*NOT BAD: If I had told you the White Sox would be just six games under .500 on June 20 and …
–key relievers Nate Jones and Zach Putnam were on the disabled list and Jake Petricka spent time there
–No. 2 starter Carlos Rodon would not have pitched an inning and fellow rotation members James Shields, Miguel Gonzalez and Dylan Covey spent time on or are on the disabled list
–journeyman David Holmberg has emerged as an important part of the starting rotation
–Opening Day starting second baseman Tyler Saladino and Opening Day roster members Leury Garcia and Geovany Soto and projected Opening Day starting center fielder Charlie Tilson would be on or spend time on the DL
–the team had taken four road trips of at least nine games already
–Todd Frazier was hitting .205
–the current primary catchers entered 2017 with a COMBINED 41 games of Major League experience
–Jose Quintana was not pitching like Jose Quintana
–the Opening Day center fielder Jacob May and DH Cody Asche were busts and are in Triple-A Charlotte
–Jose Abreu had no home runs at Guaranteed Rate Field
–all this during a rebuilding process, which is seemingly moving along well
THEN, and don’t lie, you would be pleased with the way things are progressing.
I know I am.
*SOX STUPMER: Here is the trivia question flashed on the Sox scoreboard on this date in 2012: Who led the Cubs with a .323 average in the 2003 NLCS a year after leading the Sox with 22 steals (answer below)?
This is one of my most popular blogs … NOTES ON GLORIOUS WHITE SOX ROOF SHOT HOMERS | soxnerdhttps://t.co/SKXpHZj4dx
*UP ON THE ROOF: After I posted a link to my blog on Comiskey Park roof shot home runs, follower @LarryCarta asked me to look into a Jim Hickman roundtripper at the old park.
Larry recalled Hickman landing a dinger on the Comiskey Park roof for the Cubs during an exhibition game.
He asked for research and the Nerd loves research so off I went.
I found that on May 21, 1970 Hickman launched a massive four-bagger to left field in the Cubs’ 7-6 win before 28,863 in the 21st annual Boys Benefit Game at 35th and Shields.
“The Hammer from Henning, Tenneseee” came close to hitting a “roofer,” according to the next day’s Tribune.
“Hickman’s (home run) would have been a tape measure job if it hadn’t struck something on top of the left field rafters and bounced back,” wrote Richard Dozer.
It sounds like Hickman came close but just missed a roofer.
David Holmberg (ESPN photo) @SoxNerd Blog for June 11 …
*IN THE BOOKS! David Holmberg became the 517th White Sox pitcher to notch a victory in the 117-year history of the franchise on Saturday night.
The lefty started and went five innings as the Sox held on to beat host Cleveland 5-3.
*SOX STUMPER: Here is the trivia question displayed at the Sox last home game on this date (2016): Who is the last native of Hawaii to hit a home run for the White Sox (answer below)?
*2009 DRAFT RECAP: Holmberg is the only member of the White Sox 2009 draft class to get a win for the club.
The Sox took Holmberg in the second round that year and dealt him to Arizona with fellow pitcher Daniel Hudson for Edwin Jackson on July 30, 2010.
After stints with Arizona and Cincinnati, the Sox re-signed him as a minor league free agent on March 30.
Holmberg is one of two members of the Sox 2009 draft class to pitch for the team with Taylor Thompson (44th round) being the other. Thompson amassed a 10.14 ERA while appearing in four games for the 2012 Sox.
Catcher Josh Phegley (first round) and outfielder Trayce Thompson (second round) are the other products of the Sox 2009 draft class to play for the team.
Outfielder BrIan Goodwin (17th round) and pitcher Kevin Chapman (50th round) were drafted by the Sox, did not sign and went on to play in the bigs.
*LONG SAVE: Saturday was the first two-inning save of David Robertson’s White Sox career and just the second of his 10-year big league career.
The right-hander set down six of the seven batters he faced to earn his 10th save in a 5-3 win at Cleveland.
Robertson’s other two-inning save came Sept. 3, 2011 for the Yankees vs. Toronto.
Robertson posted one four-out save in each of his first two seasons with the Sox.
*SOX ALMANAC: On this date in 1999, Greg Norton’s two-run homer helped the White Sox notch their inaugural regular-season win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field with a rain-shortened 5-3 victory.
Jim Parque went the distance for his second straight win.
The game was halted by rain after the top of the sixth and delayed for 2 hours and 33 minutes before it was called.
