win in relief.

 

SOX HANG ON IN MOTOWN

2001: The White Sox built a 6-1 lead after 3-1/2 innings and hung on for a 6-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers before 13,180 in Detroit. The Sox took their lead on a three-run homer by Jose Valentin in the third and a two-run single by Sandy Alomar Jr. in fourth. The Tigers crept to within 6-4 after eight but Keith Foulke secured Mark Buehrle’s first win of the season by converting his 16th consecutive save chance, the third-longest streak in club history.

 

RITCHIE BESTS BART

2002: Todd Ritchie outdueled Bartolo Colon in the White Sox 7-1 win over the Cleveland Indians before 13,880 at Comiskey Park. Ritchie gave up one run on six hits over seven innings to pick up his first win with the White Sox. Kenny Lofton hit his first homer with the Sox – a solo shot off Colon in the third – as the Sox won for the fourth straight time and swept the three-game set from the Indians.

 

COLON HAUNTS CLEVELAND

2003: A year to the day after losing the Sox for the Indians, Bartolo Colon beat the Indians for the Sox. Colon went the distance in a 5-3 win before 13,015 at U.S. Cellular Field. The Sox rallied from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 for their 10th win of the season. Carlos Lee helped key the comeback with a game-tying home run in the sixth. Frank Thomas became the White Sox all-time leader when he drew his 1,303rd walk.

 

LOAIZA LOOKS GOOD

2004: Esteban Loaiza fashioned a gem in the White Sox 5-0 win at Tampa Bay. Loaiza, fresh off his 21-win season, tossed a complete game two-hitter as the Sox improved to 8-4 for their best start since 1992. Loaiza walked one and struck out five. The two hits allowed by Loaiza were the fewest by a Sox pitcher since Mark Buehrle’s one-hitter on Aug. 3, 2001. The Sox supported Loaiza with eight extra-base hits, including home runs from Jose Valentin and Paul Konerko. Frank Thomas made a little history in the first when he became the 23rd player in history to draw at least 1,400 walks.

 

IN FIRST TO STAY

2005: The White Sox took over sole possession of first place and never let it go for the rest of the season by beating the Minnesota Twins 5-4 before 27,018 at US Cellular Field. The Sox got two home runs from Carl Everett – including a tiebreaking two-run blast in the sixth – in improving to 9-4 and breaking a first place tie with the Twins. The Sox trailed 3-1 in the fifth before Joe Crede evened things up with his first homer of the year. Luis Vizcaino got the win with relief help from Dustin Hermanson and Shingo Takatsu, who earned his fourth save.

 

WIN STREAK HITS FOUR

2006: Jon Garland worked into the seventh inning and gave up just one run on six hits as the defending World Series champion Sox whipped the Royals 4-1 before 21,901 at US Cellular Field. Juan Uribe’s two-run single in the fourth gave the Sox the lead for good in their fourth straight victory.

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 17th]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 17TH

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

THE START OF SOMETHING BIG … AND HITLESS!

1906: The White Sox opened their 1906 World Series champion season with a 5-3 win at Detroit. In an uncharacteristic offensive outburst, the “Hitless Wonders” supported starter Frank Owen with five runs. It was the first of 93 wins for the 1906 champs.

 

SUCCESSFUL HOME OPENER

1913: The White Sox opened their home season by defeating the Cleveland Indians 2-1. The victory was the Sox third in a row and improved them to 5-2.

 

A FIRST: A 4-0 START

1914: The White Sox improved to 4-0 for the first time in franchise history with a 6-5 win over Cleveland at Comiskey Park.

 

FUTURE CHAMPS MAKE IT FIVE OF SIX

1917: The future World Champion White Sox improved to 5-1 with a 4-2 win at Detroit. The victory allowed the Sox to hold their half game atop the American League standings.

 

DEFENDING CHAMPS STAY PERFECT

1920: The defending American League champion White Sox made it 2-for-2 in 1920 with a 4-0 win over the Tigers at Comiskey Park. Ed Cicotte got the victory three days after Lefty Williams won the home and season opener.

 

CYCLE CAN’T TOP SOX

1924: The White Sox survived a cycle by St. Louis’ Baby Doll Jacobson in pulling off a 6-3 victory at Comiskey Park. Sarge Connally got the win as the Sox improved to 2-1 making this their best start since 1920. Jacobson became the first player to hit for the cycle at Comiskey Park and just the second Sox foe to accomplish the feat. New York’s Bert Daniels was the first opponent to victimize the Sox with a cycle on July 25, 1912 in the Big Apple.

 

HENRY HAUNTS HIS HOMETOWN TEAM

1930: The White Sox opened the 1930 season by nipping Cleveland 8-7 in 10 innings at Comiskey Park. Cleveland native Dutch Henry got the win in relief. It was just one of two victories the left-hander would post against 17 losses in 1930.

 

RALLY MAKES MAKES SAD SAM HAPPY

1935: The White Sox started the 1935 season with a 7-6 win at Detroit. The Sox broke a 4-4 tie with three in the eighth to make a winner out of starter Sad Sam Jones.

 

THE FIRST OF 20 STRAIGHT COMPLETE GAMES

1942: Future Hall of Famer Ted Lyons became his remarkable 1942 campaign by blanking the Indians in the White Sox 1-0 in Cleveland. The start was the first of 20 Lyons would make in 1942 and he went the distance in each of his assignments. Lyons, who was 14-6 with a 2.10 ERA in 1942, allowed just seven hits in getting the Sox their first win of the season against three setbacks.

 

LEE’S ONLY OPENING DAY START A GOODIE

1945: The White Sox opened the 1945 campaign with a 5-2 win over the Indians in Cleveland. Thornton Lee got the win in his only Opening Day start of his 11-year Sox career. The win was the first of five straight the Sox would post to start the season, marking the first time since 1920 the team accomplished that feat.

 

GO GO ERA GETS GOING

1951: The White Sox ushered in the “Go Go” era with a 17-3 lambasting of the Browns in St. Louis on Opening Day. The Sox made manager Paul Richards’ debut a successful one as the franchise began a run of 17 consecutive winning seasons. On this day in Sportsman’s Park, the Sox scored six in the second, two in the seventh, seven in the eighth and two in the ninth in posting their first Opening Day win since 1947. The 17 runs and 14-run margin of victory were both club Opening Day records and still stand.

 

FINALLY, AN OPENING DAY WIN

1956: The White Sox halted a four-game Opening Day losing streak by trimming the Indians 2-1 before 16,773 at Comiskey Park. The Sox broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the seventh on Jim Landis’ bases loaded walk to make a winner out of Billy Pierce, who bested future Hall of Famer Bob Lemon.

 

EARLY’S FIRST WYNN WITH SOX

1958: Future Hall of Famer Early Wynn earned his first White Sox win in his first White Sox start in a 4-3 triumph of the Tigers before 4,426 at Comiskey Park. Wynn pitched into the seventh and gave up three runs before getting relief help from Gerry Staley.

 

A CRAZY EIGHTH DOES IT

1959: The White Sox scored two runs in a frenetic eighth inning in beating the Tigers 6-5 before 2,656 at Comiskey Park. Jim Rivera’s bases loaded double scored Jim Landis and Norm Cash to break the tie. Landis double came after Al Smith struck out on a controversial play. Sox manager Al Lopez protested the game because he claimed Tiger pitcher Ray Narleski quick-pitched the third strike to Smith.

 

SEVEN RIBBIES FOR FLOYD

1962: Floyd Robinson fell one shy of the franchise record with seven RBIs in the White Sox 8-0 win at Minnesota. Robinson drove in two in the first with a home run, two in the fifth with a double and three in the ninth with a double. His seven RBIs were the most by a Sox player since Roy Sievers’ seven on June 21, 1961 and just missed Carl Reynolds’ club mark set on July 2, 1930. Robinson’s outburst allowed Joel Horlen to post the first shutout of his career. Horlen, making his seventh big league appearance and sixth start, gave up just six hits while walking two and striking out two. The whitewashing was the first of 18 Horlen would log in a Sox uniform.

 

A BERRY GOOD TRIUMPH

1965: Two days after starting the Comiskey Park season with a 3-1 loss, the Sox exacted some revenge with a 2-1 win in 10 innings over the Washington Senators before 4,926 on the Southside. Ken Berry was the key to the Sox offense. He tied the game in the fourth with a sacrifice fly and ended the game with an RBI single in the 10th. Joel Horlen was brilliant even though he did not get a decision. The veteran right-hander gave up one run on seven hits with 10 strikeouts in nine innings. Eddie Fisher got the win with a scoreless 10th.

 

PROSPERITY FOR BUZHARDT

1966: John Buzhardt was sterling in his 1966 debut. The right-hander from Prosperity, South Carolina fired a three-hitter in the Sox 5-0 win over the Kansas City Athletics before 15,807 at Comiskey Park. Buzhardt gave up hits in the third, eighth and ninth inning in logging the first of his four shutouts of 1966. It was a tough campaign for Buzhardt despite the shutouts. Buzhardt would log only six wins that year (against 11 losses) with a more than respectable 3.83 ERA.

 

BRADLEY FINGERS A’S

1971: The White Sox gave Tom Bradley three runs in the second inning and that was more than enough in a 4-0 win over the Oakland Athletics before 5,357 at Comiskey Park. Bradley helped his own cause in the second with an RBI after Ed Herrmann had plated two runs with a double. Bradley limited an Oakland lineup that included Bert Campaneris, Joe Rudi, Reggie Jackson and Sal Bando to four hits while striking out 10. Bradley bested Rollie Fingers, who was making the 28th start of his career. Fingers would make just nine more starts in his Hall of Fame career.

