September 15 has produced some loud White Sox moments, from record-setting extra-base hits to front-office upheaval, and a few stops in between that helped shape the franchise.
The earliest jolt came in 1901, when the White Sox turned the eighth inning of the nightcap of a doubleheader against Milwaukee into a line score for the ages. Trailing 4-2, they ripped off a seven-run frame in a 9-4 win, and five of those runs came on triples.
Sam Mertes, Fred Hartman and Herm McFarland opened the barrage with three straight three-baggers, Frank Isbell then failed to triple, and Frank Shugart and Billy Sullivan followed with two more in a row. Billy Hoy had already tripled earlier in the game, giving the White Sox six triples total and an American League record that stood alone for 19 years.
That day wasn’t just about one game. The White Sox had also hit three triples in the opener, including one each from Hoy and Mertes, leaving them with nine triples across the doubleheader.
Two weeks from the end of the season, they were 79-48 and sitting in first place by seven games, on their way to the first major-league AL pennant. On the same date, the club also released shortstop Jimmy Burke, just two months after buying him from Milwaukee.
Burke had played 42 games for the White Sox, with 11 steals, 12 walks and 21 RBIs, and Pittsburgh claimed him the next day.
Fast-forward to 1915, and Red Faber was still not yet a full-time starter, but he was dealing. He beat Boston, 3-1, on a one-hitter, with the Red Sox’s only hit and run coming in the fifth after a single, sacrifice bunt, stolen base and sacrifice fly sequence that briefly tied the game.
The White Sox answered in the sixth with two singles and an RBI on a fielder’s choice by Eddie Collins, then added another run in the seventh on Ray Schalk’s RBI single. Babe Ruth pinch-hit to lead off Boston’s sixth, and Faber struck him out.
Ted Lyons got his day at Comiskey Park in 1940, and he made it count with a complete-game 5-1 win over a three-hit attack in the opener of a doubleheader. The honor was the second of its kind for Lyons, after an earlier celebration in 1933. The “Baylor Bearcat” would eventually win 260 games with the White Sox and earn Hall of Fame induction in 1955; the team retired his No. 16 in 1987.
Eight years later, Comiskey Park saw another offensive eruption. The White Sox turned a 5-4 game into a runaway with a 10-run seventh inning and went on to beat Boston 17-10.
The inning featured four singles, three walks, a double and a stolen base before Taffy Wright, after tapping back to the pitcher and reaching on a failed play at the plate, launched a grand slam. Luke Appling singled and doubled in the inning, Pat Seerey singled and walked, and Ralph Hodgin made two of the three outs, including the fly to right that ended the frame.
By the end of the game, every White Sox hitter had a hit, and all but Hodgin and starter Al Gettel had at least two. Ted Williams, meanwhile, collected five straight singles before ending the game on a fly out to center, raising his average to .377.
The White Sox entered the night 37 games behind first-place Boston.
The dugout changed in 1954 when Paul Richards left for Baltimore on a three-year, $150,000 contract, passing on White Sox extension offers. Marty Marion, the bench coach and former St.
Louis Cardinals star, replaced him and signed a one-year deal to manage the club in 1955. Charlie Dressen was also considered, along with White Sox players George Kell and Phil Cavarretta.
In 1964, Smoky Burgess made an immediate impact in his first American League at-bat after years in the National League, hitting a game-tying home run at Detroit. The White Sox went on to win 3-2 in 10 innings and keep their pennant hopes alive. Burgess later led the league in pinch-hits in both 1965 and 1966, and his 20 pinch hits in 1966 tied the major-league record set by Ed Coleman in 1936.
September 15 also marked the beginning of a major personnel push in 1970. Newly installed director of player personnel Roland Hemond went after the player he would later call the one who “save” the franchise, asking Cardinals general manager “Bing” Devine about Dick Allen and offering Luis Aparicio in return.
Devine said no. Fifteen months later, Hemond got Allen from the Dodgers for Tommy John and Steve Huntz, while refusing to include Terry Forster after Los Angeles asked for the young left-hander as well.
That same day, Chuck Tanner officially made his managerial debut after finishing his Triple-A playoff run, and Johnny Sain began his stint as pitching coach.
Then came 1983, when the White Sox set a franchise mark by scoring 11 runs in the sixth inning of a 12-0 win over Seattle at Comiskey Park. The game was shortened to seven innings because of rain, but the Sox still sent 17 men to the plate in the sixth and collected nine hits. Harold Baines hit a grand slam, LaMarr Hoyt picked up his 21st win, and the Sox trimmed their magic number to two in the division race.
The day also brought a major front-office shakeup in 1990. Jerry Reinsdorf fired Larry Himes, the general manager who had drafted and signed Frank Thomas, Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura and Alex Fernandez, citing “personality differences.”
Ron Schueler took over as GM, and Reinsdorf used the press conference to deliver his “Point A to Point B to Point C” line. Later, in a radio appearance with Chet Coppock, he said, “The fact is, Larry Himes cannot get along with anybody.
You can hardly find anybody in the Sox organization who wasn’t happy when Larry Himes left.”
In Other News...
White Sox Make A Risky Pitching Call With Cleveland Closing In
With Cleveland closing in, the White Sox are leaning into a matchup-driven pitching plan for Game 2 of the series, using left-hander Chris Murphy as the opener before handing the bulk of the innings to right-hander Davis Martin. Murphy was just recalled from Triple-A, and the move adds another layer of intrigue for a club trying to protect a slim edge in the American League Central.
Martin has been one of the steadier arms in the rotation, working 26 starts with a 9-7 record and a 4.05 ERA, so Chicago is trusting him to carry the heavier load after Murphy handles the early frame. It is the kind of aggressive call that can look smart if the pitching line holds, and risky if the Guardians force the White Sox to keep reaching deeper into the bullpen. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Just Created A New Drew Thorpe Decision
The White Sox reshaped their pitching picture by recalling left-hander Noah Schultz from Triple-A Charlotte and designating right-hander Jos Urquidy for assignment. Schultz is expected to get the ball in an upcoming game, giving Chicago another look at a young arm while also clearing the kind of roster space that often hints at a larger move down the line.
Drew Thorpe is the name now hovering over that opening. He is finishing a rehab assignment, and the White Sox soon have to decide whether to bring him back to the major league roster or option him to Triple-A. With one roster move already made, the next step is lined up, and it could tell a lot about where Chicago thinks Thorpe fits in the short term. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face A Bigger September Test Than Just Cleveland
The White Sox are trying to keep their grip on first place in the AL Central as they head into a crucial late-season series against Cleveland, a stretch that should say plenty about how real this run has become. Chicago also added pitcher Luis Castillo in a trade, hoping he would help steady the staff down the stretch, but his early work has not matched the level the club expected when it brought him in.
Mike Shirleys resignation as amateur scouting director adds another layer to the month, because the White Sox are now weighing whether to restructure that part of the front office. So while the immediate focus stays on the Guardians and the division race, the bigger September question is how much the organization wants to change behind the scenes even as it tries to finish in front. [Read more 🡒]