July 25 has produced plenty of White Sox moments, but a few stand out above the rest: a strikeout clinic in Boston, a pair of Hall of Fame honors, and one of the strangest doubleheader finishes the club has ever had.
Back on July 25, 1954, Jack Harshman carved up the Red Sox in the opener of a twin bill at Boston, setting a franchise mark with 16 strikeouts in a 5-2 win. Harshman, who had been converted from first baseman, learned a “slip pitch” - a variation of a palm ball - from manager Paul Richards, and it paid off in a big way.
He finished with 13 swinging strikeouts, and his 16 punchouts were two short of the major league record at the time. The White Sox completed the sweep with a 4-2 win in the second game, and it would take 69 years before another Sox pitcher matched Harshman’s total, when Lance Lynn struck out 16 at Seattle in 2023.
A year later, on July 25, 1955, Ted Lyons and Ray Schalk were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lyons spent all 21 of his seasons with the White Sox and won 260 games, reaching double figures in victories 17 times and topping 20 wins in three of those years.
He also piled up 356 complete games and saved 25. Schalk retired as the most prolific catcher in baseball history and was regarded as the game’s top defensive catcher in the early part of the 20th Century, leading the league in fielding, putouts, assists and chances in different seasons.
He also caught four no-hitters, including Charlie Robertson’s perfect game. The two were teammates on the South Side from 1923-29.
The Sox also survived a marathon on July 25, 1959, when they beat the Orioles 3-2 in 17 innings at Comiskey Park. It was the second 17-inning game of the season for Chicago against Baltimore, and this one followed the same script for a while: the Sox tied it in the ninth, then won it on Harry “Suitcase” Simpson’s single that brought home Sammy Esposito. Bob Shaw started and worked 11 innings, and Turk Lown finished the final six to earn the win.
July 25, 1961 brought a slugfest of a different kind at Yankee Stadium. Roger Maris tied Mickey Mantle for the major league home run lead with his 37th of the season in the fourth inning of the opener, but Mantle answered with back-to-back power to move back ahead with No. 38 in New York’s 5-1 win over the White Sox.
Maris wasn’t done, though. He homered again in the eighth to tie Mantle once more, then blasted two more in the nightcap, a 12-0 Yankees win, to finish the day with 40.
The back-and-forth wasn’t over for the season, but Maris would ultimately land the final blow with his record 61st homer on the last day of the year.
One of the most dramatic days in franchise history came on July 25, 1967, when the White Sox pulled off the only instance in team history of two walk-off home runs on the same day. In a twi-night doubleheader against Cleveland at Comiskey Park, Chicago won both games in dramatic fashion.
In the opener, the Sox erased a one-run deficit in the eighth and then J.C. Martin launched a two-run homer off “Sudden” Sam McDowell, with Tommie Agee scoring ahead of him, to seal a 3-1 win.
The nightcap went 16 innings, with the Sox again coming from behind in the eighth before trailing 5-4 in the 16th. Ken Berry then crushed a two-run shot off Steve Bailey, with Ken Boyer aboard, to finish off a 6-5 victory.
The only other time since then that the White Sox have won back-to-back games with sayonara homers was 2010.
On July 25, 1977, Brian Downing delivered a late punch at Fenway Park, hitting a ninth-inning homer to beat the Red Sox 8-7. It was his only at-bat of the game, after entering in the seventh when starter Jim Essian was lifted for a pinch-hitter. Chicago had trailed 6-1 before scoring seven runs over the final three innings, and Jim Spencer’s three-run homer with two outs in the top of the eighth had pulled the Sox all the way back into a 7-7 tie.
July 25, 2002 brought a major roster move, as the White Sox traded second baseman Ray Durham to Oakland for pitcher Jon Adkins. The deal came with Chicago three games under .500 and six games out of first place.
Durham had been the team’s WAR leader at 3.4 through 96 games, while Willie Harris, the main replacement, finished the rest of the season at -0.2 WAR in Durham’s place. Durham went on to have four more full, productive seasons, and his 21.4 WAR still ranks 22nd among hitters in White Sox history and third among second basemen behind only Eddie Collins and Nellie Fox.
Adkins pitched in 59 games over three seasons for the Sox and posted 0.1 WAR.
On July 25, 2014, José Abreu became the 26th rookie in MLB history to reach 30 home runs in a season. His 30th came in his 89th game, making him the third-fastest to that mark behind Rudy York, who did it in 79 games, and Mark McGwire, who needed 84.
And on July 25, 2020, Leury García put on a switch-hitting show against the Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field. He homered from both sides of the plate in a 10-3 win, going deep left-handed off Zach Littell and right-handed off Devin Smeltzer. García finished 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs, and became the eighth White Sox player to hit switch-homer home runs in a game.
In Other News...
White Sox Deadline Buzz Suddenly Puts Their Rotation In Focus
The White Sox have made no secret of where they want to go as the deadline approaches: toward buying, and toward starting pitching. Chicagos rotation needs help, and the club also has more right-handed hitting outfielders than it can comfortably fit, which gives the front office a potential way to address one problem by dealing from another area of the roster.
Seattle has emerged as a logical place to watch because the Mariners can spare some arm strength even if their lineup could use more punch, especially from the right side. The fit is obvious enough to keep the rumor mill humming, but any deal would still have to clear the hurdle of a veteran starter whose value is complicated by both performance and contract considerations, which is why this one feels like it could move quickly or stall just as fast. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Prospect Suddenly Looks Like The Bat Fans Keep Waiting For
A White Sox farm system that has spent plenty of time waiting for a louder bat got another reminder of why Kyle Lodise has become one of the more interesting names in the lower levels. The No. 10 prospect turned in a huge night for High-A Winston-Salem, going deep twice and showing the kind of impact that can change the feel of a box score in a hurry.
Lodises power surge is only part of the appeal, too. In his first full professional season, he has already piled up 12 homers while also giving the organization speed and patience, ranking near the top of the system in steals and walks. For a player still sorting out his place in the ladder, that blend is exactly the sort of profile that keeps a front office and fan base watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Add Rotation Depth But Bigger Questions Still Loom
The White Sox are taking a low-cost swing on rotation depth, acquiring right-hander Jose Urquidy from the Pirates in exchange for minor league right-hander Felix Doroteo. Urquidy, who was designated for assignment after a rough major league stint this season, has been working as a starter in Triple-A, and Chicago is betting there is still something to coax out of a pitcher with a track record beyond his recent box scores.
Doroteo, a 21-year-old in the Arizona Complex League, gives Pittsburgh a younger arm to develop, while the move gives Chicago another option as it tries to piece together pitching help. Urquidys path back has been complicated by shoulder issues and Tommy John surgery, which have kept him out of much of the big league picture over the past two seasons, so the appeal is obvious even if the bigger question is whether he can stay on the mound long enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]