StatManDu

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: OCTOBER 14TH 1906: WORLD CHAMPIONS! The White Sox pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history by claiming the 1906 World Series title with an 8-3 Game 5 win over the Cubs at South Side Park. Few had given Charles Comiskey’s “Hitless Wonders” a shot at winning the first and only All-Chicago Fall Classic against the powerhouse Cubs, who won a big league record 116 games, but timely hitting a sterling pitching netted the Sox their first crown. The White Sox settled this one early by scoring seven runs in the first two innings off Cubs’ ace Mordecai Brown, who was pitching on one days rest. George Davis and Jiggs Donahue drove in six of those seven runs as the Sox totaled 14 hits. Doc White, who earned the save the day before with three shutout innings, went the distance. He gave up three runs on seven hits with four walks and two strikeouts. For their triumph, Sox players each received a winner’s share of $1,874 while each Cub player received a loser’s share of $440. The next time the White Sox and Cubs would meet in a game of consequence would be for a 1997 interleague game at Comiskey Park. Subbing at shortstop for Lee Tannehill, George Davis has three RBI for the second straight game. Jiggs Donahue also adds three RBI and Edgar Hahn has four hits for the Sox. Strangely, it is the only game won by the home team in the All-City Series. 2005: The excuses were waiting for Jon Garland on this night: It was his first postseason start … He had the pressure of pitching near his home … He hadn’t pitched in two weeks … Showing that his spectacular regular-season was no fluke, Garland parlayed used his “California cool” to his advantage in pitching the White Sox to a 5-2 win over the Angels in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Anaheim as the Sox took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven showdown. Garland, who won 18 games during the season, gave up four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in a virtuoso performance. His only blip came in the sixth when he gave up a two-run homer to Orlando Cabrera. Garland was not fazed by that. He finished the game by retiring 10 in a row as the Sox moved two games closer to the pennant. The Sox gave Garland a cushion and took the suspense out of this one early by scoring three times in the first on a Jermaine Dye RBI double and a two-run homer by Paul Konerko. The Sox added a run in the third on Carl Everett’s single and a run in the fifth on a Paul Konerko RBI.

It's a three song montage ... Don't know the name of the first song. The second song is "I am a Pirate" by Klaus Badelt of Pirates of the Carribean ... And then there is "Thunderstruck." This comes directly from the man who plays it before each game. Hope that helps.

I love it here. And thanks for the kind words.

I am banned from White Sox Interactive ... Long story ... That's a bizarre little site over there. Anyway ... they're trying to figure out why Edward DeBartolo's attempt to buy the Sox in 1980 failed. As with all matters in Sox history, one should turn to team historian (and great guy) Rich Lindberg to verify the facts. On page 82 of "Total White Sox," Lindberg goes into great detail on the circumstances surrounding the sale. DeBartolo wanted to buy the team for $20 million and intimidated he was going to move the team to New Orleans. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was also worried about DeBartolo's horse racing interests (even though many other owners had them) and -- according to Lindberg -- "seemed troubled" by other issues such as absentee ownership and organzied crime ties. The DeBartolo camp responded with charges of Italian-American bias. Kuhn and DeBartolo exchanged bitter words with Kuhn saying he could get DeBartolo's bid rejected and DeBartolo countering by saying he could sue. AL owners voted him down twice and the sale of the Sox eventually went to Reinsdorf's group. Some good did come out of this, though. During the time the sale was pending, the Sox signed free agents Ron LeFlore and Jim Essian. That's the facts.

Only Brook Fordyce (25 in 1999), Carlton Fisk (25 in 1991; 25 in 1989; 26 in 1983), Sherm Lollar (28 in 1956) and Ray Schalk (25 in 1920) amassed more doubles in a season as a Sox catcher than AJ Pierzynski's 24 in 2005 or 2006.

