THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 21ST/1st game ever, 1st win at N

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THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: APRIL 21ST

 

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GAME OF THE DAY:

THE FIRST WIN AT NEW COMISKEY PARK

1991: The White Sox notched their first win in their new home with a 5-4 triumph of the Detroit Tigers before 29,776 at New Comiskey Park. Lance Johnson singled home Scott Fletcher in the ninth with the game-winner that set off a wild celebration both on the field and in the stands. The White Sox got a huge break in the inning when an error by Tiger outfielder Rob Deer allowed Ozzie Guillen to score with the tying run. After an intentional walk, Johnson delivered. Rookie reliever Brian Drahman was the winning pitcher.

 

WHITE SOX OPEN SHOP

1900: The White Sox played their inaugural game and lost to Connie Mack’s Milwaukee Brewers in a revamped cricket field at 39th and Princeton. As gametime approached, construction crews were applying the final touches to the tiny wooden grandstand. The Sox lost 7-1 before a crowd estimated at 2,000 to 3,000.

 

UP ON THE ROOF

1938: Future Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers hit the fourth Comiskey Park roof-shot home run. He connected off John Rigney in the Tigers’ 9-3 victory before 2,500 on the Southside.

 

SOX VICTIMIZED BY 13-RUN FRAME

1956: The Kansas City A’s victimized the White Sox with the most prolific second inning in Major League history. Kansas City scored 13 times en route to a 15-1 win over the Sox in Missouri. The A’s set an A.L. record that still stands by having 13 consecutive batters reach base safely in that big second.

 

4-0 IN 1957

1957: The White Sox improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1945 and for only the fourth time in franchise history with a 1-0 win in 10 innings vs. Kansas City before 8,009 at Comiskey Park. Jim Wilson went the distance and limited the A’s to three hits while striking out eight in his first start of the season. Sherm Lollar’s RBI sac fly in the 10th made sure that Wilson’s sterling performance did not go to waste. The other Sox teams that started 4-0 were the 1920 and 1914 teams.

 

MOOSE POWER

1965: Moose Skowron’s two-run home run in the 11th powered the White Sox to a 3-1 win over the Red Sox in a matinee affair at Fenway Park. John Buzhardt pitched 10 innings and got the win while Eddie Fisher got the final two outs for the save.

 

A FIVE-HIT GAME FOR JORGE

1974: Jorge Orta collected the first of his club-record three five-hit games in an 11-7 win over the Royals before 7,890 at Comiskey Park. Orta was 5-for-6 with a double and an RBI. Two of Orta’s hits came in a seven-run sixth, which allowed the Sox to erase a 6-4 deficit. Orta’s three five-hit games were one shy of the big league record held by Wee Willie Keeler (1897), Ty Cobb (1922) and Stan Musial (1948).

 

SOX TOP THE ROCKET

1985: The White Sox broke open a 1-1 game with a seven-run seventh in besting Roger Clemens and the Red Sox 7-2 win before 22,987 at Comiskey Park. The Sox took the lead for good when Rudy Law greeted reliever Mark Clear with an RBI single, which scored Julio Cruz who had walked off Clemens to start the frame. The Sox scored two more runs when the Red Sox botched a Joe DeSa bunt and on a two-run double by Carlton Fisk and RBIs from Daryl Boston and Ozzie Guillen (the first of his career at Comiskey Park). The win put the Sox back in first place in the American League West. The win was also Tim Lollar’s first with the White Sox.

 

I AM FROM MILWAUKEE AND MY STREAK IS STOPPED

1987: The White Sox ended the Milwaukee Brewers’ Major League-record tying 13-game win streak to open the season with a 7-1 win at Comiskey Park. Joel Davis was the streak-stopper before a crowd of 17,023, which included a lot of Brewer fans who had made the trip south from the Brew City. Davis fired 5.2 shutout innings for the win while Jim Winn went the rest of the way and allowed a run on three hits for the save. Donnie Hill’s second inning home run ignited the Sox rout.

 

A KNEE TO THE GROIN: OZZIE LOST FOR THE YEAR

1992: Ozzie Guillen was lost for the season when he suffered a hyperextension of his right knee in the ninth inning of the Sox 4-3 loss to the Yankees before 23,249 at Comiskey Park. Guillen rehabbed his knee under the tutelage of Sox trainer Herm Schneider and returned to hit a career-high .280 the next season.

 

THE MILKMAN ARRIVES

2000: In one of the all-time great steals in club history, the White Sox claimed third baseman Herbert Perry off waivers from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Perry was activated two days later and went on to have a career year with the White Sox. The off-season dairy farmer hit .308 with 12 homers and 61 RBI while playing a solid third base for the Central Division champs.

 

LATE CHARGE TAMES TIGERS

2005: The first-place White Sox scored two in the seventh to overtake the Tigers 4-3 in Detroit. Scott Podsednik’s two-run single in the seventh put the Sox over the top as the team improved to an impressive 12-4 in winning for the fourth straight game. Mark Buehrle (3-1) went seven innings for the victory while Shingo Takatsu tossed a perfect ninth for his fifth save.

 

WHITE SOX STAY HOT

2006: The White Sox improved to 11-5 with a 7-1 win over the Twins and Johan Santana before 31,287 at US Cellular Field. Jim Thome hit his third home run to give the Sox the lead for good in the sixth. Mark Buehrle tossed eight four-hit innings to improve to 3-0 as the Sox won their sixth straight.

 

BIG COMEBACK IN DETROIT

2007: The White Sox climbed out of a 4-0 first-inning hole and eventually beat the Tigers 7-5 in Detroit. A Jermaine Dye double anda Juan Uribe sacrifice fly in the 10th gave the White Sox the lead for good. The Sox forced extra innings in the eighth on Joe Crede’s run-scoring single. David Aardsma got the win. He struck out the only batter he faced in the ninth and then gave way to Bobby Jenks, who worked a flawless 10th for his sixth save as the Sox won their fourth in a row.

 

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.