 

10-SPOT WORKS FINE

1973: The White Sox jumped to a 10-0 lead and hung on for a 10-5 win over the Texas Rangers before 2,718 at Comiskey Park. Bill Melton helped build the lead with a two-run home run in the fifth. Eddie Fisher went the distance and got the victory over future White Sox pitching coach Dick Bosman.

 

DOWNING GOES DEEP

1974: Brian Downing’s first home run of the season and third in a career which would feature 275 roundtrippers powered the Sox to a 5-3 win over the Athletics in Oakland. Trailing 3-2, the Sox tied the game in the eighth on a Ken Henderson sacrifice fly before Downing’s dinger put the Southsiders in front to stay. Stan Bahnsen was the beneficiary of Downing’s power. Bahnsen went the distance and gave up two earned runs for his first victory of the season.

 

BRETT, STILLMAN STRETCH STREAK TO FIVE

1977: Ken Brett turned in six scoreless innings and gave up just hits with six strikeouts in the White Sox 4-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays before 14,583 at Comiskey Park. Royle Stillman drove in two runs as the Sox stretched their winning streak to five.

 

OH WHAT A RELIEF HE WAS

1979: Mike Proly was brilliant in relief in the White Sox 6-1 win over Toronto at Exhibition Stadium. Proly took over for starter Francisco Barrios in the seventh and tossed three shutout innings, allowing only a walk for his second save of the year. The Sox took the lead in the third behind a Greg Pryor RBI triple and RBIs by Claudell Washington and Wayne Nordhagen.

 

SQUIRES DELIVERS

1980: Leadoff hitter Mike Squires keyed a five-run fifth with a two-run double in the White Sox 8-6 win over the Yankees in New York. The rally, which started with two outs, also featured a two-run single by Chet Lemon and an RBI by Alan Bannister.

 

7-0 TO START 1982

1982: The White Sox swept a doubleheader from the Baltimore Orioles at Comiskey Park to improve to 7-0. The victories enabled the Sox to break a 62-year-old club record for consecutive wins at the start of a season. Rain the day before forced the Sox to play their first home Opening Day doubleheader since 1972. The double win meant the Sox had swept all four of their Opening Day doubleheaders (1917, 1972 and earlier in 1982).

The White Sox took the first game 3-1 and then captured the nightcap 10-6 as 28,977 took in the festivities on the Southside. In the first game, Greg Luzinski’s two-run homer in the first fronted the Sox for good and made a winner of Britt Burns, who tossed seven shutout innings. In the second game, Jim Morrison untied a 6-6 game in the eighth with a home run that touched off a four-run inning.

 

LAMP BUCKLES DOWN

1983: Dennis Lamp pitched a complete game and rookie Ron Kittle’s two-run homer in the first carried the White Sox 6-1 win over the Detroit Tigers before a matinee crowd of 14,729 at Comiskey Park. Lamp gave up just two hits and didn’t surrender any hits after Larry Herndon led off the fifth with a homer. The Sox had taken a 1-0 lead in the first on Tony Bernazard’s RBI double before Kittle’s homer, his fourth of the season, gave the team some breathing room.

 

TENSIONS RUN HIGH IN OAKLAND

1988: The White Sox scored five runs in the fourth in prevailing 7-6 in a tense battle in Oakland. In the midst of Oakland’s three-run first, rookie Jack McDowell hit Mark McGwire in the hip, prompting the benches to clear. The Sox overtook the A’s in the fourth when Lance Johnson’s bases-loaded double brought home Carlton Fisk and Dan Pasqua. Bobby Thigpen squelched an Oakland rally in the ninth by retiring Dave Parker, Ron Hassey and Don Baylor with they tying run in scoring position to earn his third save.

 

UP ON THE ROOF ONE LAST TIME

1990: Ron Kittle launched what would be the final roof-shot home run at Old Comiskey Park history in the White Sox 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox before a frigid crowd of 8,479. Kittle’s “roofer,” the record seventh of his career, came off Rob Murphy and tied the game at one in the sixth. Ozzie Guillen singled in Sammy Sosa in the ninth to make a winner out of Barry Jones and loser of Lee Smith.

 

FRANK, D.J. TOUCH ’EM ALL

1994: Frank Thomas’ leadoff homer in the fourth off Frank Viola put the Sox on top for good in a 7-4 win over Boston at Fenway Park. Darrin Jackson later homered in helping Scott Sanderson win his first game in a White Sox uniform.

 

DURHAM UNTIES IT

1996: Ray Durham’s RBI in the sixth untied a 1-1 game in the White Sox 3-1 win at Kansas City. The Sox took the lead in the second on Harold Baines’ homer. KC tied it in the third before Durham brought in the go-ahead run. Dave Martinez provided some insurance with a homer in the seventh. Alex Fernandez pitched seven strong innings to improve to 2-1 while Roberto Hernandez worked a scoreless ninth for his third save.

 

THANKS, K.C.

1999: The Sox took advantage of a Kansas City error in rallying past the Royals 6-5 in Missouri. The Sox entered the ninth trailing 5-3 and pulled even on Magglio Ordonez’s two-run single. Frank Thomas came home with the go-ahead and winning run when Carlos Beltran misplayed Ordonez’s single. Sean Lowe tossed three innings of relief and gave up one run for his first big league victory.

 

BUEHRLE 4-0

2002: Mark Buehrle improved to 4-0 with eight sterling innings in the White Sox 7-2 win over the Cleveland Indians before 15,561 at Comiskey Park. Buehrle gave up two runs on seven hits in becoming the third Sox pitcher since 1994 to win his first four starts of the season. The Sox trailed 2-0 early but in the third Ray Durham’s two-run single tied the game and Frank Thomas’ RBI single put the team on top to stay.

 

LOAIZA BENEFITS FROM SOX POWER

2003: The White Sox dropped four home runs on the Royals in posting an easy 8-2 win before 10,716 at U.S. Cellular Field. Miguel Olivo, Tony Graffanino, Paul Konerko and Carlos Lee homered in support of the surprising Esteban Loaiza, who improved to 3-0. Loaiza fanned 11 in just six innings while giving up one run on four hits. Lee’s homer was a grand slam and put the Sox ahead 8-0 in the fifth.

 

SCHOENWEIS GETS HIS FIRST

2004: Scott Schoeneweis picked up his first win with the Sox in a 4-1 triumph in Tampa Bay. The left-hander from Duke did not allow an earned run in 6.2 innings while giving up five hits. Juan Urbie paced the Sox offense, which totaled 10 hits, with a triple and two RBIs.

 

PAULIE, CREDE, JOSE LEAD THE WAY

2006: A five-run first – highlighted by a three-run home run from Paul Konerko and a two-run blast from Joe Crede – powered the defending World Series champion White Sox stomped the Royals 9-0 before 27,889 at US Cellular Field. Jose Contreras gave up one hit over seven innings for his 10th consecutive win.

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 16TH]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 16TH

 

For more see, www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

FELLER MAKES HISTORY AT SOX EXPENSE

1940: Cleveland’s Bob Feller opened the 1940 season in a dramatic fashion at ComiskeyPark. “Rapid Robert” threw the first and only Opening Day no-hitter in Major League history in beating the White Sox 1-0. The gem also provided the answer for one of baseball’s trickiest trivia questions. This was the only game where each batter ended the game with the same batting average with which he started.

 

YOU’RE ON THE AIR

1948: WGN televised a baseball game for the first time. With Jack Brickhouse doing the play-by-play, the White Sox defeated the Cubs 4-1 at Wrigley Field.

 

PIERCE FIRES A DANDY

1953: Billy Pierce allowed only one hit in the ComiskeyPark opener as the White Sox nipped the St. Louis Browns 1-0 before 13,354 fans. Thirteen years to the day after Bob Feller no-hit the Sox on Opening Day at ComiskeyPark, Pierce carried a no-no into the seventh before the Browns’ Bobby Young doubled. St. Louis pitcher Harry Brecheen allowed only two White Sox hits.

 

HITS HAPPEN BUT NOT NEEDED

1966: The White Sox put on a clinic on how to win a game with minimal offense in topping the Athletics 2-1 before 6,953 at ComiskeyPark. The Sox collected only three hits -- none of which they used in scoring any of their runs -- in winning in 11 innings before 6,953 at ComiskeyPark. The Sox scored an unearned run in the first off future Hall of Famer Jim “Catfish” Hunter behind an error, a steal by Tommie Agee and a sacrifice fly by Floyd Robinson. The Sox won the game in the 11th when Agee walked, stole second, took third on a grounder and scored on Ron Hansen’s bases loaded walk. The Sox pitching was superb as Gary Peters gave up five hits and one unearned run in 7.1 innings.

 

A LONG DAY ENDS HAPPILY

1967: Jerry Adair’s bases loaded walk in the 16th inning of Game 2 allowed the White Sox to a sweep a doubleheader from the Washington Senators. After winning the first game 7-3 with Joel Horlen pitching a complete game and Tommie Agee hitting a three-run homer, the Sox worked OT to get the second victory. The Senators tied the game in the seventh and the teams played nearly another game before the Sox pushed across a run. Adair, who would end the season playing second base for the “Impossible Dream” Red Sox in the World Series, coaxed a bases loaded walk out of Darold Knowles to end the 4 hour and 8 minute marathon and 6 hours and 33 minutes of baseball in total.

