THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: MAY 23/Big days for May

[StatManDu]

THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: MAY 23

 

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TAKING MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS

1901: With the A’s rallying, White Sox manager Clark Griffith put himself on the mound in the ninth and then issued a bases-loaded intentional walk to Nap Jajoie. Griffith then got three ground outs to preserve the 11-8 win in Chicago.

 

BUILDING THE LEAD

1912: The White Sox improved to an amazing 25-8 with a 10-4 win at New York. The win enabled the Sox to hold their 3.5-game first-place lead.

 

BOMBING THE BRONX BOMBERS

1934: The White Sox and Ted Lyons defeated the New York Yankees and Red Ruffing 14-2 at Comiskey Park. The White Sox scored 13 of their runs in their final four at bats in posting their largest offensive output against the Bronx Bombers since a 14-12 win on July 28, 1931 at Yankee Stadium. This was the Sox largest margin of victory over the Yankees since a 15-2 win in New York onAug. 11, 1925.

 

A SWEEP

1948: The struggling Sox swept a doubleheader from the Red Sox by identical 4-3 scores at Comiskey Park. Joe Haynes got the win in Game 1 and Earl Harrist was the victor in the nightcap as the Sox improved to 7-20.

 

HALL OF FAMER IN THE FOLD

1954: The White Sox acquired future Hall of Fame third baseman George Kell from the Red Sox for shortstop Grady Hatton and $100,000.

 

GRAY GETS AROUND

1955: The White Sox released pitcher Ted Gray but in the process helped him get into the record books. Gray tied an A.L. record, also set by Sox outfielder Frank Huelsman in 1904, by playing for four teams in one season in 1955. After pitching in two games for the White Sox, Gray also spent 1955 with Cleveland, New York and Baltimore.

 

HARSHMAN HELPS HIMSELF

1956: Jack Harshman went the distance and drove in a run in the White Sox 3-2 win over the Orioles before 1,924 at Comiskey Park. Sammy Esposito drove in two runs as the White Sox improved to 13-13. The Sox would not be under .500 for the rest of the season.

 

A WYNN-ING EFFORT

1958: Early Wynn scored the game’s only run and pitched a three-hitter in the White Sox 1-0 win over the Orioles before 10,192 at Comiskey Park. Wynn singled to start the third, took third on Luis Aparicio’s single and scored on an error. Wynn walked two and struck out nine in moving to 4-2.

 

WALLOPING WARD

1964: Pete Ward doubled, hit a grand slam and drove in five runs as the White Sox took over sole possession of first place with a 14-2 win – their fifth in a row -- over the Washington Senators before 6,654 at Comiskey Park. Dave Nicholson and Tommy McCraw also homered in support of John Buzhardt, who went the distance for his fourth win.

 

FIRST-PLACE SOX INCREASE LEAD

1965: The first-place White Sox got three RBIs from Pete Ward in defeating the California Angels 8-3 at Dodger Stadium. The win improved the White Sox to 24-11 and increased their lead atop of the American League to 2.5 games. Joel Horlen, Eddie Fisher and Hoyt Wilhelm each went three innings with Fisher getting the win and Wilhelm earning the save.

 

SOX MOVE INTO FIRST

1967: Ron Hansen’s three-run homer in the sixth gave the Sox the lead for good in a 5-4 win at Minnesota. Hansen’s blast came with Ken Berry and Jerry Adair on base and helped the Sox take over sole possession of first place by a half game. Hoyt Wilhelm saved John Buzhardt’s second win with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.

 

MELTON AND MAY DO ALL THE WORK

1972: First-inning RBIs by Carlos May and Bill Melton were all the first-place White Sox needed in a 2-1 win at Texas. May brought home Pat Kelly with a double and Melton plated May with a single as the Sox extended their winning streak to six. Stan Bahnsen fanned eight in 7.2 innings for his sixth win.

 

MAY REWARDS FORSTER

1973: Carlos May rewarded Terry Forster with a victory in the first-place White Sox 5-3 win before 9,480 at Comiskey Park. May hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the seventh in the midst of Forster’s 4.1 innings of shutout relief. Forster gave up two hits and struck out five in notching his second victory.

 

SKIP PITLOCK!

1974: Skip Pitlock turned in five solid innings of relief and was rewarded with a victory in the White Sox 9-6 win over Texas before 6,789 at Comiskey Park. Pitlock took over for Bill Moran in the first inning and gave up one run on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts before departing. After Ken Tatum went a third of an inning, Terry Forster entered and gave up one run in three innings for his eighth save. The Sox took the lead for good in the fourth when Ron Santo walked and scored on Ed Herrmann’s triple.

 

MAY HELPS TAME THE TIGERS

1975: Carlos May broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI single in a four-run fourth as the White Sox topped Detroit 6-1 before 8,789 at Comiskey Park. Deron Johnson brought in two more runs and Brian Downing capped the frame with a sac fly in support of Terry Forster, who threw 2.2 innings of scoreless relief for the win.

 

STREAKING SOX AT SEVEN

1976: The White Sox ran their winning streak to seven by sweeping a doubleheader from Oakland before 21,539 at Comiskey Park. The Sox took the opener 3-1 with two in the seventh on RBIs by Pat Kelly and Ralph Garr. The Sox won the nightcap 4-3 behind a two-RBI performance by Chet Lemon. Clay Carroll got the win in the first game with 2.2 shutout innings and the save in Game 2 by getting an game-ending double play.

