This Day In Sox History...May 22

[Lip Man 1]

May 22, 1928 - Sox center fielder Johnny Mostil tied former center fielder Oscar “Happy” Felsch with an A.L. record 12 chances in a 4-3 win over the Indians.

Mostil took advantage of a cavernous Comiskey Park center field to grab 10 fly balls (including all three outs in the top of the third) among all the chances. Mostil also initiated an inning-ending double play in the top of the sixth, snagging a liner off the bat of future Sox player Luke Sewell.

As if scampering deep to center and into left and right field for fly balls wasn’t enough of a testament to Mostil’s speed and quickness, he also scored the eventual winning run on a wild pitch by George Uhle — from second base! Mostil also had three hits on the day, scoring two runs.

 

May 22, 1977 - Richie Zisk became only the second Sox player in franchise history to hit a home run into the center field bleachers under the exploding scoreboard at Comiskey Park. He joined Dick Allen (1972) as the only Sox players to ever accomplish it. Zisk’s blast off the Tigers Dave Rozema in the eighth inning didn’t help the Sox win however. They got beat 14-3 despite recording 12 hits on the day.

 

May 22, 1990 - Sox catcher Carlton Fisk struck a blow for baseball traditionalists.

Fisk got into a verbal exchange with Yankee outfielder Deion Sanders after the two-sport star drew a dollar sign in the batter’s box before an at bat at Yankee Stadium, and then failed to run out a pop up. Fisk followed Sanders back to the Yankee dugout while shouting, “Run the ball out you piece of s%*#.” The next time Sanders came up to bat he said something to Fisk. Carlton started to go after him when John Hirschbeck, the home plate umpire intervened.

Fisk was asked after the game what else he told Sanders. "There is a right way and a wrong way to play this game. You're playing it the wrong way. And the rest of us don't like it. Someday, you're going to get this game shoved right down your throat." 

 

May 22, 2019 – It was a night of firsts for the White Sox in a 9-4 win over the Astros.  Things started off in the third inning when Houston had runners on first and second with no out. Future Sox player Jake Marisnick hit a shot down to third base. Yoan Moncada fielded it and stepped on the bag for the out, fired to second baseman Yolmer Sanchez for out number two, who relayed the ball to first baseman Jose Abreu just in time to nip Marisnick for a triple play.

Then with the Sox up 4-3 in the sixth inning, outfielder Charlie Tilson launched a grand slam into the right field seats. It was Tilson’s first big-league home run. It was the first time in franchise history the Sox had both a grand slam and a triple play in the same game and only the fourth time in 40 years that had happened in baseball.

[The Kids Can Play]

Great memories from that 1977 South Side Hitmen team. Richie Zisk hit 30 home runs that year and Comiskey Park was not a home run stadium with arguably one of the longest outfield dimensions.

[Melton1972]

Carlton Fisk is one of my favorites and I would love to see somebody dump a bucket of ice water on Sanders head.