 

WHAT NEW? HAIRSTON COMES THROUGH

1977: Jerry Hairston’s bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth gave the White Sox a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays before 7,467 at ComiskeyPark. The base on balls scored Oscar Gamble and was issued by former Sox pitcher and losing pitcher Pete Vuckovich. Steve Stone went the distance for his first victory of the season.

 

SHADES OF PUDGE: BURKS HOMERS IN RETURN TO BOSTON

1993: In his first plate appearance as a visitor to FenwayPark, Ellis Burks homered in the White Sox 9-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. Burks’ blast came in the second inning with two outs off Danny Darwin and gave the Sox a 1-0 lead. The Red Sox led 4-2 after three before the White Sox took over. The White Sox tied the game in the fourth on a two-run homer by Robin Ventura. Lance Johnson’s two-run double in the fifth put the Sox ahead to stay.

 

A VICTORY IN 99 MINUTES

2005: The first-place White Sox dispatched the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in just 1 hour and 39 minutes before 25,931 at US Cellular Field. Paul Konerko accounted for all of the Sox offense with a pair of homers while Mark Buehrle was brilliant, fanning a career-high 12 in the complete game effort. The 99 minute game was the fastest in the Majors since a San Diego at Atlanta game on Sept. 30, 1984 and the fastest Sox game since a 1:38 affair on July 7, 1975 at Detroit.

 

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 15TH

 

NOT THIS YEAR, BOB

1941: A year after being no-hit by Bob Feller on Opening Day, the Sox got their revenge. Before 46,064 at ComiskeyPark, the Sox beat Feller and the Indians 4-3 in the 1940 curtain-raiser. The Sox took the suspense out of Feller’s no-hit bid right away by scoring two in the first. The Indians tied the game with single runs in the fourth and fifth before the Sox pushed two across in the sixth to take the lead for good to make a winner out of starter Bill Dietrich.

 

SOX HELP INAUGURATE BASEBALL IN BALTIMORE

1954: The White Sox helped return Major League Baseball to Baltimore when they lost to the Orioles 3-1 before 46,354 at Memorial Stadium. Baltimore had been home to some big league teams in the late part of the 19th century but this was the first American League game in the city. In a bit of symmetry, the Orioles came to Baltimore from St. Louis where they were the Browns.

 

O CANADA! A SOX WIN

1977: The White Sox spoiled the Chicago debut of the expansion Toronto Blue Jays with a 7-5 win before 10,840 at ComiskeyPark. Toronto scored five in the second but the White Sox scored two in the third and five in the sixth to win the first regular-season game involving a foreign team at ComiskeyPark. Royle Stillman’s two-out single gave the Sox the lead for good and made a winner out of Francisco Barrios, who turned in one of the great relief performances in club history. Barrios tossed 7.2 shutout innings in relief of starter Chris Knapp to earn his first win of the season.

 

HAIRSTON RUINS WILCOX’S PERFECT GAME

1983: Jerry Hairston ruined Milt Wilcox’s bid for immortality in the White Sox 6-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers before 19,483 at ComiskeyPark. Wilcox retired 26 in a row before Hairston, pinch-hitting for Jerry Dybzinski, smoked a clean single marking just the third time in history a perfect game was broken up with two outs in the ninth inning. The history-ruining hit was met with some boos from the home crowd. Exactly two years later, Hairston became the White Sox all-time leader when he collected his 51st pinch-hit at Boston’s Fenway Park.

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 14TH/Fisk, Sammy]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 14TH

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

A NO-NO FOR CICOTTE

1917: Ed Cicotte no-hit St. Louis in an 11-0 Sox win at St. Louis. It was the fifth no-hitter in club history. Cicotte gave up three walks, hit a batter and struck out five in the only no-no of his career. The Sox gave Cicotte a lead right away with one in the first and added seven more in the second inning.

 

CHAMPS START WITH A WIN

1920: The White Sox opened defense of their American League title by defeating the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Opening Day at Comiskey Park. Lefty Williams got the win, which was the first in a six-game winning streak.

 

WELCOME A’S

1955: The White Sox and Sandy Consuegra defeated the Kansas City Athletics 7-1 in the Comiskey Park opener. The game was the first ever between the Sox and the Athletics since the A’s’ move from Philadelphia to Kansas City.

 

4-0 IN 1959

1959: The eventual American League champion White Sox improved to 4-0 by defeating Kansas City 2-0 before 19,303 in the Comiskey Park opener where all in attendance received a free beer and a soda. Billy Pierce was brilliant, firing a six-hitter in a contest that took just 1 hour and 55 minutes. The classy lefty struck out three and did not walk a batter in notching his first win of the season in his second start of the season. The Sox scored both of their runs in the fifth when Luis Aparicio’s single scored Johnny Callison and Bubba Phillips.

 

A FRUITFUL FIRST

1970: The White Sox did all of their damage in the first inning in beating the Angels 3-1 in Anaheim. The Sox scored their first run when Ken Berry scored on a passed ball. The Sox padded their lead on a Bill Melton double and a Duane Josephson single. Joel Horlen pitched into the eighth for his first win while Wilbur Wood tossed 1.1 perfect frames for his second save as the Sox halted a three-game losing streak.

 

FISK SLAMS BREWERS

1981: Carlton Fisk’s grand slam in his home debut with the White Sox powered the team to a 9-3 win over Milwaukee in front of 51,560 delirious fans in the Comiskey Park Opener. The blast came off Milwaukee’s Pete Vuckovich in the fourth inning and helped the Sox to a 9-3 win. Hometown hero Greg Luzinski drove in two runs in his Comiskey Park debut. The home crowd of 51,560 was the largest at Comiskey Park for any Opening Day.

 

MERULLO LEAVES HIS MARK

1989: Matt Merullo hit the last Opening Day homer at Old Comiskey Park in the White Sox 7-4 loss to Oakland in the home opener before 37,950 fans. Merullo homered off Rick Honeycutt during an Old Comiskey Park power outage so there were no fireworks to celebrate the milestone. Merullo collected his first Major League hit off Dave Stewart earlier in the game.

 

SOSA TRIPLES HIS PLEASURE

1990: Sammy Sosa tied a team record by banging out two triples in the White Sox 9-4 win vs. Cleveland before 12,125 at Comiskey Park. The Sox took the lead for good with two in the first thanks to a sac fly by Ivan Calderon and a single by Carlton Fisk. The win improved the surprising Sox to 3-1.

 

NEW MILLENIUM OPENER AT COMISKEY

2000: The White Sox opened the 21st Century at Comiskey Park with a stirring 9-4 win over the Anaheim Angels before 38,912 on the Southside. Ray Durham treated the sellout crowd to a spectacular catch in the first to keep the Angels off the board. In the bottom of the frame, Frank Thomas launched the 69th first-inning homer of his career that gave the Sox the lead for good. Paul Konerko later homered to help Mike Sirotka improve to 2-1.

 

 

 

 

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 11TH]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 11TH

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

THE START OF SOMETHING BIG

1917: The White Sox kicked off what would be their second World Championship campaign with a 7-2 win over the Browns in St. Louis. The victory was the first of 100 manager Pants Rowland’s club would post that year and would put them over .500 for good.

 

LOLLAR POWER

1959: Thanks to Sherm Lollar, the future American League champion Sox improved to 2-0 with a 5-3 win at Detroit. Lollar broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh and accounted for the final with solo home run in the seventh and eighth innings. Early Wynn went the distance and gave up one earned run for the victory.

 

HOYT KNUCKLES DOWN

1963: Future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm fashioned another gem in relief in the White Sox 3-1 win over the Angels in Los Angeles. In his second appearance of the season and with the White Sox, the veteran knuckleballer turned in four shutout innings while giving up two hits with three strikeouts in saving Joe Horlen’s victory. In two appearances, Wilhelm retired 20 of the 22 batters he faced.

 

HELLO SEATTLE!

1969: The White Sox helped usher in Major League Baseball in Northwest with a 7-0 loss to the expansion Pilots in Seattle. Gary Bell, who would finish the season with the White Sox, got the win before 14,993 at SicksStadium. It was the only Opening Day in Seattle Pilot history. The next year, the team would be in Milwaukee playing as the Brewers.

 

THE FIRST FOR FARMEO

1980: Ed Farmer earned the first of what would be a club record 30 saves in the White Sox 8-4 triumph over the defending American League champion Baltimore Orioles before 3,902 at Comiskey Park. Farmer tossed 2.1 scoreless innings to preserve Ken Kravec’s victory. The White Sox got down early but Wayne Nordhagen’s two-run homer in the third gave them the lead for good.

 

FINALLY, A GAME!

1982: After five tries, the White Sox finally got their 1982 Opener in at New York. A massive snowstorm postponed three games against Boston at Comiskey Park and two more in New York before the Sox were finally able to play. Things were so backed up, the Sox and Yankees played an Opening Day doubleheader with the Southsiders sweeping the Bronx Bombers 7-6 in 12 innings and 2-0. The Sox own the distinction of being the last team in the 20th century to open the season with a doubleheader. In the first game, Bill Almon’s triple and Ron LeFlore’s single in the 13th proved to be the difference. In the nightcap, Britt Burns and Salome Barojas combined on a five-hitter before 31,008 in the Bronx.

