THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 11TH

[StatManDu]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 11TH

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

THE START OF SOMETHING BIG

1917: The White Sox kicked off what would be their second World Championship campaign with a 7-2 win over the Browns in St. Louis. The victory was the first of 100 manager Pants Rowland’s club would post that year and would put them over .500 for good.

 

LOLLAR POWER

1959: Thanks to Sherm Lollar, the future American League champion Sox improved to 2-0 with a 5-3 win at Detroit. Lollar broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh and accounted for the final with solo home run in the seventh and eighth innings. Early Wynn went the distance and gave up one earned run for the victory.

 

HOYT KNUCKLES DOWN

1963: Future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm fashioned another gem in relief in the White Sox 3-1 win over the Angels in Los Angeles. In his second appearance of the season and with the White Sox, the veteran knuckleballer turned in four shutout innings while giving up two hits with three strikeouts in saving Joe Horlen’s victory. In two appearances, Wilhelm retired 20 of the 22 batters he faced.

 

HELLO SEATTLE!

1969: The White Sox helped usher in Major League Baseball in Northwest with a 7-0 loss to the expansion Pilots in Seattle. Gary Bell, who would finish the season with the White Sox, got the win before 14,993 at SicksStadium. It was the only Opening Day in Seattle Pilot history. The next year, the team would be in Milwaukee playing as the Brewers.

 

THE FIRST FOR FARMEO

1980: Ed Farmer earned the first of what would be a club record 30 saves in the White Sox 8-4 triumph over the defending American League champion Baltimore Orioles before 3,902 at Comiskey Park. Farmer tossed 2.1 scoreless innings to preserve Ken Kravec’s victory. The White Sox got down early but Wayne Nordhagen’s two-run homer in the third gave them the lead for good.

 

FINALLY, A GAME!

1982: After five tries, the White Sox finally got their 1982 Opener in at New York. A massive snowstorm postponed three games against Boston at Comiskey Park and two more in New York before the Sox were finally able to play. Things were so backed up, the Sox and Yankees played an Opening Day doubleheader with the Southsiders sweeping the Bronx Bombers 7-6 in 12 innings and 2-0. The Sox own the distinction of being the last team in the 20th century to open the season with a doubleheader. In the first game, Bill Almon’s triple and Ron LeFlore’s single in the 13th proved to be the difference. In the nightcap, Britt Burns and Salome Barojas combined on a five-hitter before 31,008 in the Bronx.

 

HELLO ROBERTO

1993: In a changing of the guard moment, Roberto Hernandez – with the increasingly ineffective Bobby Thigpen idle -- entered the game with two outs and the tying run on in the ninth and whiffed Danny Tartabull to earn his first save in the White Sox 6-4 win over the Yankees before a matinee gathering of 21,047 at Comiskey Park. Joey Cora's two-run triple in the sixth inning gave the White Sox the lead for good.

 

A WHITE SOX WALKOFF WINNER

1996: Lyle Mouton’s three-run homer in the 11th sent the White Sox to an 8-5 win over the Texas Rangers before 16,685 at Comiskey Park. The Rangers took a 5-4 lead in the 10th but Jose Munoz led off the 10th with a single in his first career at bat and later scored the tying run. Mouton’s walkoff dinger made a winner of reliever Larry Thomas, who retired all six batters he faced for his first career victory.

 

SPEEDSTER PAULIE

2000: Paul Konerko went 4-for-5 with a double and an in-the-park home run in the White Sox 13-6 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field. Ray Durham extended his club record by leading off a game with a homer for the 11th time. A few batters later, Konerko laced the Sox first in-the-park homer since Ron Karkovice accomplished the feat Aug. 30, 1990. The Sox took the lead for good with three in the fifth on a two-run homer by Chris Singleton and a solo shot by Carlos Lee. Jim Parque got the win, snapping a nine-game losing streak that dated to July 7, 1999.

 

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME FOR LOAIZA

2003: Esteban Loaiza fired eight sparkling innings in improving to 2-0 in the White Sox 5-0 win at Detroit. Loaiza gave up a single in the fourth and a single in the sixth while striking out three. The performance was a sign ofgood things to come for the resurgent right-hander. Loaiza would finish the campaign with 21 victories.

 

SOX RUIN INDIAN PARTY

2005: The future World Champion White Sox spoiled the Indians’ home opener with a 2-1 win before 42,461 at Jacobs Field. The Sox untied a 1-1 game in the seventh on Scott Podsednik’s RBI single. Freddy Garcia got the win with eight tough innings and Shingo Takatsu struck out Aaron Boone with the tying run on first to end the game for his third save.

 

SERIES-OUSLY, A WIN IN OAKLAND

2007: Jermaine Dye hit game-tying homer in the eighth and the Sox added three more in the ninth to beat the A’s 6-3 to secure their first series win in Oakland since August of 2000. David Aardsma worked a scoreless eighth for his first win and Bobby Jenks fanned two in a scoreless ninth for his second save.

 

Editor's Note: Information for these entries is gleaned from the author's files, retrosheet.org, various Internet sources, press reports of the day, White Sox media guides and the many White Sox books written by the great Rich Lindberg.

 

 

[the People's Champ]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 11TH

 

SPEEDSTER PAULIE

2000: Paul Konerko went 4-for-5 with a double and an in-the-park home run in the White Sox 13-6 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field. Ray Durham extended his club record by leading off a game with a homer for the 11th time. A few batters later, Konerko laced the Sox first in-the-park homer since Ron Karkovice accomplished the feat Aug. 30, 1990.

 

That was an inside the park GRAND SLAM if my memory serves me correctly.

Edited April 11, 2008 by the People's Champ