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: OCTOBER 13TH For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com 1906: The White Sox moved to within one game of clinching their first World Series title by defeating the Cubs 8-6 in Game 5 of the first and only All-Chicago Fall Classic at West Side Park. The White Sox scored a run in the first Frank Isbell’s double. The Cubs responded with three in their first but the Sox took the lead for good with four in the fourth on doubles by Isbell, George Davis and Jiggs Donahue. The Cubs pulled to within two after seven but Doc White preserved Ed Walsh’s win with three innings of one-hit relief. Frank Isbell had four doubles for the White Sox. 1917: A return to Comiskey Park marked the return of the White Sox offense in the 1917 World Series. The White Sox scored six runs in their final two at bats in beating the New York Giants 8-5 to take a 3-2 lead in the World Series. The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the first but the Sox halved the deficit in the third on Happy Felsch’s RBI double which scored Eddie Collins with the team’s first run in 24 innings in the series. The Sox fell behind 5-2 heading into the last of the seventh when their offense finally kicked into high gear. Chick Gandil pulled the Sox to within one with a two-run double. After an out, Gandil scored the tying run on a bad throw on a steal. In the eighth, Collins’ single to center plated Shano Collins with the go-ahead run. Red Faber, the fourth Sox pitcher of the game, got the victory with two perfect innings of relief. The contest is marred by nine errors, six by the White Sox. 1937: The White Sox claimed the City Series with a 6-1 win in the decisive game before 12,457 at Wrigley Field. The Cubs took the lead in the first but the Sox scored two in the second to take control. Mike Kreevich’s home run helped John “Porkchop” Whitehead earn the victory as the Sox won the City Series for the fourth time in a row. This victory gave the Sox 15 wins in their last 22 tilts vs. the Cubs. 1970: The White Sox acquired outfielder Pat Kelly and pitcher Don O’Riley from the Kansas City Royals for infielders Gail Hopkins and John Matias. Kelly went on to have an All-Star career for the White Sox from 1971 to 1976. Kelly made the American League All-Star team in 1973. The left-hander hit at least .254 in each of his six seasons on the South Side. In 1971, Kelly hit a career-high .291 for the White Sox. A year later, Kelly swiped 32 bases – the second highest total of his career. Following the 1976 season, Kelly was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles for catcher Dave Duncan. 1993: The White Sox released outfielder-DH George Bell, effectively ending his big league career, which included the 1987 American League MVP Award with Toronto. Bell had a spectacular 1992 for the Sox, providing Frank Thomas with protection by hitting 25 home runs and 112 RBIs after being acquired from the Cubs for Sammy Sosa and Ken Patterson. Bell fizzled in 1993 (.217, 13 HR, 64 RBIs) despite the fact that the Sox won the American League West Division title. Bell was such a disappointment in 1993 that he did not get into the ALCS against Toronto and was not shy about voicing his displeasure over that decision.

I have been given that tag ever since I nailed Amos Otis' career stolen bases on the head during a downtime at work. Yea Amos Otis Amos Otis Kansas City Royals Yea Amos Otis Outfielder yea

The White Sox open the season vs. Cleveland for the fourth consecutive year in 2008. The run of four straight openers against the same team is the second-longest such streak in team history and the franchise's longest since they played six curtain-raisers in a row against the Tribe from 1952-1957.