 

HELLO ROBERTO

1993: In a changing of the guard moment, Roberto Hernandez – with the increasingly ineffective Bobby Thigpen idle -- entered the game with two outs and the tying run on in the ninth and whiffed Danny Tartabull to earn his first save in the White Sox 6-4 win over the Yankees before a matinee gathering of 21,047 at Comiskey Park. Joey Cora's two-run triple in the sixth inning gave the White Sox the lead for good.

 

A WHITE SOX WALKOFF WINNER

1996: Lyle Mouton’s three-run homer in the 11th sent the White Sox to an 8-5 win over the Texas Rangers before 16,685 at Comiskey Park. The Rangers took a 5-4 lead in the 10th but Jose Munoz led off the 10th with a single in his first career at bat and later scored the tying run. Mouton’s walkoff dinger made a winner of reliever Larry Thomas, who retired all six batters he faced for his first career victory.

 

SPEEDSTER PAULIE

2000: Paul Konerko went 4-for-5 with a double and an in-the-park home run in the White Sox 13-6 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field. Ray Durham extended his club record by leading off a game with a homer for the 11th time. A few batters later, Konerko laced the Sox first in-the-park homer since Ron Karkovice accomplished the feat Aug. 30, 1990. The Sox took the lead for good with three in the fifth on a two-run homer by Chris Singleton and a solo shot by Carlos Lee. Jim Parque got the win, snapping a nine-game losing streak that dated to July 7, 1999.

 

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME FOR LOAIZA

2003: Esteban Loaiza fired eight sparkling innings in improving to 2-0 in the White Sox 5-0 win at Detroit. Loaiza gave up a single in the fourth and a single in the sixth while striking out three. The performance was a sign ofgood things to come for the resurgent right-hander. Loaiza would finish the campaign with 21 victories.

 

SOX RUIN INDIAN PARTY

2005: The future World Champion White Sox spoiled the Indians’ home opener with a 2-1 win before 42,461 at Jacobs Field. The Sox untied a 1-1 game in the seventh on Scott Podsednik’s RBI single. Freddy Garcia got the win with eight tough innings and Shingo Takatsu struck out Aaron Boone with the tying run on first to end the game for his third save.

 

SERIES-OUSLY, A WIN IN OAKLAND

2007: Jermaine Dye hit game-tying homer in the eighth and the Sox added three more in the ninth to beat the A’s 6-3 to secure their first series win in Oakland since August of 2000. David Aardsma worked a scoreless eighth for his first win and Bobby Jenks fanned two in a scoreless ninth for his second save.

 

Editor's Note: Information for these entries is gleaned from the author's files, retrosheet.org, various Internet sources, press reports of the day, White Sox media guides and the many White Sox books written by the great Rich Lindberg.

 

 

[Classic Rain Delay 1990]

1990 was my favorite Sox season until 2005. It was a renaissance for the franchise, much like the Blackhawks are going through now.

 

Part of the folklore of that year was the longest rain delay in baseball history. It was a Sunday at Comiskey Park late in the season against the Texas Rangers, who were just a team full of knobs from top to bottom. It rained all day Sunday but this was a day game and the Sox were in a pennant race so they opened the gates and decided to wait it out.

 

So they waited ... and waited ... and waited. That game was not called until early evening. The Rangers were pissed that they had to wait around that long. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader in Texas the next week.

 

And guess what happened? A fight. Scott Fletcher asked the umpire to check a ball that Nolan Ryan threw. ... Ryan got pissed and the weasel hit Craig Grebeck right in the ribs. Not Ivan Calderon or Dan Pasqua or Frank Thomas or Carlton Fisk. Craig Grebeck, the smallest man in the game. The next inning Greg Hibbard plunks Steve Buechele, who is quite a bit bigger than Grebeck and the fight was on. It was a goodie, too.

 

Once the scrum was unpiled, guess who came ambling out of the Ranger dugout? Nolan Ryan. What a suckhole. I lost all respect for Ryan because of that. Hawk didn't think much of it either. I remember him yelling "Have some class, Ryan! Have some class, Ryan!" on the broadcast as Ryan was checking things out after the battle. I was so pissed at Ryan because of that I got rid of all the 300 win stuff I got when I saw that happen in Milwaukee a year earlier.

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 10TH]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 10TH

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com/ ENJOY!

 

FOX ROCKS FOR THE SOX

1959: Nellie Fox’s home run in the 14th inning capped one of the great Opening Day performances in big league history as the White Sox kicked off one of the most memorable seasons in team history with a 9-7 win at Detroit. Fox’s homer came with Sammy Esposito on first base and two outs. Fox had five hits (including a double), two runs, a sacrifice and three RBIs in becoming the last player in Sox history to accomplish that feat on Opening Day. The Tigers threatened in the bottom of the 14th but left-hander Don Rudolph retired the only man he faced to save Gerry Staley’s victory.

 

JFK STARTS THE SOX DAY

1961: After President John F. Kennedy threw out the ceremonial first ball, the White Sox defeated the “new” Washington Senators 4-3. The “old” Washington Senators moved to Minnesota where they became the Twins. According to Rich Lindberg’s definitive book on White Sox history “Who’s On Third,” Sox outfielder Jim Rivera pushed aside the Senators’ Hal Woodeschick to catch JFK’s heave into a crowd of players. After getting Vice-President Lyndon Johnson’s signature on the ball, Landis handed it to Kennedy and the president signed it. Rivera was not impressed with Kennedy’s autograph. “You’ll have to do better than that, John,” Rivera told the Commander-In-Chief. “This is a scribble I can hardly read.” Another Jim – Landis – helped get the Sox even in the seventh with a triple. The Sox took the lead in the eighth when Roy Sievers’ sac fly scored Minnie Minoso. Dick Donovan went the distance for the victory.

 

LOLLAR MAKES ’EM HOLLER

1962: The White Sox ushered in the 1962 campaign with a dramatic 2-1 win over Los Angeles before 18,124 at Comiskey Park. The Sox broke the tie in the ninth when Sherm Lollar’s two-out single scored Floyd Robinson, who had walked to leadoff the frame and took second on Mike Hershberger’s walk. Juan Pizarro gave up five hits in the complete-game effort for the win.

 

A TOUGH OPENER

1968: The White Sox opened the 1968 campaign with a 9-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians before just 7,756 at Comiskey Park. According to Rich Lindberg’s definitive book on White Sox history “Who’s On Third,” the crowd was kept down because riots on the West Side following the assassination of Martin Luther King a week earlier put the Comiskey Park neighborhood in an unfavorable light.

 

WELCOME, MILWAUKEE

1970: In their first game ever against the Milwaukee Brewers, the White Sox and Jerry Janeski pulled offa 5-4 win before 1,036 at Comiskey Park. Janeski, making his big league debut, gave up three runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in 7.1 innings in winning his big league debut. He got relief help from Wilbur Wood, who fired the final 1.2 innings for the save. The Sox broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth on a Bobby Knoop homer and RBIs by Luis Aparicio and Carlos May. The visitors moved to Milwaukee for the 1970 campaign after spending 1969 in Seattle as the expansion Pilots.

 

HAROLD DEBUTS

1980: Harold Baines made his Major League debut in the White Sox 5-3 loss on Opening Day to the Baltimore Orioles before 35,539 at Comiskey Park. Baines batted sixth, played right field and went 0-for-4 against Jim Palmer and Tim Stoddard.

 

ONE HECKUVA HAPPY HOMECOMING FOR “PUDGE”

1981: Hollywood couldn’t have written a better script for Carlton Fisk in his first game with the White Sox. On Opening Day in the park he had called home 11 seasons, Fisk launched a three-run home run in the eighth inning to lift the White Sox to a 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Fisk’s homer left the conflicted Boston crowd in stunned silence while the Sox traveling party was overcome with glee.

 

FLETCH POWER

1984: The Sox received some unexpected power from Scott Fletcher in pasting the Indians 7-3 before 13,948 at Comiskey Park. Fletcher hit a two-run homer in the second and had two other hits in support of LaMarr Hoyt who pitched seven strong innings for his second win. Ron Reed tossed two perfect innings with three strikeouts for his first save.

 

A RAD PERFORMANCE

1990: Scott Radinsky earned his first Major League win with 1.1 shutout innings in the Sox 5-3 victory at Milwaukee. It was the lefty's second career appearance. Lance Johnson drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run single in the sixth inning. Robin Ventura made the play of the game with an over-the-shoulder catch of a foul ball, which he turned into a double play at the plate.

 

HELLO SABO

1995: The White Sox signed free agent third baseman Chris Sabo to a one-year contract. The bespectacled Michigander lasted just 20 games with the White Sox before being released May 24th.

 

A MEMORABLE MILESTONE

2001: Sandy Alomar Jr. made his 1,000th career game a memorable one in the White Sox 8-7 win over the Indians before 14,465 at Comiskey Park. After Herbert Perry came through with a double in the eighth,Alomar followed with an RBI single to put the Sox on top for good. Gary Glover continued his perfect pitching in earning his first career victory. Glover turned in 3.2 perfect innings to extend his streak of consecutive batters retired to 16.

 

 

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 9TH]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 9TH

 

For more see, www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

A DAZZLING DEBUT

1963: Pete Ward’s three-run homer in the seventh powered the White Sox to a 7-5 win over the Tigers in the season-opener – the earliest in Sox history -- at Detroit. Ward’s blast made a winner out of Frank Baumann but the real pitching hero was future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm. In his debut with the Sox, the knuckleballer fashioned three perfect innings with three strikeouts to earn the save.

