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

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THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 18TH

 

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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.