1901 In a doubleheader nightcap hosting Milwaukee, the White Sox hit an MLB-record five triples in the eighth inning — and three of them were consecutive! Sam Mertes, Fred Hartman and Herm McFarland started off the barrage with three three-baggers in a row, and after Frank Isbell somehow failed to triple, two more were hit consecutively, by Frank Shugart and Billy Sullivan. The second-biggest crowd at South Side Park that year (and, possibly, second-biggest in the AL: 18,000) saw the White Sox rally,
from down 4-2, with a seven-run eighth to pace a sweep of the Brewers, 5-4 and 9-4.
Billy Hoy had hit a triple earlier in the game, giving the White Sox a total of six, setting the American League record — it would be 19 years before anyone tied that single-game mark. The White Sox also had three triples in the opener (including from Hoy and Mertes), making nine total for the doubleheader.
With two weeks left in the season, the White Sox were 79-48 and in first place by seven games, on their way to winning the first major-league AL pennant.
Nineteen years later, almost to the day, the White Sox again hit six triples, again in a regulation, nine-inning game. And in-between the two contests, in fact earlier in the 1920 season, the White Sox had another six-triple game (albeit needing 16 innings to get there). Given just 15 games in MLB history where a lineup has hit six triples or more, the White Sox own 20% of those contests (and at that point in 1920 where two more were added to the White Sox docket, they had 30% of the total six-triple games in history).
Also on this day, the White Sox released shortstop Jimmy Burke, just two months after purchasing him from Milwaukee. Burke was solid in his 42 games on the South Side, with 11 steals, 12 walks and 21 RBIs during his tenure. Pittsburgh snatched Burke up the next day, and he had two more solid MLB seasons before spending most of the rest of his career in the minors, playing until 1913.
1915
Although still not yet a full-time starter, Red Faber beat the Red Sox, 3-1, with a one-hitter. Boston’s hit (and run) came in the fifth inning after a single-sac-bunt-stolen base-sac fly, and actually put the outcome in doubt by knotting the score at one.
In the sixth, the White Sox came right back with two singles and an eventual fielder’s choice RBI from Eddie Collins, and in the seventh Ray Schalk added an RBI single to finish out all scoring. In-between those runs, Babe Ruth led off the Boston sixth as a pitch-hitter — and Faber whiffed him.
1940
Ted Lyons Day was held at Comiskey Park. The “Baylor Bearcat” would eventually win 260 games with the club and be elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955. His No. 16 would be retired by the White Sox in 1987.
This was the second time Lyons was so honored, the first coming in 1933.
This game was the opener of a twin bill, with Lyons getting the complete game, 5-1 win with a three-hitter.
1948
The White Sox blew upon a relatively quiet, 5-4 game with a 10-run outburst in the seventh inning of an eventual 17-10 win at Comiskey Park.
The onslaught featured four singles, three walks, a double and a stolen base before Taffy Wright — who had tapped back to the pitcher but got on safely after a failed attempt to cut Luke Appling down at home plate — clobbered a home run with the bases fully tenanted. All-in-all, Appling had singled and doubled in the inning, Pat Seerey singled and walked — and Ralph Hodgin made two of the three outs, including the fly to right field that ended the inning.
By game’s end, every player in the White Sox lineup had at least one hit, and all but Hodgin and starting pitcher Al Gettel had at least two.
On the Boston side, Ted Williams slapped five straight singles in the game before getting retired on a fly out to center field that ended the game. He raised his astronomical batting average six points to .377.
The final twist to the story: As if to prove the adage any given day, the last-place, 45-92 White Sox had entered action that night 37 games worse than American League- leading Boston.
1954
It was a massive change in the dugout, as Go-Go Sox instigator Paul Richards bolted the White Sox for Baltimore, where he would receive a three-year, $150,000 pact that surpassed any of the two-year extension offers from the Sox.
Replacing Richards in the dugout on this day, and signing a one-year deal to manage the team in 1955, was bench coach Marty Marion, former St. Louis Cardinals star. Marion was considered a shoo-in for the role, although ex-Dodgers skipper Charlie Dressen was considered, along with White Sox players George Kell and Phil Cavarretta.
1964
In his first at-bat in the American League after many seasons in the NL, pinch-hitter deluxe Smoky Burgess belted a game-tying home run at Detroit. The White Sox would eventually win the game, 3-2, in 10 innings, keeping their pennant hopes alive.
Burgess would lead the league in pinch-hits in 1965 and 1966. His 20 pinch hits in the 1966 season tied the big-league record originally set by Ed Coleman in 1936.
1970
Shortly after taking over as the new director of player personnel, Roland Hemond targeted the man who’d eventually (in his words) “save” the franchise. Hemond called Cardinals GM “Bing” Devine to see what the chances were of making a deal for slugger Dick Allen — offering franchise icon Luis Aparicio in return. Devine turned him down — but 15 months later Hemond would get his man from the Dodgers, for Tommy John and Steve Huntz. The Dodgers also wanted Terry Forster, but Hemond refused to include the young, hard-throwing lefthander in the trade.
Also on this day, Chuck Tanner made his managerial debut, having waited to begin the job he was hired for earlier in the month until his Triple-A playoff run as manager was finished. Johnny Sain began his role as pitching coach with the White Sox as well.
1983
The White Sox set the franchise record for most runs scored in the sixth inning of a game when they tallied 11 in a 12-0 win over the Mariners at Comiskey Park. LaMarr Hoyt got the win, his 21st on the season. Even more impressive regarding the run total is that the game only lasted seven innings due to rain.
Harold Baines had a grand slam, as the Sox cut their magic number down to two for winning the division. The Sox sent 17 men to the plate in the sixth, with nine hits.
1990
Owner Jerry Reinsdorf fired the man who’d become by far his most effective GM, Larry Himes, citing “personality differences.” Himes drafted and signed White Sox future stars like Frank Thomas, Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura and Alex Fernandez.
During the press conference announcing the hiring of Ron Schueler as the new GM, Reinsdorf issued his famous “Point A to Point B to Point C” comment. Later, in a rare radio appearance, he was candid on the subject with host Chet Coppock: “The fact is, Larry Himes cannot get along with anybody. You can hardly find anybody in the Sox organization who wasn’t happy when Larry Himes left.”
Farm director Al Goldis was also fired.
1996
Frank Thomas slugged his 215th home run in a White Sox uniform, breaking the three-way tie among he, Harold Baines and Carlton Fisk. In fact Thomas homered three times at Fenway Park, off of Boston’s Tim Wakefield, yet the White Sox lost the game, 9-8. Thomas went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and four runs.
1997
In an 11-10 loss in Milwaukee, White Sox rookies Mario Valdez and Jeff Abbott both hit their first big-league home runs. Valdez got his in the fifth inning, Abbott an inning later.
