THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 10TH

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THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 10TH

 

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FOX ROCKS FOR THE SOX

1959: Nellie Fox’s home run in the 14th inning capped one of the great Opening Day performances in big league history as the White Sox kicked off one of the most memorable seasons in team history with a 9-7 win at Detroit. Fox’s homer came with Sammy Esposito on first base and two outs. Fox had five hits (including a double), two runs, a sacrifice and three RBIs in becoming the last player in Sox history to accomplish that feat on Opening Day. The Tigers threatened in the bottom of the 14th but left-hander Don Rudolph retired the only man he faced to save Gerry Staley’s victory.

 

JFK STARTS THE SOX DAY

1961: After President John F. Kennedy threw out the ceremonial first ball, the White Sox defeated the “new” Washington Senators 4-3. The “old” Washington Senators moved to Minnesota where they became the Twins. According to Rich Lindberg’s definitive book on White Sox history “Who’s On Third,” Sox outfielder Jim Rivera pushed aside the Senators’ Hal Woodeschick to catch JFK’s heave into a crowd of players. After getting Vice-President Lyndon Johnson’s signature on the ball, Landis handed it to Kennedy and the president signed it. Rivera was not impressed with Kennedy’s autograph. “You’ll have to do better than that, John,” Rivera told the Commander-In-Chief. “This is a scribble I can hardly read.” Another Jim – Landis – helped get the Sox even in the seventh with a triple. The Sox took the lead in the eighth when Roy Sievers’ sac fly scored Minnie Minoso. Dick Donovan went the distance for the victory.

 

LOLLAR MAKES ’EM HOLLER

1962: The White Sox ushered in the 1962 campaign with a dramatic 2-1 win over Los Angeles before 18,124 at Comiskey Park. The Sox broke the tie in the ninth when Sherm Lollar’s two-out single scored Floyd Robinson, who had walked to leadoff the frame and took second on Mike Hershberger’s walk. Juan Pizarro gave up five hits in the complete-game effort for the win.

 

A TOUGH OPENER

1968: The White Sox opened the 1968 campaign with a 9-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians before just 7,756 at Comiskey Park. According to Rich Lindberg’s definitive book on White Sox history “Who’s On Third,” the crowd was kept down because riots on the West Side following the assassination of Martin Luther King a week earlier put the Comiskey Park neighborhood in an unfavorable light.

 

WELCOME, MILWAUKEE

1970: In their first game ever against the Milwaukee Brewers, the White Sox and Jerry Janeski pulled offa 5-4 win before 1,036 at Comiskey Park. Janeski, making his big league debut, gave up three runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in 7.1 innings in winning his big league debut. He got relief help from Wilbur Wood, who fired the final 1.2 innings for the save. The Sox broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth on a Bobby Knoop homer and RBIs by Luis Aparicio and Carlos May. The visitors moved to Milwaukee for the 1970 campaign after spending 1969 in Seattle as the expansion Pilots.

 

HAROLD DEBUTS

1980: Harold Baines made his Major League debut in the White Sox 5-3 loss on Opening Day to the Baltimore Orioles before 35,539 at Comiskey Park. Baines batted sixth, played right field and went 0-for-4 against Jim Palmer and Tim Stoddard.

 

ONE HECKUVA HAPPY HOMECOMING FOR “PUDGE”

1981: Hollywood couldn’t have written a better script for Carlton Fisk in his first game with the White Sox. On Opening Day in the park he had called home 11 seasons, Fisk launched a three-run home run in the eighth inning to lift the White Sox to a 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Fisk’s homer left the conflicted Boston crowd in stunned silence while the Sox traveling party was overcome with glee.

 

FLETCH POWER

1984: The Sox received some unexpected power from Scott Fletcher in pasting the Indians 7-3 before 13,948 at Comiskey Park. Fletcher hit a two-run homer in the second and had two other hits in support of LaMarr Hoyt who pitched seven strong innings for his second win. Ron Reed tossed two perfect innings with three strikeouts for his first save.

 

A RAD PERFORMANCE

1990: Scott Radinsky earned his first Major League win with 1.1 shutout innings in the Sox 5-3 victory at Milwaukee. It was the lefty's second career appearance. Lance Johnson drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run single in the sixth inning. Robin Ventura made the play of the game with an over-the-shoulder catch of a foul ball, which he turned into a double play at the plate.

 

HELLO SABO

1995: The White Sox signed free agent third baseman Chris Sabo to a one-year contract. The bespectacled Michigander lasted just 20 games with the White Sox before being released May 24th.

 

A MEMORABLE MILESTONE

2001: Sandy Alomar Jr. made his 1,000th career game a memorable one in the White Sox 8-7 win over the Indians before 14,465 at Comiskey Park. After Herbert Perry came through with a double in the eighth,Alomar followed with an RBI single to put the Sox on top for good. Gary Glover continued his perfect pitching in earning his first career victory. Glover turned in 3.2 perfect innings to extend his streak of consecutive batters retired to 16.