 

JOHN, MAY LEAD THE WAY

1969: Carlos May hit his first two big league homers and Tommy John fired a four-hit shutout as the Sox beat the A’s 3-0 in Oakland. May’s blasts accounted two of the Sox three runs and came in the third and sixth innings. May also drove in a run in the eighth inning. John did not give up a hit until the fifth and walked one and fanned four in the Sox first win of the season.

 

THREE-FOR-THREE!

1971: Rich McKinney’s two-out single in the ninth scored Rich Morales with the winning run as the Sox edged the Twins 3-2 before 43,253 in the Comiskey Park opener. The dramatic victory made the Sox 3-0 for the first time since 1959. Morales started the frame with a single and was pushed to second on a bunt by reliever Vincente Romo (how about that!). After a wild pitch and a strikeout, McKinney came through.

 

LATE SURGE SAVES KAAT

1975: The White Sox scored three in the eighth and three in the ninth to overpower the A’s 7-5 in Oakland. The rally made a winner out of starter Jim Kaat, who went the distance and allowed five runs but none of them were earned. A two-run triple by Pat Kelly and a double by Carlos May got the Sox the lead in the ninth. Manager Chuck Tanner stuck with Kaat in the ninth and the left-hander responded with a 1-2-3 inning to secure the Sox first win of the season.

 

A THRILL FOR BILL

1976: The White Sox ushered in Bill Veeck’s second ownership stint with a 4-0 win over the Kansas City Royals in the season-opener before 40,318 at Comiskey Park. Wilbur Wood fired a six-hitter and Jim Spencer was 3-for-3 with a home run, a double and three RBIs as the Sox debuted in their “clam-digger” black-and-white uniforms. The shutout was the first for the Sox on Opening Day since 1947.

 

FIRST WIN ON FOREIGN SOIL

1977: The White Sox defeated the Blue Jays 3-2 in Toronto for the franchise’s first ever regular-season win outside of the country. Oscar Gamble’s home run in the fourth put the Sox on top to stay and the team added two more in the fifth. Chris Knapp got the win and Lerrin LaGrow earned his first save in what would be the best season of his career. The Sox and the American League made their debut the previous day in Canada in the Blue Jays’ victory two days earlier.

 

THE FIRST OF 1,764 FOR OZZIE

1985: Rookie Ozzie Guillen collected his first big league hit in the White Sox 4-2 Opening Day win at Milwaukee. Guillen, who batted leadoff, accomplished the feat with a bunt on a 3-0 pitch in the ninth inning off Ray Searage. Tom Seaver registered the victory in his record 15th Opening Day start. The Sox made things easy for Seaver by scoring two in the first on RBIs from Greg Walker and Ron Kittle. Seaver pitched into the seventh and got relief help from Bob James, who threw 2.1 scoreless innings for the first of his club-record 32 saves.

 

CANGY MAN HITS, BONILLA DEBUTS

1986: In a chilly matinee, John Cangelosi registered his first big league hit in the Sox 4-3 loss to Milwaukee before 9,007 at Comiskey Park. The diminutive outfielder homered off future Sox hurler Ray Searage, who exactly a year earlier had yielded Ozzie Guillen’s first career hit. Also in this game, Bobby Bonilla made his big league debut. The 23-year old switch-hitter grounded out as a pinch-hitter for Joel Skinner in the ninth inning.

 

THE LAST OPENER

1990: The White Sox trimmed the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in the last Opening Day at Old Comiskey Park before 40,008 fans. Scott Fletcher plated the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning while five hurlers combined to hold Milwaukee to six hits. Starter Melido Perez got the win while Bobby Thigpen recorded the final two outs for the first of his record 57 saves.

 

BO KNOWS DRAMA

1993: In his first at bat after hip replacement surgery, Bo Jackson homered to right field off the Yankees' Neal Heaton before 42,775 in the Comiskey Park opener. The blast came on Bo's first swing of the season and sent the crowd and the Sox dugout into an emotional frenzy. The blast was the first Opening Day homer by a Sox player at New Comiskey Park but came in an 11-6 loss.

 

WHITE BEATS RED

1994: The White Sox rallied for a 6-5 win with three runs in the seventh in turning back Boston before 27,429 at Comiskey Park. Robin Ventura's RBI single off Greg Harris gave the Sox the lead for good. Frank Thomas clubbed his first homer of the season in the sixth inning off Roger Clemens and Ron Karkovice's homer padded the lead in the eighth. Roberto Hernandez nailed down the win with his first save of the season. … Also on this date, Michael Jordan made his professional debut by going hitless for the White Sox Double-A Birmingham affiliate in a loss to Chattanooga.

 

ABBOTT, DEVEREAUX COME ABOARD

1995: The White Sox signed free agents Jim Abbott and Mike Devereaux to one year contracts. While both proved productive for the Sox, neither would last the year with the team. Abbott was dealt with fellow left-handed pitcher Tim Fortugno to the Angels for pitchers John Snyder, Bill Simas and Andrew Lorraine and outfielder McKay Christensen July 27. About a month later, Devereaux was dealt to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Andre King.

 

JAYS, CLEMENS FREEZE SOX BATS

1997: Because of a time change brought upon by unseasonably cold temperatures, only 746 people took in the White Sox 5-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Comiskey Park. The game was originally scheduled for 7:05 p.m. but moved to 1:05 p.m. because of freezing temperatures that forced the postponement of the previous day’s game. With the mercury reading a New Comiskey Park record low 34 degrees at gametime, Roger Clemens limited the Sox to three hits before the smallest crowd to watch a Sox home game since Sept. 21, 1970 when 672 took in a contest against Kansas City.

 

TIMO DELIVERS

2005: The future World Champion White Sox broke a 3-3 tie with four in the seventh in beating the Twins 8-5 in Minnesota. Timo Perez gave the Sox the lead when he started the frame with a homer. Jon Garland got the win while Shingo Takatsu picked up his second save as the Sox improved to 4-1.

 

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 8TH]

Editor's Note: Been busy at park since Friday ... Here is today's almanac plus highlights below from the days that I missed. ... For the complete date, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com. ... Hope everyone enjoyed the opener.

 

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 8TH

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

SOX WAIVE BYE TO McLAIN

1963: The White Sox placed minor league pitcher Denny McLain on waivers. The Sox signed the future two-time Cy Young winner out of Chicago’s Mt. Carmel High School on Jan. 1, 1962. At age 18, the right-hander went 1-0 for Harlan of the Appalachian (Rookie) League and 4-7 for Clinton of the Class-A Midwest League in 1962. Under the rules of the day, the Sox were allowed to keep only one first-year bonus player. The Sox had to decide between fellow right-handed pitcher Bruce Howard and McLain. The Sox pitted the two against each other in an exhibition game. Howard was the winner and was assigned to Double-A Knoxville. McLain was placed on waivers and ultimately claimed by the Detroit Tigers where he embarked on a memorable journey which would include a 31-win season and plenty of controversy.

 

SNOW, SNOW GO AWAY

1982: For the third consecutive time, the White Sox had their Opener postponed by snow. The Sox were scheduled to host the Boston Red Sox but a snowstorm wouldn't allow it. Three days later, the Sox finally opened 1982 with a doubleheader sweep at Yankee Stadium.

 

THE FIRST OF 99

1983: After three losses, the “Winning Ugly” Sox finally posted their first victory of the season with a 6-3 triumph of Detroit before 51,350 at Tiger Stadium. The Sox broke a 3-3 tie with three in the seventh. Tony Bernazard’s RBI single gave the Sox the lead for good while Harold Baines and Greg Walker added insurance ribbies. Dennis Lamp started and got the win but Jerry Koosman was the pitching star. The veteran lefty tossed three shutout innings for the save.

 

A LEGEND DEBUTS … WITH AN ‘L’

1984: In his first start with the White Sox, future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver was tagged with the loss in a 7-3 Detroit win before 20,478 at Comiskey Park.

 

THREE WINS IN FOUR TRIES

1988: Dan Pasqua drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth in the Sox 3-2 win over Seattle before 10,524 at Comiskey Park. The victory improved the Sox, who weren’t predicted to do much of anything this season, to 3-1 for their best start since the 1982 squad began 8-0. John Davis hurled two hitless innings of relief for his first win in a Sox uniform.

 

SOX WRECK BALTIMORE BASH

1991: The White Sox spoiled the final Opening Day at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium with a 9-1 trouncing of the Orioles before 50,213 disappointed onlookers. Sammy Sosa was the hitting star. He clubbed two roundtrippers in becoming the first Sox player to accomplish that feat in an Opening Day game since Minnie Minoso in 1960. Jack McDowell went the distance while striking out 10. It was the Sox first complete game in an Opener since 1976 when Wilbur Wood blanked the Royals on six hits. The Orioles were bound for Camden Yards next season.

 

2-FOR-2 IN ’92

1992: Robin Ventura's eighth-inning single scored Tim Raines with the go-ahead run in the Sox 4-3 win at California. Greg Hibbard earned the win with relief help from Bobby Thigpen as the Sox improved to 2-0.