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: OCTOBER 12TH For the rest of the day see, www.whitesoxalmanac.com 1906: The White Sox were limited to two hits by Mordecai Brown in dropping Game 4 of the 1906 World Series 1-0 at South Side Park. The Cubs made a run off Nick Altrock in the seventh stand up in tying the Series at 2-2. Eddie Hahn’s seventh inning single and Patsy Dougherty’s eighth inning single were the Sox only hits. 1966: The White Sox acquired knuckleballer Wilbur Wood from Columbus, a Pittsburgh Pirate farm team, for a player to be named later. Wood went on to become an effective reliever before emerging as one of the most durable starters in the Majors in the early 1970s. The Pirates received veteran left-hander Juan Pizarro to complete the deal on Nov. 28. 1993: The Toronto Blue Jays clinched the pennant by defeating the White Sox 6-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series before 45,527 at Comiskey Park. Series MVP Dave Stewart outdueled Alex Fernandez. Stewart, a Sox nemesis with Oakland in the early 1990s, held the White Sox to two runs in 7.1 innings. Fernandez suffered through his second tough-luck loss of the series. He gave up two earned runs in seven innings to finish the LCS with a more-than-respectable 1.80 ERA. Toronto took the lead with two in the second on a two-run single by Pat Borders. An inning later, the Sox tied the game on a bases-loaded walk by Frank Thomas and an RBI force out by Robin Ventura. Toronto took the lead for good in the fourth on Joey Cora’s error. The Blue Jays sealed the deal with three in the ninth on a Devon White homer and a two-run triple by Paul Molitor. The Sox scored a run in the ninth on Warren Newson’s leadoff home run but could get no closer. 2005: A.J. Pierzynski’s “steal” of first base led to the winning run as the White Sox pulled even with the Angels in the American League Championship Series with a 2-1 victory in Game 2 before 41,013 at US Cellular Field. With two out and the game tied in the ninth, Pierzynski struck out on a ball in the dirt. As Angel catcher Josh Paul rolled the ball to the mound with his teammates running to the dugout, Pierzynski took off for first, claiming strike three was not fielded cleanly. Following an extensive discussion among the umpires and protestation by Angel manager Mike Scioscia, Pierzynski was awarded first base. The Angel argument that plate umpire Doug Eddings signaled strike three or that the ball was fielded cleanly for an inning-ending strikeout went nowhere. Replays do show that there was the possibility that the ball did not land in Paul’s glove on the fly. Pierzynski was lifted for pinch-runner Pablo Ozuna, who stole second and scored on Joe Crede’s double off the wall giving the Sox their first walkoff win in postseason history. The controversial ending made a winner out of Mark Buehrle, who was brilliant. He gave up five hits and struck out four in posting the Sox first post-season complete game since Wilson Alvarez’s effort in Game 3 of the 1993 American League Championship Series in Toronto. Buehrle fashioned the Sox first home postseason complete game since Ed Cicotte lost Game 4 of the ill-fated 1919 World Series at Comiskey Park. Buehrle turned in the Sox first postseason complete game victory at home since Red Faber beat the Giants in Game 2 of the 1917 World Series. Buehrle’s lone mistake was a fifth-inning gopher ball to Robb Quinlan. That blast negated the lead the Sox took in the first when Scott Podsednik reached second on an error, took third on Tadahito Iguchi’s sacrifice and scored on Jermaine Dye’s ground out.

You're right ... Made the fix!

With the Arizona Diamondbacks (thank you God!) beginning the National League Championship Series tonight, Bob Melvin is eight victories from becoming just the third former White Sox player to manage a World Series winner. The others: Ozzie Guillen (2005 White Sox) and Fielder Jones (1906 White Sox). Melvin had a cup coffee with the 1994 White Sox. In fact, Melvin played the final 11 games of his 10-year career with the 1994 Sox and delivered an RBI single in his final big league at bat in the White Sox 16-10 win at Anaheim, which was one of those Saturday nights game televised by "The Baseball Network." Melvin was acquired from the Angels July 22, 1994 in exchange for reliever Jeff Schwarz. The acquisition of Melvin became necessary after Ron Karkovice was placed on the disabled list in mid-July and the Sox needed a competent backup for Mike LaValliere. Melvin took the backup job from Ron Tingley.