*NEW GUY: If you are scoring at home, Alen Hanson became the 1,733 player to don the White Sox uniform when he pinch-ran (and scored) on Saturday night.
Hanson, a utility specialist, was claimed by the Sox off waivers from Pittsburgh on Friday.
The 1,733 players are the 13th-highest total in baseball history and fifth in American League history, per baseballreference.com.
Here’s a look, @SoxNerd style, at Pat Seerey, the @WhiteSox four home run man, in the wake of Scooter Gennett’s quadruple tater day earlier this week:
*WHA’ HAPPUN? On July 18, 1948, White Sox left fielder and cleanup man Pat Seerey hit four home runs in a 12-11 win over the Philadelphia A’s in 11 innings before 17,296 at Shibe Park.
*EXCLUSIVE COMPANY: The 5-foot-10 right-handed hitter is the only Sox player with four bombs in a game. … At the time, Seerey joined Lou Gehrig (June 6, 1932 at Philadelphia) as the only American Leaguers to homer four times in a game. He was the fifth player overall (with Gehrig and National Leaguers Bobby Lowe, Ed Delahanty and Chuck Klein) to do it. … After Seerey, a four-homer game wouldn’t be accomplished again until June 10, 1959 when Rocky Colavito launched four homers in a row. … Gennett became the 17th player to join the list for the Reds vs. the Cardinals on June 6.
*THE HOMERS: Seerey went deep off Carl Scheib to start the fourth, hit a two-run two-out shot off Scheib in the fifth, launched a two-out, three-run blast in the sixth off Bob Savage and socked a solo homer off Lou Brissie in the 11th.
The roundtripper in the 11th proved to be the game-winner and his seventh RBI, one shy of the club record.
*SOX ALMANAC: On this date in 1974, Ron Santo, starting at second base, hit two homers – including an inside-the-park shot — in the White Sox 10-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox before 16,678 at Comiskey Park.
The multi-homer game, the 26th and last of his career, came a day after Santo hit a grand slam. The former Cub would hit just one more homer for the Sox the rest of the season.
More on Seerey …
*QUITE THE BONUS: Seerey walked out of Shibe Park with his name etched in the record book and with an extra $500.
A Philadelphia advertiser promised $300 to any player who hit three home runs in a game at Shibe Park. After his third homer, the advertiser called the park and said he would make it $500 if Seerey hit a fourth.
Seerey’s SABR biography revealed the $200 bonus. The Chicago Tribune’s account of the game reported the $300 prize.
*SOX ALMANAC II: On this date in 1975, Hank Aaron made his Comiskey Park debut as the Brewers’ designated hitter in a White Sox 1-0 loss.
4,949 on the Southside witnessed Aaron’s 1-for-3 performance. Aaron’s hit was an eighth-inning single off Rich Gossage.
Even more on Seerey …
*PREVIOUS BIG GAMES: This wasn’t the first offensive explosion of Seerey’s career.
On July 13, 1945, Seery hit three homers and drove in eight in Cleveland’s 16-4 whipping of the Yankees in the Bronx.
*DON’T FORGET ABOUT HIM! Seerey’s landmark game overshadowed a career performance by Don Kolloway.
While Seerey was clearing the fence four times, Kolloway was 5-for-7 with a double, a triple, two runs and three RBI as part of the Sox incredible 24-hit attack.
Cass Michaels wasn’t bad either that day, either, going 4-for-6 (four singles) with three runs.
*SOX STUMPER
*CIAO! Marino Pieretti, the only native of Italy to play for the Sox, earned the save in the Seerey game.
The righty, born in Lucca, Italy, retired Ferris Fain with the bases loaded to make sure Seerey’s big day did not go to waste.
*ANTI-CLIMATIC: The Sox dropped the nightcap 5-1 in six innings in a game cut short by Philadelphia’s curfew law, according to the July 19 Tribune.
Seerey was 0-for-2 with a run and a walk in the nightcap.
*THAT TEAM WAS TERRIBLE: The doubleheader split dropped the Sox to 26-51 en route to a 51-101 finish under manager Ted Lyons.
To pick up our spirits, here’s a historical look back on some of what happened on this date in Sox history … VICTORIES ONLY!
1914, SCOTT DEATH ON CLEVELAND: Jim “Death Valley” Scott tossed the first of his two one-hitters of his White Sox career in a 2-0 win over Cleveland Indians at Comiskey Park.
