1921
The 58-79 White Sox were bad, a seventh-place team in the eight-member American League. But with an 11-8 loss to the Yankees at Comiskey Park, things were about to get a lot worse, as the defeat was the first of 11 straight — ALL coming at home.
The skid slid the White Sox down to 58-90, still comfortably ahead of basement-dwelling Philadelphia but contributing to one of the worst homestands (2-12) in club history — one that ended with four losses in five games against the Athletics, in fact.
The 11-game losing streak remains tied for the seventh-longest in franchise history.
As exemplified from this post-Black Sox fall from grace, the White Sox were about to enter the longest and darkest era for the franchise, mostly godawful losing seasons until 1951.
1931
A decade later, things weren’t much better in Chicago, as the White Sox started a 10-game losing streak with a 12-8 loss at Fenway Park. Starter Tommy Thomas and reliever Vic Frazier really took it on the chin during a six-run Red Sox seventh inning, as Boston pushed ahead, 8-4. But two-run hits by Luke Appling and John Kerr in the top of the eighth evened things back up. That’s when Lou Garland lost the game for the White Sox, surrendering four runs right back to the Carmines.
The loss dropped the White Sox to 55-85, en route to a 56-97 finish that at the time was the worst record in White Sox history. The South Siders would win just six games in September and went 1-13 to finish the season — beginning on this day.
1952
In a 17-inning game in Chicago, Sox pitcher Saul Rogovin struck out 14 Red Sox in 15 innings of work. But it was Luis Aloma who got the decision over two innings of relief; in the bottom of the 17th, four two-out singles by Sam Mele, Minnie Miñoso, Sam Dente and Rocky Krsnich delivered the 4-3 win.
It was the first game of a doubleheader; the nightcap was suspended by darkness. This was also the second 17-inning game played against Boston in two years.
1967
The day after the Sox beat Cleveland, 1-0, in 17 innings, they continued their mastery over them by winning, 4-0, in 10.
It was Cisco Carlos on the mound, going the distance and allowing only five hits.
The Sox won the game when Don Buford hit a grand slam off in the 10th inning of of Orlando Pena, scoring Tommie Agee, Duane Josephson and Joe Horlen. It was the first walk-off grand slam in team history.
1974
White Sox first baseman Dick Allen called a team meeting to announce he was retiring from baseball. Allen would win the American League home run title, despite missing the final two weeks of the season! Allen was fighting serious injuries to his shoulder and leg from previous seasons, and was frustrated with the effort being put forth by many teammates. However, the way Allen walked out on the Sox left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans.
White Sox GM Roland Hemond later traded Allen’s rights to the Atlanta Braves for catcher Jim Essian. Allen would return and see action with the Phillies and A’s before retiring for good in 1977.
1997
Carlton Fisk had his No. 72 retired in a ceremony before the White Sox took on Cleveland. Because he was released unceremoniously in 1993, and also for being denied entry to the locker room during the 1993 ALCS, Fisk asked that owner Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Ron Schueler be absent from the pregame ceremony.
As if things couldn’t get worse, the game was also remembered for manager Terry Bevington using five pitchers in a five-run eighth inning — and going to the mound that inning to call in Keith Foulke to the game — with no one was warming up in the bullpen when he called for the change! Bevington ended up using an MLB-record nine pitchers in the nine-inning game. The Sox lost, 8-3, to fall 7 1⁄2 games behind first-place Cleveland.
1998
In a five-hour, 12-minute slugfest at Tiger Stadium, the White Sox upended Detroit in 12 innings, 17-16. Chicago jumped to a 5-0 lead after their second bats, were up 12-8 heading into the seventh-inning stretch, and even held on to a 12-10 lead in the bottom of the ninth. But Detroit scored a flurry late, and and RBI double and single tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, 12-12, with the bases full and one out. Bill Simas wriggled out of that jam, and the two clubs traded three-spots in the 10th.
In the 12th, Ray Durham led off with a solo homer and Craig Wilson went back-to-back, making it 17-15, White Sox. Detroit got one back in the bottom of the 12th on a fielder’s choice ground out, but the game ended with a Bobby Higginson (whose two-run homer in the 10th kept the game going at 13-13) strikeout.
The White Sox scored their 17 runs on 19 hits, with three steals and three errors; Detroit had 22 hits for their 16 runs, with two errors. Wilson went 4-for-7 with two homers, four runs and five RBIs and Albert Belle also drove in five on a 5-for-8 day that included three doubles and a runner thrown out at home plate. On the other hand, Robin Ventura went 0-for-6 in the mauling and Frank Thomas just 1-for-5, although the pair combined for five walks.
The 17 runs were the most-ever scored by the White Sox in a game that went to extra innings.
2017
It was a record-setting afternoon for a couple of White Sox players in the team’s 17-7 blowout of the Tigers at Comerica Park.
White Sox outfielder Avisaíl García went 5-for-5 with seven RBIs and two runs in the game, in addition to a walk. Rookie second baseman Yoán Moncada went 4-for-5 with two walks and five runs, and first baseman José Abreu went 4-for-5 with three runs.
García became the second White Sox player with five hits and seven RBIs in a game. The other was Carl Reynolds against the Yankees on July 2, 1930 in New York. Moncada, meanwhile, tied Hall-of-Famer Tim Raines’ franchise record with his five runs; Raines originally set the record against the Red Sox in Boston on April 18, 1994.
The White Sox pounded out 25 hits in the 2017 game.
