1913 The White Sox bought Davy Jones from the Detroit Tigers. Jones played in just 12 games, earning 0.2 WAR, for the 1913 White Sox and would jump to the Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League in 1914.
1966
Future White Sox ace Jack McDowell was born in Van Nuys, Calif. A former Team USA and Stanford University standout, the White Sox made “Black Jack” the No. 5 overall pick in the 1987 draft, incidentally kicking off a four-year run that also netted Robin Ventura, Frank Thomas and Alex Fernandez. McDowell was a three-time All-Star from 1991 to 1993 and also earned Top 10 Cy Young votes in each season (ninth in 1991, runner-up in 1992 and winning the Cy in 1993).
The righty’s 21.6 WAR ranks 16th all-time among White Sox pitchers and 37th overall in franchise history.
1996
The executive council of Major League Baseball approved interleague play for the 1997 season; for the first time, regular season games between the American and National Leagues would count in the standings. The plan is approved by the MLBPA, granting specific emphasis on “geographic rivalries,” in Chicago’s case meaning crosstown games pitting the White Sox against the Cubs.
The White Sox would begin interleague play on June 13, 1997, with a 3-1 win in Cincinnati over the Reds. Three days later, the White Sox began official play against the Cubs back at Sox Park, suffering an 8-3 loss.
2017
As a harbinger of some very dark times to come, one of White Sox fan Barack Obama’s final actions as President is welcoming the Chicago Cubs to the White House. While it leaves Obama with a sour taste, at least his Cubs-fan wife Michelle is happy.
The President’s thoughts? “I can’t claim that I have the same just visceral joy of some in this White House.”
