This Day In Sox History...September 7

[Lip Man 1]

September 7, 1954 - One of the lynchpins of the famed Sox pitching staff of the late 1950's, Dick Donovan was acquired from Atlanta in the minor leagues. Dick would win 73 games in six seasons on the South Side including a pair of one-hitters and be named to the All-Star team in 1955.

 

September 7, 1960 - In a game at Comiskey Park infielder Sammy Esposito booted a cinch double play ball hit by future Sox infielder Bill “Moose” Skowron, with the Sox leading in the eighth inning, 4-2.

That lead quickly evaporated as the Yankees rallied for four runs and a 6-4 win. Willie Harris and his friend, Jesse James (I swear I'm not making the names up) had a wager on the game. When Esposito blew the ground ball Harris took matters into his own hands. He jumped over the box seat railing, ran on to the field, had words with the player then the two started throwing punches.

It took several uniformed police officers and ushers to pull Harris off of Esposito. Harris left the field shouting that he was “A real Sox fan.”

 

September 7, 1970 - The White Sox were swept by the A’s in a Monday doubleheader at Comiskey Park, in front of 6,115 fans.

As the losses dropped Chicago to 49-92 on the season, the sweep was not remarkable. But what was?

With September’s expanded rosters, the Pale Hose used 13 players and five pitchers in the 7-4 opening loss, and 16 players and seven pitchers in the 7-5 nightcap loss. The 41 total players in a doubleheader set a Major League record for the time (it has since been broken.)