This Day In Sox History...January 15

[Lip Man 1]

January 15, 2003 – It was another bold stab by G.M. Kenny Williams as he acquired starter Bartolo Colon as part of a three-way deal with Montreal and the Yankees.

Colon had a good season for the Sox… 15 wins, 242 innings pitched and 173 strikeouts before inking a large deal with Anaheim where he’d win the Cy Young Award. Williams brought him back in 2009 hoping for the same but got little for his troubles. In fact, Colon got hurt, was overweight and when assigned to a minor league rehab stint never reported! It was rumored that Colon was distraught over the death of entertainer Michael Jackson, and when manager Ozzie Guillen heard such, he emptied out Colon’s locker and dumped the possessions in the hallway outside of the White Sox clubhouse!

 

January 15, 2021 – The White Sox continued to make strong moves to get back into serious contention for a championship. On this date they announced the signing to a free agent contract of Liam Hendriks, one of the top relief pitchers in baseball to a multi-year deal. The contract would net the Australian right hander 54 million dollars over three, possibly four years.

Since taking over as the A’s closer on June 21, 2019, Hendriks had recorded a 1.99 ERA over 68 innings pitched, with 39 saves, 111 strikeouts and a 0.79 WHIP in 65 appearances. 

His contract had an unusual twist, perhaps the first of its kind in baseball. The fourth year of the deal had an option year, worth 15 million but included a 15-million-dollar buyout. If the White Sox declined the option, the buyout would be paid in 10 equal installments between 2024 and 2033. The paying of money down the road, something NFL teams often do, could help with the ‘luxury tax’ threshold should the Sox be in that position where it becomes an issue.

Hendriks wouldn’t disappoint posting 38 saves, a 2.54 ERA and 113 strikeouts against only seven walks in his first year on the South Side winning A.L. Relief Pitcher of the Year honors. He followed it up in 2022 with 37 saves an ERA of 2.81 and 85 strikeouts vs. 18 walks.

[South Side Fireworks Man]

I always liked Bartolo Colon.