1916
In a game in Cleveland, the White Sox became the first team to ever have names sewn on to the backs of the uniforms. Knowing who was playing didn’t help them, though; they were shut out, 2-0, on the afternoon. (The White Sox returned to the idea of names on the back of road uniforms in 1960 — and this time the practice stuck.)
In the same game, Cleveland players wore numbers pinned to their sleeves, becoming the first players in the 20th century to do so. Each player’s number connoted their position
on the diamond.
1956
Jack Harshman gave up a run by his fifth batter of a game hosting Boston — and then shut the Red Sox down scoreless on just one more hit the rest of the way, gaining his fifth win of the season and giving the White Sox their ninth straight victory. A two-run double by Luis Aparicio in the bottom of the second put the South Siders on top for good, 3-1, in a game they’d win, 4-1.
The victory pushed the White Sox to 37-22, in second place in the AL and 1 1/2 games out of first.
1960
Boston played a football game at Comiskey Park in Chicago to cap off a doubleheader — but lost to the White Sox, 21-7. The two-touchdown win completed a sweep for the White Sox, who won the opener, 4-3. The Pale Hose scored in every inning but the fifth — understandable, given that they exhausted themselves with an 11-run fourth inning. Leading the 22-hit barrage was Sherm Lollar (4-for-5, double, three RBIs, got on base a fifth time with a HBP), while Jim Landis, Gene Freese and Al Smith each chipped in two. Every White Sox starter had at least one hit, including starting pitcher Early Wynn, who went 1-for-5 and benefited from 21 runs of support in his complete game victory!
Despite the onslaught, the defending pennant-winners were still scuffling, at 36-30 and in fourth place in the AL. However, this sweep came at the start of an 18-7 run that pushed the White Sox back into first place.
1964
In a doubleheader opener, White Sox right fielder Mike Hershberger spoiled Minnesota starter Gerry Arrigo’s no-hit bit with a leadoff single in the ninth inning. The White Sox lose, 2-0, but take the nightcap, 9-4
Arrigo would finish his major league career with five games on the South Side, in 1970.
1977
Rod Carew went 4-for-5 with a double, homer and six RBIs in a 19-12 mauling of the White Sox on Jersey Day in front of 46,463 at Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis, raising his batting average from .396 to .403.
The future Hall-of-Famer would push his batting average to as high as .411 (on July 1) and remain better than .400 until July 10, but ultimately fell short of the .300 mark, settling at .388 on the season. It was the sixth AL batting title of seven in Carew’s career, and his best-ever batting average, helping him earn a majors-high 9.7 WAR and the 1977 AL MVP.
1983
White Sox slugger Greg “The Bull” Luzinski belted the first of his three rooftop home runs at Comiskey Park, becoming the first player to ever hit that many in a single season. Luzinski powered a pitch from Minnesota’s Brian Oelkers over the roof in left-center field, scoring Tom Paciorek. The shot came in the third inning of a game the Sox won, 9-7.
1986
It was the best trade in the short career of GM Ken Harrelson, sending catcher Scott Bradley to the Mariners for a player to be named later — and on July 1, that player was revealed as outfielder Iván Calderon.
Calderon hit 28 home runs in 1987, and would be a key for the Sox in their spectacular 1990 campaign both at bat and in the field — leading the team that year with 74 RBIs, as the Sox stunned baseball by winning 94 games.
Calderon was traded to the Expos as part of the Tim Raines deal in December 1990, before coming back for nine games late in the 1993 season. To make room for Calderon’s second stint on the South Side, the Sox traded away reliever Donn Pall.
2010
The White Sox beat the Cubs, 3-2, to run their winning streak to 11 games in a row.
The streak started on June 15, and saw the Sox blitz National League clubs during the interleague portion of the schedule. They took three from Pittsburgh, three from Washington, three from Atlanta and two from the Cubs. During the streak they outscored opponents, 51-24, with three shutouts. The 11 straight wins remain tied for the sixth-longest streak in White Sox history, and capped off a 15-of-16 run for the clus.
It was the 15th time in franchise history the Sox had a double-digit win streak, and the first since they won 10 at the end of 1981 and into 1982.
In an odd coincidence, the only other 15-1 homestand in franchise history (1961) saw its final win one day earlier than this, on June 25.
2015
In yanking the fourth pitch of the game deep and out to right field, Adam Eaton became just the second White Sox hitter to club leadoff home runs in consecutive games. It was Eaton’s only hit in an eventual 5-4 win over the Tigers. The White Sox had won Eaton’s first leadoff homer game, 8-7 in 10 innings, also against Detroit.
Thirteen years earlier, Kenny Lofton became the first White Sox hitter to accomplish this feat, clubbing leadoff dingers on July 18-19, 2002. The homers were Lofton’s only two hits in the game, both losses for the White Sox, to Kansas City and Baltimore. Just nine days later, Lofton was dealt to San Francisco.
