This Day In Sox History...July 2

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July 2, 1909 - The Sox ran wild in an unusual 15-3 romp over St. Louis. In this game the Sox stole eleven bases with three steals of home and three double steals. Sox third baseman Bill Purcell led the way with three swipes. Eight different Sox players stole a base in the game!

 

July 2, 1910 - The Sox won their first game in the original Comiskey Park, besting the St. Louis Browns 3-2. Guy “Doc” White went the distance allowing one earned run on six hits for the win. He was called “Doc” because he graduated from Georgetown University dental school.

 

July 2, 1923 - Future Hall of Famer Ted Lyons made his White Sox, Major League debut. He threw a perfect inning in a 7-2 loss at St. Louis. That season in nine games he’d go 2-1 with a start to his credit.

 

July 2, 1930 - Outfielder Carl Reynolds became the first White Sox player to homer three times in a game when he did it at New York and he did it in spectacular fashion. It came in the second game of a twin bill that the Sox won 15-4. He went 5 for 6 with four runs scored in the game. He also became the first player in team history to drive home eight RBI’s in a game. Reynolds homered in the first three innings of the game and his first and third home runs on the day were both inside the park home runs to left field! The Sox lost the first game 5-1.

 

July 2, 1977 - With first place at stake, the Sox beat the Twins 13-8. Jim Spencer, the Sox Gold Glove winning first baseman, became the first Sox player to ever drive in eight runs, twice in a season. He drove in eight runs the first time on May 14 in an 18-2 slaughter of Cleveland. On this day Spencer went 3 for 5 including a grand slam, a three-run home run and an RBI single.

 

July 2, 1980 - Sox radio announcer Jimmy Piersall attacked Daily Herald sportswriter Rob Galas after Galas wrote a story speculating why Piersall was fired as a part time Sox coach. Spectators including White Sox historian/author Rich Lindberg, had to physically jump in and pull Piersall away. At the time Piersall was choking Galas. Yes, this is the same Rob Galas who later would become the Sox marketing director.

Later on, that same day, the Sox Ross Baumgarten would one hit the Angels, winning 1-0.  Rod Carew got California’s only hit, on a single leading off the seventh inning.

 

July 2, 2016 – On this day the Sox tied a franchise record that had stood for almost 51 years.

When J.B. Shuck pounded a home run in the fourth inning of a game in Houston, it marked the 15^th consecutive solo home run hit by the team. That tied the original mark which was set between September 2-25, 1965.

The individual breakdown of the home runs saw Brett Lawrie with three, Shuck with three, Tim Anderson and Todd Frazier with two each and Tyler Saladino, Dioner Navarro, Alex Avila, Adam Eaton and Melky Cabrera each with one. The Sox would beat the Astros in the game 7-6.

 

July 2, 2021 – It was a nice way to start a Major League career.

Gavin Sheets, son of former Major League player Larry Sheets, started off his White Sox career by setting a franchise record. Sheets became the first player ever to have both a hit and an RBI in his first four games with the team.

His impressive start came against the Twins at home and the Tigers in Detroit. In his first four games he went 6 for 15, with eight RBI’s and two home runs.