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: OCTOBER 11TH For more, visit www.whitesoxalmanac.com 1906: The White Sox rode a three-run sixth inning and the pitching of Ed Walsh to a 3-0 win over the Cubs to take a 2-1 lead in the 1906 World Series. Walsh, who threw 10 shutouts during the regular season, limited the Cubs to two hits and one walk while fanning 12 at West Side Park. After allowing a leadoff single, Walsh retired 20 of the next 21 batters he faced. George Rohe was the hero on offense. His bases-clearing triple in the sixth inning accounted for the scoring as the White Sox moved to within two wins of clinching their first World Series title. 1917: The White Sox offensive woes continued in a 5-0 loss to the New York Giants in Game 4 of the 1917 World Series at the Polo Grounds. Ferdie Schupp limited the White Sox seven hits as John J. McGraw’s Giants evened the series 2-2. The Giants scored three runs off losing pitcher Red Faber and two more off Dave Danforth. When Chick Gandil flew out to center to end the game, it ran the Sox scoreless streak in the Series to 22 innings. 1937: Mike Kreevich homered and Monty Stratton earned the victory as the White Sox beat Cubs 6-4 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 postseason City Series before 11,575 at Comiskey Park. The Sox took the lead for good with two in the third and watched as Clint Brown finished off the Cubs for the save. The Sox would eventually take the Series in seven games. 1991: Jeff Torborg resigned as White Sox manager to take the same post with the New York Mets. The affable Torborg served as Sox skipper from 1989 to 1991. He went 250-235 while posting winning seasons in 1990 and 1991. After going 69-92 in 1989, Torborg guided the Sox to a surprising 94-68 record in 1990, the final year of Old Comiskey Park. In 1991 –- the first year of New Comiskey Park –- Torborg’s Sox went 87-75 while playing in front of a franchise record 2,934,154 fans on the South Side. 2005: Despite operating on a quick turnaround, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pinned a 3-2 loss on the White Sox before 40,659 at US Cellular Field in the Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. The Angels flew into Chicago in the wee hours of the morning after clinching the Division Series against the Yankees in Anaheim the night before. Paul Byrd kept the Sox off balance for six innings before giving way to Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez, who combined for three scoreless innings. The Angels jumped to a 3-0 lead after 2.5 innings off Jose Contreras, who did not pitch poorly (8.1IP, 7H, 3ER, 0BB, 4SO). The Sox got one back in the third on a Joe Crede homer and another in the fourth on A.J. Pierzynski’s RBI. From there, the Sox managed just two hits in absorbing their first postseason loss of the season. It would also turn out to be the Sox final postseason loss of the year.

Bobby Jenks collected 40 of the White Sox 42 or saves in 2007. That is easily the highest percentage (95%) since the stat became official in 1969. Other high ratios: Jenks 41/46 in 2006, Roberto Hernandez 38/43 in 1996, Roberto Hernandez 32/36 in 1994 and Terry Forster 24/29 in 1974.

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: OCTOBER 10TH For the rest of the day, visit www.whitesoxalamanac.com 1906: The Cubs pulled even with the White Sox by winning Game 2 of the 1906 World Series 7-1 in chilled South Side Park. The Cubs, who won a Major League record 116 games during the regular season, scored four runs in the first three innings off Doc White to take the lead for good. Ed Reulbach limited the Sox to one hit, a single to center by Jiggs Donahue in the seventh inning. Patsy Dougherty scored the Sox lone run in the fifth with the help of a Cubs’ defensive lapse. 1917: The New York Giants made a two-run fourth stand up in Game 3 of the 1917 World Series in a 2-0 win over the White Sox before 33,616 at the Polo Grounds. The victory enabled the Giants to pull to within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Ed Cicotte was the tough-luck loser, giving up just eight hits ineight innings. Buck Weaver and Eddie Collins combined for four of the Sox five hits. 1993: The White Sox fell to the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at SkyDome. The Blue Jays scored single runs each of the first four innings off Jack McDowell in holding off the White Sox. The White Sox pulled to within two in the ninth on Robin Ventura’s home run and had the tying run at the plate but Duane Ward fanned Bo Jackson to end it in giving the Blue Jays a 3-2 advantage in the best-of-the seven series.

Juan Uribe has clubbed 57 home runs while manning shortstop over the last three seasons. Only Miguel Tejada (68) and Jhonny Peralta (58) have exceeded that number.