 

SOX STOMP TWINS

1993: Alex Fernandez fashioned eight strong innings and Tim Raines and Ron Karkovice each homered in the White Sox 9-4 win over the Twins in the Metrodome. Fernandez limited the Twins to two runs on five hits in his first start of the season.

 

BIG CROWD, BAD RESULT

1994: A crowd of 42,890, the largest Opening Day crowd in New Comiskey Park history, watched the Boston RedSox rally by the White Sox for an 8-6 win. The Sox lost despite getting two homers from Tim Raines and one each from Julio Franco and Robin Ventura.

 

WINNING STREAK REACHES FOUR

2000: The White Sox extended their winning streak to four by trampling the A’s 7-3 at Oakland. Frank Thomas’ three-run homer, his second of the year, gave the Sox some breathing room. Thomas finished with three hits boosting his career total to 1,577th which moved him past Luis Aparicio into sixth place on the Sox all-time list. Mike Sirotka earned his first win of the season.

 

TRIUMPH OVER THE TRIBE

2003: The White Sox scored two in the top of the 10th on a Jose Valentin single and Frank Thomas sacrifice fly to beat host Cleveland 5-3 for their fourth consecutive victory.

 

SOX POWER PAST TWINS

2005: Sixth-inning home runs by Paul Konerko and Aaron Rowand gave the White Sox the lead for good in a 5-1 win at Minnesota. Orlando Hernandez fired seven strong innings for the victory.

 

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 7TH

DH DEBUT

1973: Utilizing the new-fangled designated hitter, the White Sox opened the 1973 campaign by edging the Texas Rangers 3-1 in Arlington. A day after the Yankees’ Ron Blomberg became the first DH in history, Mike Andrews went 1-for-3 with a double in that role while hitting sixth for the Sox. Wilbur Wood went the distance and gave up four hits and an unearned run with six strikeouts in outdueling future Sox pitching coach Dick Bosman. Dick Allen homered and Eddie Leon and Carlos May also drove in runs for the Sox.

 

O CANADA … THE SOX USHER IN BASEBALL IN TORONTO

1977: The White Sox inaugurated American League baseball in Canada by losing to the Toronto Blue Jays 9-5 before 44,649 who braved the snow and freezing temperatures at Exhibition Stadium. The White Sox Ralph Garr was the first American League batter in Canada and Sox announcer Harry Caray pulled a rare double in announcing both the inaugural National League game in Canada (with St. Louis vs. Montreal) and the first AL game in the Great White North. For the record, Garr scored the first American League run on foreign soil when he crossed on the first American League homer on foreign soil – a blast by Richie Zisk, who was making his White Sox debut. Also, Ken Brett took the loss while ex-Sox pitcher Pete Vuckovich was the winner. ... The Sox also signed veteran knuckleballer and author Jim Bouton on this day. He pitched in the team's farm systembefore being released on June 1.

 

BLOMBERG BEGINS WITH A BANG

1978: The White Sox treated an Opening Day crowd of 50,754 at Comiskey Park to a dramatic 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox. The White Sox trailed by one heading into the ninth but Ron Blomberg, making his White Sox debut, tied the game with a home run off Dick Drago. Chet Lemon followed with a single and scored one out later when Wayne Nordhagen’s bloop double fell between three fielders. Lerrin LaGrow got the win with two shutout innings in relief of starter Steve Stone.

 

MORRIS NO-HITS THE SOX

1984: Jack Morris fired what turned out to be the final no-hitter at Old Comiskey Park in the Detroit Tigers’ 4-0 win over the White Sox in the season’s third game. Morris tossed the “no-no” before 24,616 on the South Side and on national television. Morris walked six but he struck out eight in helping the Tigers win their fourth straight in a streak that would reach nine.

 

ONE LAST BOMB FOR PUDGE

1993: On his first swing of the season, Carlton Fisk launched the final home run of his Hall of Fame career. The blast, the 376th of Fisk’s career, came off Jim Deshaies in the third inning of the Sox 6-1 loss at Minnesota.

 

AIR JORDAN DELIVERS

1994: The White Sox and Michael Jordan fought the Cubs to a 4-4 tie in an exhibition game before 37,825 at Wrigley Field. Jordan started in right field and went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs as the Sox remained unbeaten against the Cubs since the resumption of the crosstown rivalry in 1984. Jordan touched relievers Dave Otto and Chuck Crim for hits but was also charged with an error in right field.

 

WIN NO. 1 FOR OZZIE

2004: After a crushing loss to start the season, theWhite Sox got Ozzie Guillen his first win as manager with a 4-3 triumph at Kansas City. Miguel Olivo, Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez all homered in support of winning pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who pitched into the seventh inning. In his first plate appearance of the season, Frank Thomas fouled off 13 pitches, including 12 in a row, before drawing a walk in the first inning.

 

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 6TH

 

A BIG FOURTH DOES IT

1993: A six-run fourth carried the eventual American League West champion White Sox to an easy 10-6 win over the Minnesota Twins in the season-opener at the Metrodome. The Sox entered the frame trailing by one but a double by Lance Johnson tied the game and a sac fly by Ozzie Guillen put the Sox ahead to stay. Tim Raines’ three-run homer added to the lead and Joey Cora capped the scoring when he crossed on a wild pitch. The six-run outburst was the Sox largest on Opening Day since they dropped a seven-spot on the St. Louis Browns in a 17-3 win in the 1951 curtain-raiser at Sportsman’s Park.

 

A GRAND DAY FOR ROBIN

1994: Robin Ventura socked two homers, including a grand slam, in powering the White Sox to a 9-2 win over the Blue Jays at SkyDome in Toronto. Ventura's grand slam, which came in the seventh, was the fifth of his career, tying the Sox all-time record.

 

NAVARRO Ks 11

1997: Tony Phillips led off the White Sox first with a homer and Jaime Navarro fanned a career-high 11 batters in a 5-3 windy win over the Detroit Tigers before 19,259 at Comiskey Park. Navarro fired seven shutout innings in notching his first victory with the White Sox. Winds gusting to 43 mph ripped a sign off the scoreboard in the third, prompting a seven-minute delay and causing much consternation in the Scoreboard Control Room high above Comiskey Park.

 

TWO TOUCHDOWNS ENOUGH

2002: The White Sox scored four runs in the first inning en route to a 14-0 win at Kansas City. A 16-hit attack fueled the White Sox most lopsided shutout victory since a 17-0 win at Cleveland July 5, 1987. Magglio Ordonez and Sandy Alomar Jr. homered and Paul Konerko doubled twice and drove in three as the Sox improved to 2-3. Mark Buehrle (2-0) dropped his lifetime ERA to 1.80 against Kansas City by tossing six shutout innings with four strikeouts.

 

SOME OF THAT ’05 MAGIC

2005: The White Sox improved to 2-0 with an improbable 4-3 win over the Indians before 10,520 at US Cellular Field. Trailing 3-0 heading into the ninth, the Sox scored four times to win it. Juan Uribe’s sacrifice fly was the game-winner and came after a two-run homer by Paul Konerko and a game-tying solo shot by Jermaine Dye. The victory went to Damaso Marte and marked the first time the White Sox started 2-0 since 1999.

 

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 5TH

 

NOT A GOOD DEAL

1960: In one of the worst trades in team history, the White Sox acquired slugging first baseman Roy Sievers from the Washington Senators for catcher Earl Battey, infielder Don Mincher and $150,000. Sievers, who led the American League with 42 homers and 114 RBIs for the 1957 Senators, hit .295 with a team-high 28 homers and 93 RBIs for the 1960 White Sox. The 29 homers were the most by a Sox player in nine years and tied for the third-highest output in franchise history. Battey and Mincher were considered prospects at the time and blossomed into productive Major Leaguers in the 1960s. This swap did not turn out so well for the good guys. In the first printing of “The White Sox Encyclopedia,” Rich Lindberg labeled this the sixth-worst trade in franchise history.

 

A WEIRD BEGINNING

1974: Nolan Ryan bested Wilbur Wood before 30,041 on Opening Day at Comiskey Park. Ryan got the win in the Angels’ 8-2 victory. Ryan, coming of his record-setting 383-strikeout campaign of 1973, fanned just four and walked 10. The Angels broke the game open with a five-run eighth off Terry Forster. The Opener’s sideshows may have been more interesting than the game. In the stands, there was a strolling stripper, many streakers and a bevy of fights. “Did all that really happen?” Sox manager Chuck Tanner asked afterwards. “I didn’t see any of it. ... What causes people to act like that?”

 

BO KNOWS SURGERY

1992: Bo Jackson underwent reconstructive hip surgery, thus setting the stage for one of the great comebacks in baseball history. Despite the painful hip, Jackson went 4-for-7 (.571) with three RBI in three spring training games. After the surgery, Jackson was placed on the disabled list and then placed on the emergency disabled list on Aug. 6. After rehab, Jackson capped his comeback the following April when the first swing of his return resulted in a home run. … Also on this date, the White Sox signed right-handed side-winding reliever Terry Leach as a free agent. Leach went on to have a stellar year out of the bullpen especially at Comiskey Park. The 38-year old Leach went 6-5 with a 1.95 ERA in 51 outings for the 1995 White Sox. At Comiskey Park, Leach was 3-0 with an 0.84 ERA.