1917, A HAPPY FIRST: Hap Felsch socked a two-run homer in the first as the White Sox won 4-2 at Philadelphia. Reb Russell fanned five in the complete game victory as the future World Series champs stayed in a tie for first place in winning their fourth in a row.
1924, SOX STOP YANKS SHORT: Eddie Collins and Earl Sheely each drove in two runs as the White Sox and Ted Lyons held on for a 4-3 win over the Yankees and Babe Ruth before 9,000 at Comiskey Park. The Yankees scored two in the ninth to make it close but Lyons got out of the jam for his fourth win.
1930, KERR BESTS BABE: John Kerr’s homer with two out in the 10th pushed the White Sox past the Yankees and Babe Ruth, who hit his 18th homer, 8-7 before 14,000 at Comiskey Park. Kerr’s blast was his first of the year and came off future Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez.
1932, GOOD MOVE, LEW: Player-manager Lew Fonseca inserted himself as a pinch-hitter and he delivered a game-winning single in the 10th in the White Sox 6-5 win at St. Louis. Fonseca’s single scored Red Kresse, who had three hits, and made a winner out of Tommy Thomas, who gave up one run on four innings of relief.
1933, 3s RULE: DeKalb native Evar Swanson and Al Simmons each had three hits and three RBIs in the White Sox 13-6 win in the first game of a doubleheader sweep at St. Louis.
1939, JOLLY OLLIE: South Bend native Ollie Bejma had a single, triple and homer in the White Sox 14-9 win over Philadelphia in the first game of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park.
1940, JOE COOL: Joe Kuhel hit two homers off future Hall of Famer Red Ruffing in the White Sox 7-3 win over the Yankees in New York. Kuhel drove in four and Taffy Wright homered in support of Eddie Smith, who went the distance for the win.
1957, PIERCE FIERCE: Billy Pierce pitched 10 sparkling innings of two-hit ball and was rewarded with a victory in the White Sox 1-0 win over Boston before 38,490 at Comiskey Park. Pierce actually helped his own cause in the 10th. His bunt put two runners in scoring position and forced Boston to load the bases before Nellie Fox came through with the winning hit. Pierce didn’t allow a runner past second in improving to 9-2. After giving up his first hit, the classy lefty retired 15 in a row before yielding a harmless single.
1958, MOVE OVER YOGI, MICK, HERE COMES DON MUELLER: Don Mueller broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI pinch-single in the seventh in the White Sox 7-2 win over the Yankees in New York. Homers by Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle were the only runs allowed by Billy Pierce, who gave up five hits and fanned six for his fourth win.
1959, TORGEY TOUGH IN THE 17TH: Earl Torgeson’s home run in the 17th inning vaulted the White Sox to a 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles before 3,514 at Comiskey Park. This was the Sox longest game since a 19 inning win over Boston on July 13, 1951. The Sox tied the game in the eighth on a Larry Doby RBI and retied the game in the 13th when Torgeson scored on an error.
1965, 2 HOMERS=ONE WIN: The White Sox got solo home runs from Danny Cater and Floyd Robinson in the 15th inning in downing the Yankees 2-0 in New York. Cater broke the scoreless deadlock when he led off the frame with his fifth homer of the season. After an out, Robinson padded the lead with his fifth blast of the year.
1966, SOX BUZZ SENATORS: John Buzhardt fired a four-hitter in the White Sox 6-0 win over the Washington Senators before 5,453 at Comiskey Park. Coupled with Jack Lamabe’s shutout the day before and some scoreless work two days eariler, Buzhardt extended the Sox scoreless streak to 23 innings. The streak would reach 29 before being broken the next day. The Sox pitching staff was in the midst of a streak in which it would hold opponents scoreless in 53 of 54 innings.
1967, JOHN TOUGH ON KC: Tommy John retired the last 15 batters he faced as the White Sox defeated the Kansas City Athletics 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader before 30,522 at Comiskey Park. John tossed a five-hitter. The shutout improved John to 4-3 and was one of a league-leading six he would throw that season. The whitewashing began an eight-start stretch in which John would go 5-2 with an 0.98 ERA with five shutouts.
1972: BROOMING THE BOMBERS: Dick Allen’s three-run pinch-hit walkoff homer handed the White Sox a sweep-clinching 5-4 win over the Yankees in Game 2 of a doubleheader before a Bat Day crowd of 51,904 at Comiskey Park.
