November 3 has carried a few different kinds of White Sox news over the years - a Hall of Fame shortstop finally slipping away from the Giants, managerial hires that reshaped the franchise, and a painful roster move that closed the book on a beloved closer.
The earliest flashpoint came in 1903, when the long fight over George Davis seemed to be winding down. The New York Giants left the future Hall of Fame shortstop off their reserve list, which effectively handed the White Sox the upper hand in the battle for his services.
Chicago had already lured Davis away for the 1902 season, and he responded with 5.9 WAR over 132 games. But the National League and American League were still locked in a fierce tug-of-war, and the Giants persuaded Davis to break his Chicago contract and return to New York in 1904.
The dispute turned into one of the most hard-fought of the early 1900s, with court injunctions limiting Davis to just four games in New York that year. After the season, Giants owner John Brush gave up, and on this November 3, AL president Ban Johnson said Davis would play for the White Sox in 1905.
He did, staying with the club through 1909. His 1905 and 1906 seasons were the best of his career, both worth 7.2 WAR, and in 1906 he led the AL in WAR.
The Veterans Committee elected him to the Hall of Fame in 1998.
More than half a century later, the Sox made a trade that brought in a pitcher who would have a wildly uneven run on the South Side. On November 3, 1959, Chicago sent first baseman Ron Jackson to the Boston Red Sox for southpaw swingman Frank Baumann.
Baumann’s White Sox tenure started with a bang: in 1960, he led the American League with a 2.67 ERA and posted 3.4 WAR. The next year was the opposite story, as he led the league with 117 earned runs and finished with an ugly -2.1 WAR.
He bounced back in 1962 with a solid 2.3 WAR season, starting 10 games and finishing 12, with four saves. Baumann then spent two more seasons as a more marginal piece before a rare Crosstown trade sent him to the Cubs, where he wrapped up his career in 1965.
Jackson, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound first baseman, never really caught on in the majors, playing six years for the Sox but appearing in only 186 games. He got into just 10 games for Boston in 1960 and that was the end of his big league career.
The White Sox also used November 3 to make two managerial decisions that ended up defining eras. In 1983, Tony La Russa was named Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America after guiding the Sox to 99 wins and their first playoff berth in 24 years.
It was the first year the BBWAA handed out the award, and La Russa took 17 of 28 votes, beating Baltimore’s Joe Altobelli, who got seven first-place votes. He also won Manager of the Year honors from The Sporting News and the Associated Press.
Five years later, on November 3, 1988, the Sox hired Jeff Torborg as their new manager. The former major league catcher and Cleveland manager went on to enjoy real success in Chicago, where his “team and family” approach helped fuel a 94-win season in 1990.
That earned him Manager of the Year honors. The Sox followed with 87 wins in 1991 before GM Ron Schueler moved on and brought in his own choice.
Torborg’s playing career carried its own odd bit of history: he remains the only man to have caught a perfect game from Sandy Koufax and a no-hitter from Nolan Ryan, while also catching a third no-hitter from Bill Singer.
Then came another major managerial shift on November 3, 2003, when the White Sox hired Ozzie Guillén to replace Jerry Manuel. Guillén’s interview came late, framed as a courtesy by Ken Williams while Guillén was still coaching third base for the World Champion Florida Marlins.
Williams had actually settled on Cito Gaston before sitting down with Guillén, and that meeting changed everything. The “ Wizard of Oz ” immediately began remaking the club, pushing an “Ozzie-Ball” style built on pitching, aggressive baserunning, defense and the little things instead of waiting on the home run.
That approach helped carry the Sox to a World Series title in 2005, when Guillén was named Manager of the Year, and back to the playoffs in 2008. He remained in place until late September 2011, when his relationship with GM Ken Williams changed and owner Jerry Reinsdorf was forced to choose between his two “kids.”
On November 3, 2020, the White Sox earned a Gold Glove season from Luis Robert Jr. in center field despite the shortened 60-game schedule. He was joined by first baseman Evan White as Gold Glove winners who had never played a single MLB game before 2020.
Two years later, on November 3, 2022, the Sox hired Royals coach Pedro Grifol to replace Tony La Russa, who had officially retired in October because of health concerns. Grifol came in as an outsider, with no ties to Jerry Reinsdorf or the White Sox organization, something that had not happened in a managerial search since Jerry Manuel got the job before the 1998 season. After his first year, 2023, Grifol’s 61-101 record stood as the worst mark in White Sox history among managers who lasted at least one full season.
And on November 3, 2023, the club made a move that spoke volumes about where things stood. The White Sox released Liam Hendriks rather than pay him to mentor a young pitching staff and possibly return as a trade deadline asset.
The team had stood by him through cancer, but not Tommy John surgery. By cutting him, the Sox saved an immediate $13.5 million, turning a full $15 million salary for 2024 into payments spread over 10 years at $1.5 million annually.
The following February, Boston signed Hendriks to a two-year, $10 million deal worth up to $30 million over three years. What had once looked like a strong investment when he signed his four-year, $54 million contract in 2021 never fully paid off, especially after surgeries for lymphoma and Tommy John.
In his first two healthy seasons, Hendriks made the All-Star team and produced 4.3 WAR overall, but even that pace would have been hard for a closer to sustain.
In Other News...
Will Venable Just Gave White Sox Fans A New Reason For Pride
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For a franchise that had spent the previous three seasons buried under 100-loss campaigns, the turnaround under Venable has been impossible to ignore. The White Sox are suddenly part of a much more encouraging national discussion, and the next checkpoint arrives Nov. 10, when MLB Network will reveal whether Venables work earns the award and adds another layer to a season that already gave Chicago plenty to feel good about. [Read more 🡒]
Luis Robert Jr Is Testing Another Teams Patience Again
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The market should still have a place for him, though, because teams are always drawn to the upside of a player with his tools if they believe the fit is right. The Phillies, Rays and Astros have all been mentioned as possible landing spots, a list that says plenty about the kind of clubs willing to bet on a rebound. For now, Roberts next move is the one worth watching, especially with a few contenders weighing whether the reward is worth the patience. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Rotation Target Just Became A Much Tougher Decision
MLB free agency is open, and the White Sox are already being linked to one of the more intriguing left-handers on the market in Trevor Rogers. Baltimores decision to extend him a qualifying offer changes the calculus for any club considering a run at him, because it adds another layer to what was already a tricky pursuit for a Chicago team trying to reshape its rotation without overcommitting.
Rogers has put together enough strong work in recent seasons to make him a real target, but he is not the kind of pitcher the White Sox can assume will come cheaply or easily. If Chicago stays in the mix, it may have to weigh the cost of chasing him against the possibility that Baltimore, or another club, pushes the bidding into a range where the fit becomes more complicated than the talent alone would suggest. [Read more 🡒]