 

CLOSING THE CENTURY ON OPENERS

1999: The White Sox captured their final Opening Day game of the 20th Century by toppling the Seattle Mariners 8-2 at the Kingdome. Darrin Jackson’s two-run homer in the fifth inning gave the White Sox the lead for good. James Baldwin got the win in improving his lifetime record to 10-0 in domes. Frank Thomas clubbed two doubles giving him 579 extra-base hits which moved him past Harold Baines into third place on the Sox all-time list. Paul Konerko made his White Sox debut a successful one, homering off Jeff Fassero in the sixth inning.

 

THAT WIN HURT

2007: The White Sox picked up their first win of the season in painful fashion with a 4-3 decision over Cleveland before 24,141 at US Cellular Field. AJ Pierzynski was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force Rob Mackowiak home with the winning run in the ninth inning. According to whitesoxalmanac.com research, the walkoff win via the HBP was the White Sox first since Sept. 2, 1966 when Tommie Agee was plunked by a Stu Miller pitch to give the Sox a 9-8 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Incidentally, Dennis Higgins was the winning pitcher. Joe Crede, Higgins’ cousin, was 1-for-2 with two walks in the win over Cleveland which improved the Sox to 1-2.

 

 

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 4TH

 

BAD START FOR A GOOD TEAM

 

1983: The eventual American League West champion White Sox scored three in the first inning but couldn’t hold on in falling to the Texas Rangers 5-3 in the season-opener at Texas. The Sox scored in the first when Greg Luzinski was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Greg Walker drove home a run with a fielder’s choice and Carlton Fisk plated a run with a single. The Rangers got two in the bottom of the first and then took command with single runs in the sixth, seventh andeighth innings. LaMarr Hoyt took the loss.

 

DEBUT DAY A DANDY

1988: It was a day of debuts at Comiskey Park. The 1988 White Sox debuted with an 8-5 win over the California Angels before a sundrenched crowd of 35,899 on the Southside. Kenny Williams, making his debut at third base, went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI; Lance Johnson, making his White Sox debut, had a single, run and RBI and Ricky Horton, also making his White Sox debut, was the winning pitcher.

 

OLD BATTERY CHARGES SOX

1989: The White Sox opened their 89th season by downing the California Angels 9-2 inAnaheim. Winning pitcher Jerry Reuss and Carlton Fisk formed the oldest Opening Day battery in Major League history. Their combined age of 81 years (Fisk 41, Reuss 39) and 22 days surpassed Johnny Niggling and Rick Ferrell of the 1944 Washington Senators. The Washington duo was “only” a combined 79 years and 3 days old. After Devon White homered in the first, Reuss did not allow a run. Meanwhile, the Sox cruised behind home runs from Fisk and Harold Baines. After Baines homered in the ninth, Angel reliever Bob McClure plunked Ivan Calderon, who charged the mound setting off a bench-clearing melee.

 

THE FIRST OF 21

2003: Esteban Loaiza foreshadowed his stellar 2003 campaign in getting the victory in the White Sox 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers before 40,395 in the U.S. Cellular Field opener. Loaiza gave up two runs on three hits while walking three and striking out five to get the first of his 21 victories. Loaiza’s only mistake was yielding a two-run homer to Eric Munson in the fifth. Gary Glover helped out Loaiza with 1.1 perfect innings of relief and Billy Koch struck out the side in the ninth for his first White Sox save.

 

THE FIRST OF 110

2005: The White Sox opened their World Championship season by defeating the Cleveland Indians 1-0 before 38,141 at US Cellular Field. Mark Buehrle got the win with eight strong innings while Shingo Takatsu earned the save. The Sox scored the game’s only run in the seventh when PaulKonerko doubled and scored on Aaron Rowand’s RBI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Today's Trivia Question]

I don't know, it depends on the context of the scoreboard person.

 

Perhaps it was pertaining to the Sox home opener.

It was ... I researched, wrote and displayed the question: Who was the White Sox starting third baseman in the 2000 home opener? and the answer was Paul Konerko. The cool thing about that was I saw Paulie motion to the board when it was up there which is a rarity.

[THIS DATE IN SOX HISTORY: APRIL 3RD]

THIS DATE IN SOX HISTORY: APRIL 3RD

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

BLACK SOX FILE SUIT

1923: Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch, banned from baseball for life as part of the attempt to fix the 1919 World Series, sued the White Sox, seeking $400,000 damages and $6,750 back pay. Their suit would ultimately prove unsuccessful.

 

A WISE PURCHASE FROM ST. LOUIS

1931: The White Sox purchased first baseman Lu Blue from the St. Louis Browns. Blue, a switch-hitter, had the best season of his 13-year career for Donie Bush’s Sox. The native of Washington DC hit .304 with one homer, 62 RBI, 15 triples, 119 runs and 127 walks. Blue finished second in the American League in walks and triples and he led American League first basemen with 1,452 putouts. The 127 walks were a club record and stood until Frank Thomas drew 138 free passes in 1991. Blue’s 119 runs were a club record for switch-hitters and stood until Ray Durham scored 126 times in 1998. Blue’s 15 triples are still tied for first among Sox switch-hitters.

 

HELLO BO … GOODBYE OLD FRIEND

1991: On the day the wrecking ball first struck Old Comiskey Park, the White Sox signed outfielder Bo Jackson as a free agent after he was released by the Kansas City Royals. Jackson was immediately placed on the 60-day emergency disabled list to rehabilitate his ailing hip. Jackson, who suffered the injury while playing for the Oakland Raiders, rehabbed his way into a September appearance with the Sox where he hit .225 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 23 games. Jackson had hip replacement surgery in 1992 and sat out that season before returning for 1993 where he was a contributor – artificial hip and all – to the Sox run to the A.L. West title. As for the old park, it took a while but it finally bit the dust.

 

ABNER COMES ABOARD

1992: The White Sox signed Shawn Abner. The outfielder spent one season with the Sox as a fourth outfielder and hit .279 with a homer and 16 RBIs in 97 games. The first overall pick of the June 1984 draft made quite splash with the Sox. Abner hit safely in his first three at bats with the team with two doubles and three RBIs.

 

A WIN OVER THE CUBS

1993: The White Sox tipped the Cubs 9-8 in an exhibition game in Las Vegas.

 

TONY PHILLIPS, THE IGNITOR

1996: The White Sox notched their first win of the year by defeating the Seattle Mariners 4-2 at the Kingdome. Tony Phillips, who fell a single shy of the cycle, got things going by leading off the game with a home run. It was Phillips’ 22nd leadoff homer which tied him for ninth all-time. Joe Magrane, in relief of ailing starter Kevin Tapani, got the victory with 2.2 scoreless innings. Tapani left after three innings with a slight groin strain. Roberto Hernandez pitched a perfect ninth for the save. Harold Baines appeared in his 1,380th game with the Sox, which moved him past Minnie Minoso into eighth place on the club’s all-time list.

 

FIRST MEETING, FIRST WIN WITH THE RAYS

1998: The White Sox netted their first win of the season by trampling the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-4 in the inaugural meeting between the clubs. Frank Thomas drove in four runs and Robin Ventura went 4-for-4 with three RBI to lead the 15-hit attack. James Baldwin limited the Rays to one run on seven hits in six innings in winning his first start of the season.

 

21ST CENTURY DEBUT NOT SO GOOD

2000: The White Sox opened the new century and a season which would see them win the American League’s Central Division by falling to the Texas Rangers 10-4 at the Ballpark in Arlington. The game marked the Major League debut of left-handed Kelly Wunsch, who made the first of his league leading 83rd appearances with a scoreless ninth inning.

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 2ND]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 2ND

 

For more see, www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

WELCOME WHITE SOX!

1900: Playing as a Chicago team for the first time, the White Stockings defeated the University of Illinois in Champaign. Roy Patterson, who would go on to win 17 games during the regular season, was the victor.

 

HEY MOE! HEY MOE!

1931: The White Sox sold catcher Moe Berg to the Cleveland Indians. Berg played for the White Sox from 1926 to 1930. He later gained notoriety as a premier OSS spy who gathered high-level intelligence information on Nazi Germany’s top scientists during World War II.

 

GOLD GLOVER ARRIVES

1982: The White Sox dealt Wayne Nordhagen to the Toronto Blue Jays for Gold Glove third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez. Nordhagen played for the White Sox from 1976 to 1981 and was a valuable utilityman and pinch-hitter. The Thief River Falls, Minn., native hit a career-high .315 for the Southside Hitmen in 1977. In 1979, Nordhagen pitched in two games posting a 9.00 ERA with two strikeouts in two innings. Rodriguez hit .241 in 118 games for the 1982 White Sox. He left the team after the season to sign with the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent. Rodriguez rejoined the Sox for the final 22 games of the 1983 campaign. He concluded his 17-year career with two appearances in the 1983 American League Championship Series.

 

A RARE BRIGHT SPOT IN 1984

1984: The White Sox began the defense of their American League West crown by trimming the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 at Memorial Stadium. LaMarr Hoyt, whose last appearance in Baltimore was a gem in the 1983 American League Championship Series, tossed 7.1 innings and gave up two runs on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts. He received relief help from Britt Burns, who went the final 1.2 innings for the save. Burns was pushed to the bullpen because of the acquisition of Tom Seaver. The White Sox took the lead in the first on RBIs by Harold Baines and Ron Kittle. The win put the Sox in first place, where they spent the last 2.5 months of the 1983 season, for the first of just three days of the disappointing 1984 campaign.