1906: The White Sox stunned the heavily-favored Cubs 2-1 amidst snow flurries before 12,693 at the Cubs’ West Side Park in the first game of the only all-Chicago World Series. Nick Altrock outdueled Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown in giving the White Sox an emotional boost in the series. The White Sox scored one in the fifth when George Rohe, playing only because regular shortstop George Davis was injured, tripled andscored on an error by Brown. The Sox made it 2-0 in the sixth on a Frank Isbell RBI. The Cubs scored a run in the sixth but Altrock retired nine of the 11 batters he faced to protect the lead. Altrock, who went 20-13 during the regular season, gave up one run on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Five days later, the White Sox finished off the Cubs to win the Series. … The interest in this Series was so intense in Chicago, the Tribune provided play-by-play reports via mechanical boards in theatres. 1919: It didn’t take long for the Cincinnati Reds to finish off the White Sox in the ill-fated 1919 World Series. The Reds scored four in the first en route to a 10-5 Series-clinching win before 32,930 at Comiskey Park. Lefty Williams, one of nine Sox players in on the fix of the Series, took his third loss of the Fall Classic. He was tagged for four runs on four hits while getting just one out in the first inning before being yanked. The Reds sealed the win with a three run sixth. The Sox mounted a comeback in the eighth by scoring four runs but could get no closer. Joe Jackson grounded out to second to end the game and the Series. The Series was expanded to a best-of-nine from 1919 to 1921 because of heightened interest in the event. The eight Sox players in on the fix were eventually banned from baseball for life by Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis during the 1920 season. Joe Jackson homered for the White Sox. 1964: The Houston Astros released Nellie Fox, whom they acquired from the White Sox Dec. 10, 1963. Fox hit 265 in 133 games for the 1964 Astros. He was re-signed by Houston on May 12, 1965 and released July 31 after hitting .268 in the final 21 games of his future Hall of Fame career. 1993: The White Sox used some stingy relief pitching in defeating the host Toronto Blue Jays 7-4 in to even the best-of-seven 1993 American League Championship Series 2-2. After starter Jason Bere struggled through 2.1 innings, Tim Belcher, Kirk McCaskill, Scott Radinsky and Roberto Hernandez limited the Jays to one run on four hits over the final 6.2 frames. Belcher, moved to the bullpen for the playoffs, got the victory. Lance Johnson shocked the world by giving the White Sox a 2-0 lead in the first with a home run. Johnson did not hit a homer in 540 regular-season at bats. After the Jays scored three times in the third, the Sox took the lead for good in the sixth with a three-spot. Frank Thomas’ homer tied the game and Johnson put the Sox in front with a two-run triple that scored Ellis Burks and Bo Jackson.

A quarter-century of Sox third base coaches: 2008--?????? (Any suggestions) 2007: Razor Shines 2004-2006: Joey Cora 2003: Bruce Kimm 1998-2002: Wallace Johnson 1997: Doug Rader 1995-1996: Doug Mansolino 1990-1994: Terry Bevington 1988-1989: Ron Clark 1986-1987: Doug Rader 1982-1985: Jim Leyland

