1917
The world championship season began in St. Louis, where the White Sox battered the Browns, 7-2. Jim Scott picked up the win, giving up four hits and a run in six innings of relief work for Lefty Williams. Buck Weaver drove in three runs for the Sox on the day. Slightly more than six months later, the Sox would win the World Series in six games over John McGraw and the New York Giants. Jim Margalus provided a detailed snapshot of the Opening Day win back in 2017.
1959 Early Wynn won his 250th
career game, throwing a seven-hitter vs. Detroit. The victory put the White Sox at 2-0 to start the season, and the streak would reach four as a tip-off of a season that would end with the team’s first pennant in 40 years. Sherm Lollar homered twice, and Luis Aparicio clouted a round-tripper in the top of the seventh inning that broke a 3-3 tie.
Wynn went the distance, racking up six Ks against three walks, for a 68 game score.
1969
The White Sox helped initiate Major League Baseball in Seattle, as the first home opponent for the expansion Pilots. The Sox promptly rolled over and died to the new team, 7-0. They were shut out by future Sox pitcher Gary Bell, who went the distance — and was traded to the Sox that June! That afternoon, the Sox would have nine hits but strand 14 baserunners.
1982
When a great blizzard hit the Midwest and forced cancellation of the first five games on the schedule, the White Sox had to open on the road the following week, in New York, with a doubleheader. No problem, as the franchise that had already won a regularly-scheduled Opening Day twin bill in 1971 put the wood to the Yankees, winning 7-6 in 12 innings, and then 2-0. It was the start of an eight-game winning streak to open the 1982 campaign — the best start to a season in franchise history. The White Sox beat the Yankees twice, Boston three times and the Orioles three times.
1995
Despite his career clearly being on the wane, Chris Sabo was inked for the White Sox bench/platoon DH. And boy, it did not work out: The former Reds standout was released less than two months later, on June 5, having cost the White Sox -0.3 WAR over 20 games, slashing .254/.295/.366 with one homer.
2000
For a man with no speed, he got around the bases fast enough this time!
Paul Konerko hit an inside the park home run in Tampa Bay. It came in the first inning, off of Esteban Yan, and drove in two runs. The Sox won, 13-6.
2008
To commemorate their World Series win three years earlier, the White Sox unveiled their “Champions Plaza” and “Championship Moments” monument prior to the game against the Detroit Tigers. Current players still on the team from the 2005 championship roster assisted in the unveiling of a white, bronze and granite sculpture weighing more than 25 tons that honored the title and featured timeless 2005 playoff images of Paul Konerko, Joe Crede, Orlando Hernández, Geoff Blum and Juan Uribe.
Later that night, the White Sox dropped a game to the Tigers, 5-2, as World Series hero José Contreras took the loss.
2011
White Sox utility player Brent Lillibridge belted the franchise’s 10,000th home run, driving out a fastball from Oakland’s Dallas Braden at U.S. Cellular Field. It came in the fifth inning of a game the Sox eventually lost, 2-1, in 10 innings. Jim Margalus had game coverage for South Side Sox, although it being the 10,000 team homer apparently was not yet known, as it’s not in the piece.
Lillibridge hit a career-high 13 home runs that season.
2016
The White Sox beat Minnesota, 4-1, in the Twins home opener. Josh Nelson had South Side Sox coverage. The loss dropped the team to 0-7, which was the worst start for the Twins since moving to Minnesota.
2025
It was a wonderful start to a major league career for White Sox infielder Chase Meidroth, acquired in the deal with Boston involving All-Star pitcher Garrett Crochet.
Called up to the team and starting against the Red Sox, Meidroth drew three walks and singled in a 11-1 win. He also scored two runs. Meidroth became the first player to get a hit and walk three times in his major league debut since Larry Walker of the Expos on Aug. 16, 1989.