 

ROCKET GROUNDS THE SOX

1997: The White Sox fell to Roger Clemens in his Toronto debut 6-1 in the season’s second game at the SkyDome in Toronto. Chris Snopek’s RBI gave the Sox a short-lived lead in the second. Toronto tied the game in the second and then took the leadfor good off loser Wilson Alvarez with two in the fourth inning. Reliever Carlos Castillo, who spent 1996 in Class-A, made his big league debut becoming the youngest Sox pitcher to make his big league debut since 20-year old Alex Fernandez did it in 1990. Castillo, who pitched a scoreless eighth, became the first Sox pitcher since Scott Radinsky in 1990 to make the jump directly from Class-A to the Major Leagues.

 

ALL’S WELL THAT STARTS WITH WELLS

2001: David Wells turned in six strong innings in winning his White Sox debut in a 7-4 win over the Cleveland Indians before 42,806 at Jacobs Field. Wells, battling a stomach virus, limited the Indians to two runs on four hits in six innings. The stout lefty walked two and fanned three in improving to 14-4 lifetime vs. the Indians. Magglio Ordonez broke the game open with a three-run home run in the sixth inning. The Sox opened the season on the road for the 11th consecutive season. The game marked the return of Sox catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. to Cleveland where he had spent the previous 11 seasons. He was greeted with a thunderous pre-game ovation.

 

A GREAT START TO 2006 FOR SOX, THOME

2006: On an emotional and rainy night, the White Sox opened the 2006 campaign with a 10-4 win over Cleveland before 38,802 at U.S. Cellular Field. To celebrate their 2005 World Series title, the Sox unveiled their championship banner in a stunning pregame ceremony. In the rain-delayed victory, Jim Thome homered in his White Sox debut as the team beat Cleveland in the season-opener for the second consecutive year. Thome’s two-run homer high into the rainy night sky followed a sacrifice fly by Tadahito Iguchi, which gave the Sox the lead for good.

 

Happy Birthday (those with Sox ties born on this date): Luke Appling 1907(Sox Hall of Fame shortstop 1930-1950); Billy Pierce 1927 (Sox legendary left-hander 1949-1961); Al Weis 1938 (White Sox infielder 1962-1967),

 

Editor's Note: Information for these entries is gleaned from the author's files, retrosheet.org, various Internet sources, press reports of the day, White Sox media guides and the many White Sox books written by the great Rich Lindberg

 

[THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 1ST]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 1ST

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

COULDN’T HE HAVE PLAYED HOOPS IN CHICAGO???

1962: The White Sox signed pitcher Dave DeBusschere, better known for his basketball prowess, out of the University of Detroit. The 6-foot-6 right-hander was an All-American hoopster but a $75,000 bonus got him to put his name on a Sox contract. DeBusschere went 10-1 in the Sally League in 1962. DeBusschere was up and down with the Sox in 1962 and showed big league potential in 1963 when he fired a six-hit shutout against Cleveland on Aug. 13. The Detroit Pistons wanted DeBusschere so badly they made him player-coach at age 24, prompting him to give up baseball.

 

HERRMANN SENT PACKING

1975: The White Sox traded popular catcher Ed Herrmann to the New York Yankees for minor leaguers Ken Bennett, Terry Quinn, Fred Anyzeski and John Narron. The trade, which was prompted by a salary-demand of $32,000, ended Herrmann’s seven-year career on the Southside. The highlight of Herrmann’s stay came in 1974 when he was named to the American League All-Star team.

 

(1 and) O (in) CANADA!

1997: The White Sox trimmed the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 in 10 innings in the season-opener in Toronto. Tony Pena’s single in the 10th inning scored Ray Durham from first base with the eventual winning run. Norberto “Paco” Martin forced extra-innings with a pinch-home run in the ninth inning. Tony Castillo, a former Blue Jay, got the win while Roberto Hernandez notched the save. The game marked the White Sox debut of Albert Belle, who went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and three RBI.

 

WHITE SOX ON THE MARK

2002: The White Sox built a big lead and held on to win the opener 6-5 in Seattle. Mark Buehrle started and turned in six stellar innings in outdueling Freddy Garcia. Sandy Alomar Jr.’s two-run double in the sixth gave the Sox the lead for good. The Sox made it 6-1 in the seventh thanks to a two-run double by Paul Konerko, an RBI single by Jose Valentin and a homer by Carlos Lee. The Sox pen allowed the Mariners to get to within one but Keith Foulke got Mike Cameron to fly out with the bases loaded to end the game for the save.

 

JOSE STRIKES GOLD

2006: The White Sox agreed to terms with Jose Contreras on a three-year, $29 million contract extension. Contreras earned the extension by going 15-7 with a 3.81 ERA. He finished the 2005 regular season with an eight-game winning streak. In addition, Contreras went 3-1 and started Game 1 of each postseason series for the 2005 Sox. Under the terms of the extension, Contreras will earn $9 million in 2007 and $10 million in both 2008 and 2009. … Also on this day, the Sox placed reliever Dustin Hermanson on the 15-day disabled list and purchased the contract of left-handed reliever Boone Logan.

 

 

[WHITE SOX OPENING DAY HOME RUNS]

Add Jermaine Dye to that list!

Done!

[WHITE SOX OPENING DAY HOME RUNS]

UPDATED WHITE SOX
OPENING DAY HOME RUNS

3--Jim Thome
Today in Cleveland is the first Sox multi-homer game on Opening Day since Sammy Sosa in 1991 at Baltimore ... Just the third multi-homer game on Opening Day in club history (Minnie Minoso 1960)

2--Sherm Lollar, Minnie Minoso, Dick Allen, Carlton Fisk, Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, Paul Konerko, Carlos Lee.

1--Bunny Brief, Ray Schalk, Eddie Collins, Earl Sheely, Al Simmons, Tony Piet, Mike Tresh, Cass Michaels, Al Zarilla, Jim Landis, Nellie Fox, Roy Sievers, Pete Ward, Tommie Agee, Gary Peters, Bill Melton, Walt Williams, Jim Spencer, Richie Zisk, Ron Blomberg, Jim Morrison, Ken Williams, Harold Baines, Tim Raines, Ron Karkovice, Albert Belle, Paco Martin, Robin Ventura, Darrin Jackson, Magglio Ordonez, Sandy Alomar Jr., Darin Erstad, Jermaine Dye.

Note--Only counted the first game of doubleheaders

[THIS DATE IN SOX HISTORY: MARCH 31ST/Cora, MJ,]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: MARCH 31ST

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

THE J to the O to the E to the Y … JOEY, JOEY, JOEY CORA

1991: The White Sox acquired second baseman Joey Cora and outfielder Warren Newson from the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitchers Adam Peterson and Steve Rosenberg. Cora and Newson both became key members of the White Sox American League West championship team in 1993. Cora was the team’s second baseman and sparkplug while Newson was the squad’s top pinch-hitter.

 

JORDAN BIRMINGHAM BOUND

1994: After a spring training which saw his every move dissected, Michael Jordan was assigned to the White Sox Double-A affiliate in Birmingham. Jordan was signed by the White Sox to a one-year minor league contract Feb. 7 and received a non-roster invitation to spring training. Jordan hit .202 with three home runs and 51 RBI in 127 games for the Barons in helping the Southern League set an attendance record. Jordan halted his baseball career shortly before the 1995 season.

 

MARCH SADNESS

1996: In their first regular-season game ever in March, the White Sox fell to the Seattle Mariners, 3-2 in 12 innings, before 57,467 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Frank Thomas gave the White Sox the lead in the first inning when his first swing of the season produced a two-run home run off reigning Cy Young winner Randy Johnson. That, however, was the extent of the White Sox scoring. Led by Johnson’s 14 strikeouts, five Mariner pitchers combined to fan 21 batters in the earliest Opening Day in the history of Major League Baseball.

 

FOR STARTERS, A MANUEL VICTORY

1998: The White Sox opened the 1998 campaign by making Jerry Manuel a winner in his managerial debut. The Sox topped the Texas Rangers 9-2 before 45,909 at the Ballpark in Arlington. The White Sox broke the scoreless game open with a seven-run fifth. Robin Ventura’s two-run homer ignited the rally. Jaime Navarro started and tossed six scoreless innings to earn the win. Shortstop Mike Caruso, who spent 1997 at Class-A, made his big league debut at age 20. Caruso became the youngest Sox player to make the White Sox Opening Day roster since 20-year old Johnny Callison accomplished the feat in 1959.

 

SAN FRANCISCO TREAT

2002: In their first game ever at San Francisco’s Pac Bell Park and possibly in San Francisco (???), the White Sox closed their exhibition season with a 5-2 win over the Giants before 32,459 fans. Jon Garland had his best outing of the preseason, giving up a run on three hits in five innings with five strikeouts. Hot prospect Corwin Malone, a lefty, tossed a trio of shutout frames before yielding a run in the ninth.

 

 

Editor's Note: Information for these entries is gleaned from the author's files, retrosheet.org, various Internet sources, press reports of the day, White Sox media guides and the many White Sox books written by the great Rich Lindberg

 

[THIS DATE IN SOX HISTORY: MARCH 30/Sosa dealt, Bull, Miller Park]

Darrin Jackson? Heavy hitter? He hit 80 career HR in 960 games.

That is a great point but Jackson was a huge part of that potent 1994 lineup. When the strike arrived, he was hitting .312 with a .362 OBP and a .455 slugging percentage with 10 homers and 51 RBIs. Maybe heavy hitter is a reach but there wasn't much of a dropoff from Burks.