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: OCT 8/Damn that Landrum! For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com/ ENJOY! 1919: Ed Cicotte, one of the eight Sox players in on in the fix of the 1919 World Series, kept his team alive in a 4-1 win over the Reds in Cincinnati. Cicotte gave up one run on seven hits in going the distance. It was Cicotte’s first win against two losses in the ill-fated Series. Why the Sox ace, who ignited the fix by hitting the first batter he faced in Game 1, pitched to win has never been solidly established. Joe Jackson and Happy Felsch each drove in two runs as the Sox pulled to within 4-3 in the best-of-nine affair. The Series was expanded to a best-of-nine from 1919 to 1921 because of heightened interest in the event. The eight Sox players in on the fix were eventually banned from baseball for life by Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis during the 1920 season. 1959: The Los Angeles Dodgers finished off the White Sox by winning Game 6 of the 1959 World Series 9-3 before 47,653 at Comiskey Park. The Dodgers scored two in the third and six more in the fourth to clinch their first World Series title since moving to Los Angeles. The Sox scored three in the fourth on Ted Kluszewski’sthree-run bomb but could get no closer. Kluszewski finished with a six-game Series record with 10 RBI. Larry Sherry, the Series’ MVP, tossed 5.2 innings of shutout relief to earn the win. Sherry was 2-0 with two saves and a 0.71 ERA in the Series. 1983: Britt Burns fashioned one of the gutsiest performances in recent White Sox history but it wasn’t enough as Baltimore clinched the American League pennant with a 3-0 win before 45,447 in Game 4 of the ALCS at Comiskey Park. Burns matched zeroes with Storm Davis and Tippy Martinez through nine innings before Tito Landrum deposited the left-hander’s 150th pitch of the game into the left field stands. Salome Barojas replaced Burns and gave up two more runs to account for the final. The Sox offense, stalled through the entire series, squandered a golden scoring opportunity in the seventh. With runners on first and second and one out, Julio Cruz singled to left with Vance Law taking third. Jerry Dybzinski, the runner on first, overran second and was caught in a rundown. During the chase, Vance Law broke for home but was tagged out at the plate. Rudy Law then fanned to end the uprising. The White Sox stranded 10 men in the game and left at least one man on base in every inning but the first. 1993: Starting pitcher Wilson Alvarez was masterful in delivering the White Sox their first post-season victory since Game 1 of the 1983 American League Championship Series in Baltimore. Alvarez went the distance and limited the Blue Jays to seven hits and fanned six as the Sox prevailed 6-1 at SkyDome and pulled to within 2-1 in the best-of-seven ALCS. The White Sox made things easy on Alvarez with a two-out, five-run third inning. Frank Thomas gave the Sox the lead with an infield single that scored Tim Raines. After Robin Ventura walked to load the bases, Ellis Burks singled to left-center to score Joey Cora and Thomas. Following a walk to Bo Jackson, Lance Johnson blooped a single to left which plated Ventura and Burks to make it 5-0. Ventura closed the Sox scoring with a sac fly RBI in the sixth. Alvarez cruised to victory by holding the Jays scoreless over the final six innings on three hits.

Thanks for pointing that out in your own special way. I made the correction. I do appreciate it because I have a file on all this and want it to be as accurate as possible. I try to do the same on WSI but they are content to let the mistakes just hang out there forever. But that's the beauty of the Internet ... anything goes.