1974, ALLEN SLAMS YANKS: Dick Allen’s grand slam in the fifth inning gave the White Sox the lead for good in a 9-2 win over the New York Yankees before 14,351 at Comiskey Park. Bucky Dent also homered and Ken Henderson had three hits and an RBI in support of Wilbur Wood, who went the distance for his ninth win.
1976, SOX CHECK THE ECK: The White Sox scored two in the first and two in the fifth off future Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley in a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Indians before 25,833 at Comiskey Park. Rich Gossage, spending the season as a starter, went the distance. “The Goose” scattered nine hits while walking one and striking out three to move to 4-3.
1988, REDUS WALKOFF SLAM: In one of the most dramatic games in recent memory, the White Sox scored six in the ninth with the last four coming on Gary Redus’ grand slam to beat the Texas Rangers 10-8 before 17,101 at Comiskey Park. Ivan Calderon led off the ninth with a home run. After singles by Greg Walker and Dave Gallagher and a walk to Donnie Hill loaded the bases, Mike Woodard singled with one out to pull the Sox to within 8-6. Redus then came up and ended the game with his second grand slam in a week.
1989, REUSS TOUGH ON TWINS: Jerry Reuss turned in six shutout innings for his 215th career victory in the White Sox 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins before 15,170 at Comiskey Park.
1994, PACO … A GRAND SLAM: Norberto “Paco” Martin broke open a close game with a ninth-inning grand slam as the White Sox pulled away from the Orioles for a 7-1 win in Baltimore. The grand slam was the only one of Martin’s career and the first by a White Sox rookie since Joe DeSa accomplished the feat Sept. 13, 1985 at Seattle. The slam was only the second by a White Sox player in Baltimore.
2005, SOX TOP TRIBE: The first-place White Sox received home runs from Paul Konerko and Joe Crede in stopping the Indians 6-5 before 26,365 at U.S. Cellular Field. The Sox erased a 1-0 deficit with two in their first on a double by Aaron Rowand. Jon Garland, bound for the All-Star Game, pitched into the seventh for his ninth win.
2007, SOX SURVIVE VS. YANKS: Bobby Jenks retired Derek Jeter, who represented the tying run, to nail down the White Sox 6-4 win over the Yankees before 32,703 at U.S. Cellular Field.
2008, FUN IN THE 15TH! Paul Konerko’s homer in the 15th inning finally delivered the first place White Sox a 6-4 win over the Royals before 23,515 at U.S. Cellular Field. Earlier in the game, Jim Thome cranked a 464-foot homer which was the ninth-longest ever at U.S. Cellular Field and the first to land on the park’s center-field concourse.
UPI story from 1967 details the Hawk Harrelson saga of 1967.A guaranteed contract for 1968 may have been enough for the offensively-challenged White Sox to win the classic American League pennant race in 1967.
Instead, the Boston Red Sox paid for part of one season and guaranteed another and made their impossible dream season a reality and captured the flag.
The White Sox, meanwhile, wound up fourth in what was the end of the “Go Go” era and their last winning season until 1972.
The player in question is Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, who announced Tuesday he was retiring as White Sox TV announcer after his 33rd season after 2018.
During the thick of the heated 1967 pennant chase, Harrelson and his potent bat suddenly became available.
The Kansas City A’s handed Hawk his walking papers on Aug. 25 after he had made “unflattering” remarks about team owner Charles O. Finley, according to press reports of the day.
Harrelson burst onto the market with a .305 average with six homers and 30 RBI in 61 games for the A’s.
No contending team probably in the history of baseball needed a bat more than manager Eddie Stanky’s 1967 White Sox.
The fact that this pitching-strong team was able to hang with the likes of the muscular Twins, Tigers and Red Sox with an offense whose leading hitters would bat .241 (Ken Berry and Don Buford) is one of the most underrated accomplishments in franchise history.
This team lacked punch, too.
While Pete Ward would lead the team with a respectable 18 homers, the Sox had no regular that had a .400 slugging percentage. Ward paced the Sox with a paltry 62 RBI.
Hawk had power as his 23 homers in 1965 demonstrated and that’s what got him to the bigs.
The White Sox were in a virtual second-place tie with Boston a half game behind Minnesota when Hawk became available.
According to an UPI story of the day, the White Sox made an offer to Harrelson for the remainder of the 1967 season. The Red Sox did the same but guaranteed 1968 so the Hawk flew to Boston and signed with the “carmines” on Aug. 28, 1967.
Harrelson only hit .200 with three homers the rest of the way but he did have some key RBIs — particularly in a win vs. the White Sox on Sept. 1 and in the pennant clincher on the final day of the season.
