This Day In Sox History...May 31

[Lip Man 1]

May 31, 1914 - Joe “The Butcher Boy” Benz, (so named because that’s what he did in the off season) fired a no-hitter beating Cleveland 6-1. The no-hitter was at Comiskey Park. The Indians run was unearned in the fourth inning because of three White Sox errors in succession. Benz walked two and struck out three on the day.

 

May 31, 1950 - Sox G.M. Frank Lane made a six-player deal with the Senators and included former All- Star second baseman Cass Michaels (real name Casimir Kwietniewski) in it. The move was important because it cleared the way for a youngster named Nellie Fox to take over full time at the position. That year Fox would play in 130 games with 497 at-bats.

 

May 31, 1970 - The torpid White Sox, on their way to the worst single season in franchise history annihilated the Red Sox in Boston 22-13. The Sox banged out 24 hits, Luis Aparicio and Walt Williams had five each with Bill Melton knocking in four RBI’s. Williams also scored five runs. The Sox had innings where they scored seven, six, four and three runs. The Sox victim that afternoon? None other than former Sox star pitcher Gary Peters who lasted less than an inning. It was the second most runs ever scored in a single game by the franchise.

May 31, 1971- In the second game of a double header with the Orioles at Comiskey Park, former Sox infielder Don Buford charged pitcher Bart Johnson with his bat after Johnson drilled him with a pitch in his behind in the eighth inning.

When Buford went out to left field in the last of the eighth inning, Sox fans pelted him with garbage and vocally let him know what they thought of his actions.

Cooler heads prevailed but in the ninth inning while in the on-deck circle Buford went towards the screen to warn a fan.  He was then attacked by a second fan from behind who ran across the field. He was alerted by White Sox players yelling from the field since they could see what was happening. Buford knocked him out then his Oriole teammates charged out of the dugout and did a bloody number on that fan who was led away by security.

Buford was then thrown out by umpire Nestor Chylak for going to the screen to warn the original fan in the first place and antagonize the situation.

The teams split the double header that afternoon.

 

May 31, 1973 - It was an inauspicious debut for a player who’d make himself into a fine big-league hitter. In a game at Chicago that the Sox won 10-2, Brian Downing had just entered the game in the seventh inning making his Major League debut at third base. On his first play in the big leagues, in fact on the first pitch, Downing caught a foul pop off the bat of the Tigers Dick McAuliffe, diving to make the catch. On the play though he’d tear up his knee and have to be placed on the disabled list.

Downing would collect his first big league hit in August, an inside the park home run off the Tigers Mickey Lolich in Detroit.

[South Side Hit Men]

Not sure if you cut and paste these from somewhere else, but you should add the following for future years, noted on the TV broadcast today and via sign at Comiskey Park II.

May 31, 1996 - Frank Thomas reached base for the 57th and final consecutive game, counting the last five games of the 1995 season, and first 52nd games of 1996. Frank Thomas went 1 for 4 in a 9-0 win over Detroit.

Frank Thomas went 0 for 4 in Game One of a DH on June 2nd. In Game 2, Frank Thomas went 2 for 4, and reached base for another 33 consecutive games before going 0 for 4 on July 6th.