THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: MARCH 23 AND 24

[StatManDu]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: MARCH 23 AND 24

 

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MARCH 23

 

THIS OLD PARK IS NEW AGAIN

1962: The White Sox upgraded the clubhouses at ComiskeyPark with $170,000 worth of improvements. The new clubhouses were connected to the dugouts and located beneath the first base and third base stands. The modernization meant that players would no longer have to walk through the stands and onto ramps to accesses the clubhouses something they had to do since the park’s opening in 1910..

 

SOUTHSIDE HITMEN GET THEIR CLOSER

1977: General manager Roland Hemond pulled off a beauty of a deal when he acquired Lerrin LaGrow from the St. Louis Cardinals for Clay Carroll in a swap of right-handed relievers. LaGrow went on to have one of the best seasons ever by a Sox closer. The Phoenix native posted 25 saves, the third highest total in franchise history since the stat became official, while becoming an integral part of one of the most significant seasons in club history. Carroll, meanwhile, made his way back to the Sox for the end of the 1977 campaign after appearing in 51 games for the Cards.

 

POURING OUT THE JUICE

1987: The White Sox released Julio Cruz, cutting ties with one of the sparkplugs of their 1983 American League Western Division title team. It was a great beginning but a sour end for the affable Cruz. The second baseman hit .251 and swiped 24 bases after being acquired from SeattleJune 15, 1983. His acquisition is often pointed to as one of the main reasons why the 1983 Sox went on that second half tear and won the division going away. Following the season, the Sox signed Cruz to a six-year contract. That turnedout to be a colossal mistake. “The Juice” was never the same after the magical 1983 season. His release on this date concluded one of the most bittersweet careers in team annals.

 

A KING-SIZED DEAL

1989: The White Sox traded outfielder-third baseman Ken Williams to the Detroit Tigers for right-handed pitcher Eric King. This deal turned out to be one of general manager Larry Himes’ best. Williams didn’t do much after leaving the Sox while King played a major role in the team’s renaissance campaign of 1990. As manager Jeff Torborg’s No. 2 starter, King went 12-5 with a 3.28 ERA in 25 starts. He teamed with Greg Hibbard, Jack McDowell and Melido Perez to give the White Sox their most consistent rotation since the “Winning Ugly” days. Williams, of course, would return to the Sox in an executive capacity and was the GM for the club’s 2005 World Series season.

 

HERE COMES THE TROUBLED

1998: Wil Cordero agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the White Sox. A gifted offensive player, Cordero had encountered personal problems in his career. The Sox were probably banking on the fact that Cordero would find comfort with Sox manager Jerry Manuel because the two were together with the Expos from 1992 to 1995. Cordero lasted one year with the Sox, hitting .267 with 13 homers and 39 RBIs. The highlight of his stay came in his first at bat when he homered at Cleveland on April 23.

 

 

MARCH 24TH

 

SO LONG, BOBBY

1971: The White Sox traded second baseman Bobby Knoop to the Kansas City Royals for cash and a player to be named later. Knoop, a three-time Gold Glover with the Angels in the 1960s, hit .229 in both 1969 and 1970 for the Sox. He became expendable when the Sox acquired second baseman Mike Andrews from Boston the previous December. In addition to the cash, the Sox received infielder Luis Alcaraz as the player to be named later in the deal six days later. Alcaraz never played for the Sox.

 

ANOTHER STEP IN THE COMEBACK

1993: The White Sox exercised the option on outfielder-designated hitter Bo Jackson, assuring that Jackson and his artificial hip would make the 25-man roster. This may have been a foregone conclusion since the team had been using Bo and his plastic hip in ads to sell season tickets. Regardless, the man had come all the way back from a potentially debilitating hip injury. Jackson would make history when he became the first player with an artificial hip to play and homer in a big league game when he went deep on his first swing of the season in the ComiskeyPark opener April 9.

 

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.