 

A BLAST OF LEMON

1979: Chet Lemon launched a three-run home run and Ken Kravec scattered 10 hits in a complete game effort in a 6-1 win over Oakland before 11,881 at Comiskey Park. Lemon’s blast came in the decisive fifth inning and helped the Sox improve to 20-20.

 

15 RUNS ON 17 HITS

1981: The White Sox pounded out 17 hits in thumping the Angels 15-4 in Anaheim. Tony Bernazard led the way with four hits while Billy Almon had three hits and three RBIs. Jim Essian also had three RBIs while Carlton Fisk, Greg Luzinski and Harold Baines each drove in two.

 

WALKER AND COWLEY

1986: Greg Walker went 4-for-4 and Joe Cowley earned his first win with the White Sox in a 4-1 victory at Kansas City. Cowley gave up three hits and four walks while striking out three in 7.1 innings as the Sox won for the eighth time in their last nine outings.

 

TOUGH FLOYD BANNISTER

1987: Floyd Bannister turned in one of the best games of his White Sox career in a 9-1 win at Boston. Bannister held the defending American League champion hitless for 5.2 innings and had a one-hit shutout going before giving up a home run. Bannister finished with six strikeouts in improving to 3-3. Bannister was backed by 16 hits with Gary Redus and Fred Manrique each getting three and Harold Baines, Greg Walker, Tim Hulett and Ozzie Guillen all posting two.

 

THIGGY SAVES IT

1988: Bobby Thigpen nailed down Melido Perez’s fourth win in five decisions in the Sox 3-2 victory over Cleveland before 8,624 at Comiskey Park. Ozzie Guillen drove in the winning run in the sixth inning as the Sox snapped a five-game losing streak.

 

PASQUA POWER!

1990: Dan Pasqua homered twice and drove in four in the White Sox 6-3 win at Baltimore. Carlton Fisk drove in the go-ahead run in the fourth and Bobby Thigpen picked up his 12th save as Eric King improved to 3-0.

 

HIBBY, THOMAS HAMMER A’S

1991: Greg Hibbard pitched a complete game five-hitter and Frank Thomas drove in five runs as the White Sox pounded A’s 11-1 at Oakland. Tim Raines, Lance Johnson, Robin Ventura and Frank Thomas, the first four batters in the Sox order, were a combined 11-for-18 with eight RBIs as the Sox totaled 17 hits. … Also on this day, the Sox acquired shortstop Esteban Beltre from Milwaukee for outfielder John Cangelosi.

 

BELL HAUNTS OLD TEAM

1992: The White Sox took care of Toronto 5-2 before 39,293 at Comiskey Park. Ex-Jay George Bell pulled the Sox even in the second with an RBI double and Steve Sax gave the Sox lead for good in the third with a sac fly. Greg Hibbard got the win, limiting the Jays to four hits in 6.1 innings while fanning four. Bobby Thigpen earned the save as the second-place Sox pulled to within 1.5 games of first place.

 

A WALKOFF TRIPLE

1993: George Bell’s triple scored Joey Cora with the winning run as the first-place White Sox rallied to beat Oakland 5-4 in 10 innings before 30,873 at Comiskey Park. Bell homered in the eighth to get the Sox to within one. Ozzie Guillen’s sacrifice fly in the ninth tied the game.

 

STERLING SIROTKA

1998: Mike Sirotka handcuffed the Detroit Tigers in the White Sox 7-1 win at Comiskey Park in a snappy 2 hours and 35 minutes. Sirotka (6-4) went the distance, limiting the Tigers to four hits. The stylish lefty finished with a flurry, retiring the final 12 Tigers he faced and four of those 12 outs were strikeouts. The Sox broke open the game with a five-run eighth.

 

BLASTING THE ROCKET

2000: Brook Fordyce, Jose Valentin and Ray Durham launched home runs off Roger Clemens as the White Sox ripped the New York Yankees 8-2 before 21,863 at Comiskey Park. Fordyce, making his 2000 debut after suffering a broken foot in spring training, untied a 2-2 game in the fourth with a three-run homer off Clemens. Kip Wells, summoned from Triple-A Charlotte earlier in the day, fanned a career-high seven while allowing two runs in 6.2 innings for the win.

 

TEARING APART SANTANA

2004: The White Sox blasted the Twins and future Cy Young winner Johann Santana 17-7 in the Metrodome to move into a tie for first place in the American League Central. The 17-runs were the most the Sox ever scored in the Metrodome and the victory allowed the team to finish a road trip at 5-2. Carlos Lee and Aaron Rowand paced the 23-hit attack with four hits each. Lee had six RBIs while Rowand added four. The Sox were trailing 6-3 after three but scored eight runs in the fourth and six more over the next two innings to take command. Miguel Olivo and Juan Uribe highlighted the eight-run fourth with back-to-back home runs.

 

PAULIE, DYE GO BACK-TO-BACK

2006: Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye hit back-to-back home runs as part of a four-run first in the White Sox 9-3 win over Oakland before 38,860 at US Cellular Field. Konerko’s home run was the 215th of his Sox career, moving him past Carlton Fisk into sole possession of the club’s career list.