The White Sox, meanwhile, continued to struggle offensively especially in the last five games when they lost out while scoring just five runs.
The White Sox, who finished three games back in fourth place, could have used Hawk to put a few on the board for them, yes?
As for 1968, Harrelson had his best year, leading the A.L. with 109 RBI for the Red Sox while the White Sox remained offensively-challenged while ending their streak of 17 consecutive winning seasons and first-division finishes.
It wouldn’t be until 1982 that Hawk would join the Sox as a broadcaster.
*WELCOME BACK! In the wake of Tuesday’s game, here’s a look at some notable returns in White Sox history:
–CHRIS SALE, May 30: The vaunted showdown between Sale, who pitched for the Sox from 2010 to 2016, and Jose Quintana never materialized.
Greeted with a standing ovation as he took the field, Sale did get the win but he was hardly the dominant slinger he was during his time on the south side and so far this season with Boston.
Sale gave up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits with two outs walks and nine strikeouts in five innings to move to 6-2.
Sale’s saving grace was that Quintana really struggled, yielding seven runs on 10 hits in 2.2 innings.
–MARK BUEHRLE: The most popular White Sox player of his era received a no decision in his first trip to the Cell (where he is the all-time leader with 90 wins) bump as a visitor on Aug. 16, 2014 for Toronto.
Pitching for a crowd of 29,420 and against his successor as Sox ace John Danks, Buehrle went 5.1 innings and was touched for three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and no walks.
Toronto ultimately won, 6-3.
–A.J. PIERZYNSKI: Following eight productive seasons with the Sox, Pierzynski joined Texas and made his USCF homecoming on Aug. 23, 2013.
Pierzynski, greeted overwhelmingly warmly by the 31,891 Sox partisans, was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI in Texas’ 11-5 win.
He was 0-for-3 vs. Sale, who was tattooed for four homers, singled off Dylan Axelrod and had a sac fly RBI vs. Matt Purcey.
–JIM THOME: The affable slugger was fanned by Tony Pena as a pinch-hitter for Minnesota in his first game at USCF as a visitor on April 9, 2010 after leaving the Sox.
Thome K’d in the 10th inning of Minnesota’s 4-3 win in 11 innings.
*SOX STUMPER: Here is the trivia question submitted for display for the Sox last home game on this date in 2014: Who is the only position player to appear in the postseason for both the White Sox and the Padres?
Answer below.
More Homecoming gems …
–FRANK THOMAS: It was the best of both worlds when “The Big Hurt” made his triumphant return to the stadium where he blossomed into one of the most dominant right-handed hitters of his era.
On May 22, 2006, the Sox all-time home run leader –resplendent in the kelly green and yellow Oakland uniform — hit two roundtrippers but the defending World Series champions prevailed 5-4.
Thomas, two jacks — the only ones he would hit as a visitor to New Comiskey Park/U.S. Cellular Field, helped the A’s build a 4-0 lead heading into the last of the fifth.
The Sox scored five unanswered runs with Pablo Ozuna driving the decider with an infield single in the ninth before 39,354 fans at 35th and Bill Veeck Drive.
–MAGGLIO ORDONEZ: After establishing himself as an offensive force for the Sox between 1998 and 2003, Ordonez returned to U.S. Cellular Field for the archrival Tigers in 2005.
Shaking off an awkward and uncomfortable leg injury in his final season with the Sox in 2004, “Maggs” had a monster series while being showered with jeers and cheers for Detroit from July 18-20, 2005.
After going 2-for-3 with a walk in his USCF visitor debut, Ordonez then collected five hits in his next seven at bats as the Tigers took two of three from the future World Series champions.
*SOX ALMANAC: A Tommy John appearance on the Guaranteed Rate Field big board recently prompted this Tweet so I’d thought feature the ageless lefty in today’s history lesson
On this date in 1971, Tommy John outdueled Jim Palmer with a five-hitter in the White Sox 1-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1 of a doubleheader split before 19,588 at Comiskey Park.
Ed Herrmann’s sixth inning single scored Rich McKinney with the game’s only run. John gave up five hits and one walk with strikeouts in upping his record to 3-5 in logging the first of three shutouts he would have that season.
John faced the minimum through five and got out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth by striking out Merv Rettemund with the bases loaded.
John stranded Brooks Robinson on third in the seventh and finished by retiring the final seven batters he faced.
