THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: MAY 15TH

Nellie Fox’s first big league home run lifted the White Sox to a 9-7 win over at Boston. The game featured Ted Williams’ 300th career home run and a bold maneuver by Sox manager Paul Richards. In the eighth, Richards moved reliever Harry Dorish to third and brought in the left-handed Billy Pierce to face the left-handed hitting Williams. Pierce retired Williams and Dorish returned then to the mound but the Red Sox tied it in the ninth, setting the stage for Fox’s heroics. … Also on this date, the Sox acquired Saul Rogovin from Detroit for fellow pitcher Bob Cain.

 

1918: Walter Johnson tossed the longest shutout in history by beating the White Sox 1-0 in 18 innings in D.C. Lefty Williams matched Williams until the 18th when he gave up two singles and uncorked a wild pitch that brought home the game winner. The Sox managed just 10 hits off Johnson in what was tied for the second longest game in franchise history at the time.

 

1919: Babe Ruth fired 11 innings of relief for the victory as the Red Sox defeated the White Sox 6-5 at Comiskey Park. Red Sox starter Joe Bush was ejected in the top of the second and Ruth came on and went the rest of way allowing 13 hits.

 

1932: Carey Selph struck out for the ninth and final time of the season in the White Sox 9-2 win at Boston. Selph went another 89 games, a big league record, with striking out. He finished with just two strikeouts in 396 at bats in his second and last season.

 

1941: White Sox ace Edgar Smith surrendered a single which began Joe DiMaggio’s record-setting and legendary 56-game hitting streak in a 14-1 win in New York. Taffy Wright homered and drove in four runs for the Sox. The game was the eighth in a row in which Wright had driven in a run. His streak would eventually reach an A.L.-record 13.