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: OCT 7 For the whole day, visit www.whitesoxalmanac.com/ ENJOY! 1917: The White Sox took a 2-0 lead in the 1917 World Series with a 7-2 win over the New York Giants before 32,000 at Comiskey Park. Clarence “Pants” Rowland’s team broke open a 2-2 game with five runs in the fourth inning. Nemo Leibold gave the Sox the lead for good when his single scored Buck Weaver. Joe Jackson drove in two runs while Fred McMullin and Eddie Collins each drove in one in the outburst. Future Hall of Famer Red Faber cruised with the lead. Faber went the distance and did not allow a run after the second inning. BuckWeaver and Joe Jackson had three hits apiece for the White Sox. 1919: Dickie Kerr turned in an iron-man performance in keeping the White Sox alive in the ill-fated 1919 World Series. Kerr, who was not one of the eight Sox players in on the fix of the Series, went 10 innings for the victory in the 5-4 triumph in Cincinnati. The White Sox fell behind early but scored one in the fifth on a sacrifice fly RBI by Eddie Collins and three in the sixth on RBIs by Joe Jackson and Happy Felsch, who were in on the fix, and Ray Schalk. The Sox got the game-winner in the 10th when Weaver doubled, took third on Jackson’s bunt and scored on Chick Gandil’s single. Weaver knew of the fix while Gandil was in on it. The victory pulled the Sox to within 4-2 of the best-of-nine Series. The Series was expanded to a best-of-nine from 1919 to 1921 because of heightened interest in the event. The eight Sox players in on the fix were eventually banned from baseball for life by Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis during the 1920 season. 1983: The Baltimore Orioles took command of the American League Championship Series by thumping the White Sox 11-1 in Game 3 of the set before 46,645 at Comiskey Park. Eddie Murray, who was hitless in his previous 29 post-season plate appearances dating to the 1979 World Series, launched a three-run homer in the first off losing pitcher Richard Dotson in helping the Orioles take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. The White Sox managed a run in the second on Vance Law’s RBI but were shut down over the final four innings by Sammy Stewart, who took over for starter Mike Flanagan, who left the game with stiffness in his knee. The Orioles ruined the first post-season baseball game in Chicago since Game 6 of the 1959 World Series. 1988: After a little more than two seasons on the White Sox bench, Jim Fregosi was fired as White Sox manager. Hired by general manager Ken Harrelson after the firing of Tony LaRussa in 1986, Fregosi was 193-226 as Sox manager. The Sox were 77-85 in 1987 and 71-90 in 1988 before he was canned by general manager Larry Himes, who took over for Harrelson after the 1986 season. Himes would eventually hire Jeff Torborg as the next Sox manager. 2005: In arguably the greatest pitching performance in franchise history, Orlando Hernandez escaped a bases-loaded, no out jam in the sixth inning in helping the White Sox dump the Red Sox with a 5-3 series- and sweep-clinching win over the Red Sox in Game 3 of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park. With the “right” Sox leading 4-2, the Red Sox got a leadoff homer from Manny Ramirez and then loaded the bases in the sixth. Manager Ozzie Guillen then summoned Hernandez from the bullpen. “El Duque” then proceeded to get Jason Varitek and Tony Graffanion on popups before squelching the uprising with a strikeout of Johnny Damon. Hernandez pitched two more scoreless innings before giving way to Bobby Jenks who fired a perfect ninth for the save. The Sox took a 2-0 lead in the third on back-to-back doubles by Juan Uribe and Scott Podsednik and a single by Tadahito Iguchi. After the defending World Series champion Red Sox tied it off winner Freddy Garcia, the Sox took the lead for good in the sixth thanks to a two-run homer by Paul Konerko. The Sox added an insurance run in the ninth on a suicide squeeze bunt by Uribe. There was no MVP awarded for the division series round but if there Hernandez would have to get strong consideration just for this performance.

On Aug. 17 in Seattle, Danny Richar became the first Sox player in 13 years to hit a grand slam for his first big league home run. Prior to Richar, the last Sox player to accomplish this feat was Norberto "Paco" Martin on June 4, 1994. The Sox Kevin Bell also hit a grand slam for his first big league homer on June 22, 1976.

When Josh Fields launched a grand slam on Aug. 11, he became the first Sox rookie to accomplish the feat at US Cellular Field/NCP and the first Sox rookie to do it since Miguel Olivo victmized the Cubs on June 20, 2003.

More indictments of the player development and maybe the deposed Duane Shaffer, eh? Between Wells and Broadway, Garland 7/4/00 vs. K.C., L), Rocky Biddle (8-10-00 vs. Sea, L); Josh Stewart (4-6-03 vs. Det, ND), Neal Cotts (8-12-03 at Angels, ND), Felix Diaz (5-13-04-2 vs. Bal, ND), Arnie Munoz (6-19-04 at Mon, L), Brandon McCarthy (5-22-05 at Cub, ND), Charlie Haeger (5-10-06 vs Angels, L) and John Danks (4-8-07 L at Min) couldn't get a win in their first big league starts

