1958
Future White Sox hurler Juan Pizarro set a record by recording 17 strikeouts in the Caribbean Series opener.
The game was the culmination of Pizarro’s biggest Puerto Rican Winter League season, during which he won the PRWL MVP as he became the second of now four pitchers to win the pitching Triple Crown, going 14-5 with a 1.32 ERA, 183 Ks and 94 hits in 170⅓ innings. Pizarro also set two regular season marks, surpassing Satchel Paige’s record by striking out 19 batters in a game against the Ponce Leones and throwing nine shutouts on the season. And just two starts after his 19-strikeout game, Pizarro didn’t hit the Mayagüez Indios. Pizarro’s Criollos de Caguas represented Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series, and in their series opener on the day, the southpaw threw a two-hitter to go along with 17 Ks in an 8-0 victory over Panama’s Carta Vieja Yankees.
Two seasons later, Bill Veeck Maneuvered a three-way deal with Pizarro’s Milwaukee and the Cincinnati Reds to acquire Pizarro for the White Sox. “Terín” blossomed into a star, winning 61 games during his first four seasons in Chicago and posting a 3.05 ERA and 12.9 WAR in his White Sox career.
Combining the Majors, the Mexican League and the Puerto Rican Winter League, Pizarro won 392 regular season games in his career. He remains the 36th best pitcher in White Sox history.
1976
Pioneering White Sox starter Jim Parque was born in Norwalk, California.
It may seem like more of an afterthought today, but when Parque made his MLB debut on May 26, 1998, he was perhaps the first pitcher of Asian descent to ever start for the White Sox (Parque is Vietnamese-American).
As an extremely undersized high school player (his team didn’t have a jersey small enough for the 5´1´´ rookie), Parque was mentored by fellow left-hander and former White Sox pitcher Jerry Reuss. Selected in the 50th round by the Evaders in 1994, Parque instead chose UCLA, where he led the Bruins to the College World series. The White Sox selected him in the first round in 1997.
His time on the South Side was short-lived, with only two full seasons and parts of three others. However, his career spanned the “Kids Can Play” era and the 2000 Central Division winners; that year was Parque’s peak, with a 13-6 record and 2.9 WAR.
2021
While it appeared a full season schedule would be played following the pandemic-shortened 2020 schedule, MLB and the MLBPA agreed to adjustments to the season to protect the health of players and fans. Most notable was the move to seven-inning doubleheaders and the Manfred Man runner at second base starting each extra inning.
For some reason, while nine-inning games in doubleheaders soon returned to baseball, the Manfred Man remains.
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