This Day In Sox History...September 17

[Lip Man 1]

September 17, 1955 – “Jungle” Jim Rivera was quite a character when he played for the White Sox and after a home run he hit in Kansas City helped the Sox beat the A’s 12-8 he made an impression on a former President and his wife.

President Harry Truman and his wife Bess were frequent fans at Athletic games and after the game ended Rivera and teammate George Kell were outside the stadium when they noticed a crowd. They walked over and discovered it was the former President.

Rivera asked him where his wife was and Truman said she was in the back seat of the car so Rivera leaned over and introduced himself by saying,  “I’m sure sorry my home run beat your club but it was a helluva wallop eh, Bess?” 

 

September 17, 1971 - The White Sox defeated the California Angels 9-4 at Comiskey Park. An unusual event marked this game.

All nine players in the White Sox lineup that night got one RBI, including pitcher Bart Johnson, who started, gave up eight hits and struck out 12 in going the distance.

 

September 17, 1983 - Before a packed house at Comiskey Park, Harold Baines hit a sacrifice fly driving in Julio Cruz with the run that won the American League West title for the Sox as they edged Seattle 4-3. The Sox went to the playoffs for the first time in 24 years, drew a then record, season attendance of over two million fans and had the best record in baseball at 99-63. They’d win the division by a record 20 games over second place Kansas City. Baines drove in three runs that night and had a solo homer.

 

September 17, 1984 - Harold Baines became the only player in franchise history to have more than one game with three home runs. Baines had his first three homer game in July 1982. On this day at Minnesota, he’d club three more in the 7-3 win. He’d drive in four RBI’s.  

 

September 17, 2007 - The Sox tied the club record for the most runs ever scored in the fifth inning of a game when they sent 11 guys home at Kansas City. In addition to the 11 runs, they also collected 10 hits and three homers, one each by Danny Richar, Jermaine Dye and Josh Fields. Richar, Jerry Owens and Fields all had two hits and Fields drove in four runs in the inning.

Four times the Sox have scored 11 runs in the fifth inning in their history. This was the last time it had been done.

 

September 17, 2020 – In the most bizarre, strange, unusual and “Twilight Zone”-like season because of COVID-19, the White Sox made the most of it clinching a spot in the expanded playoffs coming from behind to beat the Twins 4-3 getting two runs in the seventh inning to do it.

The win ran the Sox record to 33-17 best in the American League on that date and put them in position to win their division for the first time since 2008, which was the last time the franchise made the postseason. They ended the shortened season a game behind Minnesota and lost to Oakland in the first round of the playoffs two games to one.