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: OCT 6 www.whitesoxalmanac.com/ ENJOY! 1917: The White Sox opened the 1917 World Series with a 2-1 victory over the New York Giants in the first Fall Classic game ever at Comiskey Park. Ed Cicotte was masterful with his “shine ball” in going the distance before 32,000 at 35th and Shields. Cicotte scattered seven hits, walked one and fanned two. Fred McMullin gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead in the third when his double scored Shano Collins. In the next inning, Happy Felsch hit the first World Series home run by a Sox player to make it 2-0. The Giants scored a run in the fifth but Cicotte retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced in giving the Sox the upperhand in the Series. 1919: The Cincinnati Reds moved to within onewin of clinching the ill-fated 1919 World Series by defeating the White Sox 5-0 in Game 5 before 34,379 at Comiskey Park. Lefty Williams, one of eight Sox players in on the fix of the Series, took his second loss of the Fall Classic. The Reds scored four times in the sixth with the aid of a throwing error by Happy Felsch, who was also in on the fix. The Series was expanded to a best-of-nine from 1919 to 1921 because of heightened interest in the event. The eight Sox players in on the fix were eventually banned from baseball for life by Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis during the 1920 season. 1923: Future Hall of Famer Ted Lyons earned the first two of his club-record 260 wins – both in relief -- as the White Sox swept a doubleheader at Cleveland. Lyons, who made his big league debut the previous July 2, fired 4.2 innings in the White Sox 6-3 in the opener and then fired three frames in the 7-6 win in the nightcap. 1959: The White Sox stayed alive in the 1959 World Series by squeaking past the Dodgers 1-0 before a Fall Classic record crowd of 92,706 in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Sox scratched out the game’s lone run in the fourth when Nellie Fox singled to right, took third on Jim Landis’ single and scored on Sherm Lollar’s double play ball. Bob Shaw got the win with 7.1 shutout innings. He got relief help from Dick Donovan, who tossed 1.1 perfect frames. Manager Al Lopez helped preserve the lead by playing a hunch in the eighth. With runners on first and second and two outs, Lopez shifted Al Smith from right field to left field and brought in Jim Rivera to play right. After a wild pitch moved the runners up a base, Rivera made Lopez’ hunch pay off by snaring Charley Neal’s fly in right-center to end the frame. 1983: The White Sox managed just five hits off Mike Boddicker in dropping Game 2 of the 1983 American League Championship Series at Baltimore 4-0. Boddicker fanned 14 in tying the LCS record set by Detroit’s Joe Coleman in 1972 and equaled by Pittsburgh’s John Candelaria in 1975. Floyd Bannister absorbed the loss after giving up four runs on five hits in six innings. Rudy Law accounted two of the Sox five hits. 1993: The White Sox frittered away another home post-season contest in dropping Game 2 of the American League Championship Series 3-1 before 46,101 at Comiskey Park. The Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead in the first but the Sox responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame when Tim Raines scored on a Dave Stewart wild pitch. Toronto scored twice in the fourth off Alex Fernandez to take the lead for good. Like so many post-season games before, the White Sox had their chances in this one. The White Sox scored just one run after loading the bases in the first and came up empty after loading the bases with no outs in the sixth. 2000: The Seattle Mariners eliminated the White Sox from the playoffs with a 2-1 win in Game 3 of the American League Division Series at Safeco Field in Seattle. The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the second when Harold Baines doubled, took third on Charles Johnson’s fly and scored on Herbert Perry’s sacrifice fly. Seattle tied the game on Stan Javier’s RBI in the fourth. The Mariners broke the tie in the ninth when Rickey Henderson scored on Carlos Guillen’s squeeze bunt giving them a sweep of the series. The White Sox offensive woes wasted a gutsy performance by James Baldwin, who had battled arm problems in the second half of the season. Baldwin gave up one earned run in six innings.

Lance Broadway became just the second White Sox pitcher to win his first big league start at New Comiskey Park/US Cellular Field when he beat the Kansas City Royals Sept. 27 (6IP, 2H, 0R, 2BB, 8SO). The other pitcher to win his first big league start at NCP/USCF was Roberto Hernandez, who beat the Royals on Sept. 2, 1991 in his big league debut (Broadway had made three relief appearances prior to his start). With Bo Jackson also making his White Sox debut, Hernandez (7IP, 1H, 1R/ER, 2BB, 4SO) carried a no-hitter into seventh inning in the White Sox 5-1 win before 37,187 on the Southside. ... Broadway became the first Sox pitcher to win his first big league start since Kip Wells beat the Tigers in Detroit in his big league debut Aug. 2, 1999 (5.1IP, 6H, ER, 2BB, 4SO)