1919 The ill-fated Chicago Nine had a solid, four-game lead in the delayed-start season, boasting a 62-39 record. And a 6-5 walk-off win in 11 innings vs. the Red Sox kicked off a 10-game winning streak to pad that pennant lead. Shano Collins was ploinked by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Swede Risberg made the death blow swift for the Carmines after pushing a triple down the right-field line. The true hero of the game for the White Sox might well have been ace Eddie Cicotte, who threw 1 ⅔ innings of relief
to earn the win after getting shelled in his start the previous day and just five days after throwing 12 innings at Washington.
The 10-game winning streak was further kick-started with another walk-off win over Boston the next day, this time won in regulation on a Ray Schalk squeeze bunt with the sacks packed.
1922
In front of 2,500 at Fenway Park, the Soxes White and Red set an AL record with 35 singles in a 19-11 Chicago win. The White Sox had 21 of the one-baggers, Boston 14. The two clubs had 43 hits total (25 Chicago, 18 Boston) and were a combined 23-of-39 with runners in scoring position.
Eddie Mulligan and Earl Sheely led the White Sox with three singles apiece (Sheely added a double), with Boston’s Joe Harris and Mike Minosky matching the one-bagging feat for the Red Sox.
The White Sox actually trailed this one, 10-8, after Boston put up a seven-run sixth. But the South Siders scored 11 in the final three frames, including their own seven-spot in the ninth, to make it a laffer. Ted Blankenship wound up getting the win in relief, with Red Faber picking up the save.
The 19-run output remains tied for 12th all-time in White Sox history.
1925
After enduring a rainout at Yankee Stadium on August 13 and a travel day by train back home to Chicago on August 14, Ray Schalk finally was able to set the all-time games caught record (1,613 games) during a 12-5 win over Detroit.
Schalk went 1-for-2 in the game with a walk, and also threw out the only base-stealer attempting against him. He also was reunited with Dickey Kerr, who made his White Sox comeback four years after being put on baseball’s restricted list for refusing a Charles Comiskey salary cut after the 1922 season. Kerr relieved Red Faber, who was knocked out of the box after just two innings.
Schalk held the MLB games caught record until 1939, and remained the AL record-holder until 1945.
1960
The dreams of a repeat White Sox pennant were getting fainter into the dog days of August, and indeed with a 4-1 loss to Detroit, the White Sox fell out of first place, never to return in 1960.
The 1960 White Sox would spend a total of 31 days in first place, mostly for a big chunk of May. However, after falling back as far as fifth in mid-June, the club scratched back into first in July and on-and-off into August. But by season’s end, the White Sox had fallen to third place at 87-67, 10 games back of the Yankees.
1973
White Sox GM Roland Hemond acquired starting pitcher Jim Kaat on waivers from Minnesota. All “Kitty” did was become a two-time 20-game winner for the White Sox in 1974 and 1975. Those two seasons ended up being the best of the future Hall-of-Famer’s career. In 1975, he made the All-Star team and finished fourth in AL Cy Young race, compiling a career-best 7.7 WAR.
In 92 career appearances and 87 starts over two-plus years in Chicago, Kaat won 45 games and had 15.3 WAR.
1986
GM Ken Harrelson’s stabs at signing longtime veterans to the roster continued. Just three days after inking legendary Steve Carlton to finish the year out in the White Sox rotation, Harrelson grabbed slugger George Foster. Foster had been released by the New York Mets after a poor 1986, but was just one year removed from a .792 OPS and 121 OPS+.
Foster made a splash with his new team, homering in the second at-bat of his debut, part of a 2-for-4 night during a loss to the Brewers at Comiskey Park, 4-3.
However, Foster’s career was coming to an end, as he was released just three weeks later, playing in just 15 games with the White Sox. That homer in his debut proved to be his very last in the majors.
1996
White Sox first-rounder Bobby Seay was declared a free agent because the team failed to offer a formal contract within 15 days of the draft. He was reportedly asking for a $2 million signing bonus, which would have been a record for the time, and refused to negotiate with GM Ron Schueler when he flew down to see him in Florida — directing him to talk with his agent, Scott Boras.
The southpaw became the first player in the 32 years of the draft to become a free agent in the same summer he was selected. Seay signed with Tampa Bay in October for $3 million, made his MLB debut six years later, and would end up with 3.0 WAR in his career.