–ROBIN VENTURA: In his second New York stop after parting company with the Sox, Ventura was 0-for-4 with an error at third for the Yankees in his New Comiskey Park homecoming.
A Memorial Day crowd of 43,781 watched the Yanks win 10-6.
–OZZIE GUILLEN: After 13 seasons with the Sox and an uncomfortable split, Guillen returned to New Comiskey Park as a visitor for the first time on April 29, 1998.
As a bench player/utilityman, Guillen flew out as a pinch-hitter for the second out in the ninth of a 16-7 Sox win.
Mike Caruso, who supplanted Ozzie as the Sox shortstop was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI that night.
–HAROLD BAINES: The smooth-swinging lefty was 3-for-3 — all singles — in his Comiskey Park debut as a visitor on Aug. 17, 1989 for Texas.
Baines, traded to Texas 19 days earlier, had all but one of his team’s hits in Greg Hibbard’s complete game effort.
Three days later, the Sox retired Baines’ No. 3.
–LUIS APARICIO: The best fielding shortstop of his generation was 1-for-3 with a walk for Baltimore in his first game as a visitor to Comiskey Park.
The Sox won 7-0 behind Ray Herbert’s complete game.
–MINNIE MINOSO: The Cuban Comet was 0-for-4 for Cleveland in his first game at Comiskey Park after being dealt away by the Sox on May 9, 1958.
The Sox won 5-0.
*MORE HITS? MOREHART! If you hear the names of Ray Morehart or Gus Zernial later today, it’s probably been a good day for the White Sox.
The Sox host the Detroit Tigers in a conventional doubleheader at 4:10 p.m. today.
Morehart and Zernial fashioned two of the great performances in doubleheaders while donning Sox yarns.
Morehart set the Major League record with nine hits in a doubleheader in the Sox split with the Tigers at Detroit’s Navin Field on Aug. 31, 1926.
A second baseman, the Texan was 9-for-10 with three runs, two doubles and nine RBI as the Sox won the opener 19-2 before dropping the nightcap 7-6.
Batting second, Morehart was 5-for-6 in Game 1 and 4-for-4 in Game 2.
Including a hit-by-pitch in Game 1 and a walk in Game 2, Morehart reached base an amazing 11 times in 12 plate appearances as the Sox moved to 63-66.
*SOX STUMPER: Here is the trivia question flashed on the Sox scoreboard on this date in 2014 (last home game on this date prior to today): Who assembled a White Sox record 28-game hitting streak in 2004?
Answer below.
*GUS-POWERED: Zernial muscled his way into the record books by clouting four homers in the Sox season-ending doubleheader vs. the St. Louis Browns at Comiskey Park in 1951.
The burly right-handed hitter socked a two-run homer in the first game as the Sox won 4-3 and then he launched three bombs in the nightcap in the Sox 10-6 loss.
The four-homer performance was part of Zernial’s season in which he set the club record with 29 roundtrippers.
The homers would be the last the outfielder would hit for the Sox. Four games into 1951, Zernial was traded to the Philadelphia A’s as part of a three-team exchange that ultimately landed Minnie Minoso in Chicago.
*SOX ALMANAC: On this date in 1907, the White Sox topped stalling New York 8-1 win in a six-inning rain-shortened game in Chicago.
With a steady drizzle falling, New York began to stall by loading the bases after a pitching change. The Sox countered by trying to hurry the game along when Billy Sullivan waltzed home from third and was tagged out. The umpire then threatened a forfeit if the shenanigans continued.
The Sox scored two in the sixth before rain halted the game giving the good guys the victory.
*SOX DH NUGGETS: Here are a few random notes on Sox doubleheaders:
–The Sox first doubleheader was a sweep of Boston at South Side Park. The Sox capped the sweep with a 5-3 win over Cy Young in the nightcap.
–The Sox first doubleheader vs. Detroit was a split on Sept. 14, 1902 at South Side Park. The Sox took Game 2 4-1 in a game that was halted after eight innings because of darkness.
–The Sox set a still-standing big league record with 44 doubleheaders in 1943.
–The Sox Dave Philley set the American League record with 13 at bats in a doubleheader on May 30, 1950. Philley was 6-for-13 as the Sox swept the Browns in St. Louis.
–The Sox have played a doubleheader in every season except 1994, 2003 and 2006.
–The Sox have played two Opening Day doubleheaders: 1971 at Oakland (scheduled) and 1982 at Yankee Stadium (prompted by postponements).
@SoxNerd Blog for June 20 …
