CATCHING UP: THIS DATES IN SOX HISTORY: MAY 8-11

[StatManDu]

CATCHING UP: THIS DATES IN SOX HISTORY: MAY 8-11

 

For the complete logs, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

THE FIRST DAY OF A MARATHON

1984: The White Sox and Brewers played 17 innings before their game at Comiskey Park was suspended sometime after 1 a.m. with the score 3-3. The White Sox won what turned out to be the longest game by the clock (8 hours, 6 minutes) in American League history the next day on a home run by Harold Baines in the 25th inning.

 

MAY 9TH

 

IN THE EIGHTH HOUR AND SIXTH MINUTE AND 753RD PITCH, A WIN

1984: Harold Baines ended the longest by-the-clock game in American League history with a home run on the 753rd pitch of the 8 hour and 6 minute affair which lasted 25 innings over two days. The historic blast powered the Sox to a 7-6 win and the bat that created it was sent to the Hall of Fame. Tom Seaver got the win and then started and won the regularly scheduled game, which the Sox won 5-4. The marathon game provided some interesting stats and bizarre plays. For example, Rudy Law, Carlton Fisk and Julio Cruz all had 11 at bats. … Tom Paciorek had a five-hit game after entering the game as a pinch-hitter! … Pitchers Ron Reed and Floyd Bannister both batted (0-for-1) while Richard Dotson was used as a pinch-runner and scored. … Juan Agosto fired seven scoreless innings of relief. Seaver became the first Sox pitcher to record two wins in one day since Wilbur Wood turned the trick on May 28, 1973 versus Cleveland.

 

MAY 10TH

 

KEEGAN IN RELIEF!

1956: Bob Keegan fashioned one of the greatest – if not the greatest – relief jobs in franchise history in the White Sox 2-1 in Boston. Keegan fired 8.2 shutout innings after taking over for starter Connie Johnson in the first. Keegan entered with a run in and the bases loaded. He then got Jimmy Piersall to bounce into an inning-ending double play. From there, Keegan scattered seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts in earning his first win of the season. The biggest moment of the game came with one out in eighth when Keegan retired pinch-hitter Ted Williams and Sammy White with a runner on second. Home runs by Minnie Minoso and George Kell accounted for the White Sox offense.

 

O WHAT A RELIEF HE IS

1974: Terry Forster tossed 8.2 innings of shutout RELIEF in the White Sox 8-7 win at Texas. The White Sox finally put Forster in position to win in the 14th when Dick Allen doubled and scored on Jorge Orta’s single. Forster gave up a single in the 14th but got a double play to end the game for the victory. The portly lefty gave up two walks and four hits while improving to 2-3. The Sox forced extra innings in this 4 hour and 18 minute affair on Bill Melton’s two-run double in the seventh.

 

MAY 11TH

HIS ARM WAS PROBABLY TIRED

1929: After 25 straight complete games, Tommy Thomas was removed after the fifth inning in a 9-2 setback to Washington in a seven-inning game at ComiskeyPark. Thomas eventually led the league with 24 complete games that year, his third straight year with 24 complete games.

 

SOX RIP RYAN

1973: The first-place White Sox scored five times off Nolan Ryan in the first inning and sent the fireballer to the showers in the first inning in a 7-4 win over the Angels at Anaheim. Ryan gave up five runs on four hits with one walk while retiring just one batter for the second-shortest start of his career to that point. Mike Andrews’ two-run double finished off Ryan. The Sox improved to 18-6, the best record in the Majors, and held their two-game lead atop the American League West. The 24-game start was tied for the second best in club history with the 1919 team. Only the 1912 club, which began 19-5, had a better record after 24 games. This outing ended up being tied for the third shortest start in Ryan’s Hall of Fame career. The only shorter starts came on Sept. 28, 1971 when he was with the Mets and on Sept. 22, 1993 when he was making the last of his 773 big league starts for the Rangers. In both games, he did not retire a batter. Ryan also lasted just one-third of an inning two other times: Aug. 14, 1973 and Sept. 11, 1979 (also against the Sox). Ryan did not record a strikeout in this game, marking just the fourth time that happened to this point. Ryan would end up not recording a strikeout in nine starts in his career and, oddly enough, four of them were against the White Sox.