This Day In Sox History 9/8...

Four factoids today:

September 8, 1960 – You have to respect the man’s beliefs at least.

Veteran pitcher Al Worthington was acquired from the Red Sox on August 29 to help with the stretch run of the season.

On this date he left the White Sox, stating that he couldn’t play for a team that cheated.

Worthington, a devoutly religious person, had heard rumors the Sox were stealing signs via a flashing light in the scoreboard relaying the upcoming pitch to hitters, and when manager Al Lopez wouldn’t confirm or deny the charge, Worthington left. He remained in the organization playing in the minor leagues the next two years before the Reds selected him in the rule five Major League draft in November 1962.

From 1964 through 1969 he became one of the best relief pitchers in the American League with the Minnesota Twins saving 102 games and winning 42 more.

In his short stint with the White Sox he appeared in four games with a 1-1 record and a 3.38 ERA.  

September 8, 1962 - Sox pitcher and future Hall of Famer Early Wynn won his 299^th career game beating Washington 6-3. Wynn would throw a complete game scattering nine hits with three strikeouts. He would get a spring training invite for 1963 but was cut.

Fortunately, the Indians, the team Wynn pitched for earlier in his career, picked him up and he got the coveted 300^th win on July 13 when he beat Kansas City 7-4 on the road. It was his last win in the Major Leagues.

September 8, 1993 - Sox pitcher Jason Bere tied a 73-year-old White Sox rookie record, with 13 strikeouts over eight innings of an 8-1 win against Boston. Bere tied righthander Frank Lange, who had a fairly brief run with the White Sox in the early 1910s.

September 8, 2022 - Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada did something that had never been done before in the American League as part of a 14-2 rout by the club over the A’s in Oakland.

Moncada went 5 for 5 with five RBI’s for the second time in the season which had never happened in the league since RBI’s became an official statistic in 1920. He had two home runs and a double among his hits and finished the game with 12 total bases. He did it the first time on June 15 against the Tigers when he went 5 for 6 with five RBI’s. Also happening in the game were back-to-back home runs leading the game off by the White Sox. Elvis Andrus and Moncada both went deep off of J.P. Sears to start the rout.