This Day In Sox History...December 9

[Lip Man 1]

December 9, 1959 - The Sox off season purging of their young players continued with the organization shipping future All-Star power hitting outfielder Johnny Callison to the Phillies for third baseman Gene Freese. Of all the off season moves, this was probably the worst one.

Freese was a slow, scatter gun armed infielder with limited range.

Callison, the subject of a documentary film by the Sox called, ‘The Life of a Sox Rookie,’ in 1958 narrated by Jack Brickhouse, failed in a few tries to take over the left field spot but in a new environment blossomed, winning the 1964 All-Star Game for the National League with a three run ninth inning home run. The A.L. team that year was led by (ironically) Sox skipper Al Lopez!

Freese would be sent along in 1961 to the Reds in exchange for two pitchers, one of whom was Juan Pizarro who became a two time All-Star. Freese would return to the Sox for parts of the 1965 and 1966 seasons.

The Sox meanwhile realized the mistake they had made and tried to reacquire Callison from Philadelphia before the start of the 1962 season without success. He’d play 10 seasons with the Phillies accumulating five years in double figures for triples, eight seasons with 10 or more home runs and four years with at least 78 RBI’s.

    

December 9, 1996 - Pitcher Alex Fernandez signed a free agent deal with Florida. It was the culmination of misunderstandings and pettiness.

Sox ownership felt Fernandez was going to remain contractually bound to them for another season but that belief was torpedoed when the players union and the owners agreed to give players service time during the time missed in 1994 because of the labor impasse. Fernandez became a free agent and the Sox hastily made a late offer which was rebuffed.

He won 79 games in four full and three partial seasons with the club. Without him to anchor the rotation the Sox were forced to try to fill the void. The choice to do so, Jamie Navarro was a complete disaster.

 

December 9, 2004 - Trying to fortify his bullpen, Sox G.M. Kenny Williams inked free agent pitcher Dustin Hermanson to a contract. Hermanson would be spectacular in the first half of the 2005 championship season before back issues limited him in the second half. He’d still finish with 34 saves and an ERA of 2.04. Both were career bests.

 

December 9, 2004 - Sox G.M. Ken Williams signed oft-injured outfielder Jermaine Dye to a free agent deal. Dye would prove to be perhaps the best free agent signing in franchise history as he helped lead the club to a World Series championship in 2005, being named the series M.V.P. That year he’d hit 31 home runs with 86 RBI’s. Then in 2006 he’d have an even greater campaign, blasting 44 home runs and driving in 120 RBI’s.

In five seasons with the Sox, J.D. would average 33 home runs and 92 RBI’s.