1917
The White Sox won their second World series title, beating the New York Giants four games against two. The score in the series clincher was also 4-2. Just two days after ending the win in Game 5 with two innings of relief, Red Faber pitched a complete game six-hitter to secure the crown.
An unfortunate fourth inning for New York secured the victory, as Chicago scored three runs and would never trail in the game. Eddie Collins opened and was able to continue on a throwing error by third baseman Heinie Zimmerman, and Shoeless Joe Jackson followed by a fly ball that right fielder Dave Robertson dropped. With runners on the corners, Happy Felsch hit a comebacker to Giants pitcher Rube Benton, catching Collins from third base and putting him in a pickle; However, Collins ran home to score as Zimmerman could not catch him – a play that became known as Zimmerman’s Chase. With Jackson and Felsch moving up to second and third, Chick Gandil tapped a single to right to score them, providing the winning margin.
All four White Sox runs in the game were unearned, as the Giants committed three total errors in the decider.
Future Hall-of-Famer Collins hit .409 in the Series, with Faber (another future Hall-of-Famer) winning three games (and losing one!)
Then a young federal judge and White Sox fan – a man named Kenesaw Mountain Landis – sent a telegram congratulating the Sox on a job well done. The telegram said: “We did well today… we got rid of the Giants.” Landis would become baseball’s first commissioner, in the wake of the Black Sox scandal at the end of the decade.
1924
After a 66-87 season in which the White Sox finished in last place for the first time in their existence, the club embarked on a World Tour. As was the case a decade earlier, the New York Giants were the league/support team for the South Siders – although the White Sox were a Red Sox and Senators player to their roster, while New York players from the Phillies and Braves (Casey Stengel!). The teams had first played four games in Quebec, but on this day they left for England at Mount Royal.
A week later, on October 22, the teams disembarked Liverpoolwho played their first match in London on October 24. During the tour, matches were played throughout England, as well as Ireland, Scotland, Italy, France and Germany.
Amazingly, just five days before this departure, the Giants lost a World Series Game 7 in heartbreaking fashion, 4-3, in 12 innings. The White Sox did not sit still and hit the Cubsfour games to two, winning their ninth City Series in 12 tries.
1949
After arriving in Spring Training overweight and frustrating new manager Jack Onslow, Father‘s fate with the White Sox seemed sealed. He saw action in only four games during the 1949 season, and after the end of the year the South Siders sold Seerey to the Single-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox. The only White Sox player to ever belt four home runs in one game would never see the Majors again.
1964
The White Sox made a small but ultimately foolish deal by trading 19-year-old phenom Rudy May to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Mike Heide and a player to be named later (starting pitcher Joel Gibson).
GM Ed Short May had cunningly stolen from the Minnesota twins in the 1962 freshman player draft, and the righthander responded with a 17-8 campaign with a 2.61 ERA pitching for Chicago’s Single-A and Triple-A affiliates. May was a bit wild, but struck out 235 batters in 207 innings, at a time when one K per inning was a superstar pitching rate.
The White Sox were deadlocked in the major leagues, but it was shortsighted to think May wouldn’t have helped later in 1965, especially in light of the return.
Heath had a very good Triple-A season for Indianapolis in 1964, but played in only one game, with one at-bat, for the White Sox that year; he was shipped to Houston, where he hit .301 with the Astros in 1965 in the only regular MLB action of his career. Gibson was pretty bad in 40 games in the minors for the White Sox in 1965-66, probably with an arm injury, and never pitched again.
May was a late bloomer, playing 30 games with California (after another trade) in 1965, but not reaching the Majors again until 1969. He compiled 20.6 pitching WAR in his career, with better-than-average seasons in 1971, 1974-75 and 1982 and an All-Star level WAR (4.9) with the Yankees in 1981, at the age of 35.
Interestingly, after the 1982 season and nearly two decades after losing May for the first time, the White Sox selected the unprotected lefty from the Yankees’ roster as compensation for New York’s signing of a free agent. Steve Kemp. May and his agent declined, saying a no-trade contract meant a veteran player could not be forced to go to a particular team, and the commissioner’s office ruled in favor of May, who subsequently re-signed with the Yankees.
A 20.6 war with the White Sox would have placed May 21st all-time among White Sox pitchers, roughly the equivalent of John Danks.
2005
The White Sox continue their quest to become the first Chicago World Series winner of the century and the first South Side champions since 1917. Freddy Garcia pitched a complete game-win in Anaheim, 8-2. The White Sox moved to 3-1 in the ALCS and were now one win out of the Fall Classic.
This match was over early, like Paul Konerko blasted a three-run homer Ervin Santana in the first inning. It was PK’s second straight game with a home run in the first frame, and Konerko would win the ALCS MVP award for such slugging.
García continued an anachronistic trend in this ALCS, turning in the third straight complete game for the White Sox, after Mark Buhrle in game 2 and Jon Garland at game 3.
2020
Based on the White Sox’ first winning season since 2012 and stellar individual performances, The Sporting News named White Sox GM Rik Hahn his Executive of the Year, and first baseman José Abreu the Player of the Year.
Hahn became the third Sox manager to win the award Roland Hemond (1972) and Bill Veeck (1977). Hahn’s deals and replenishing the farm system during the rebuild proved worthwhile, as the Sox turned the corner on the pandemic-shortened season with a 35-25 mark and their first playoff appearance since 2008. He received six of 18 first-place votes. AJ Preller of San Diego came in second.
Abreu was crushing baseballs from day one of the shortened campaign, posting a .317 batting average with 19 home runs, 15 doubles and an American League-high 60 RBIs during the 60-game season, appearing in every game. He led the American League in hits (76), slugging percentage, total bases (148) and RBIs, and was second in home runs.
Abreu joined Frank Thomas (1993) and Wynn asked (1959) as White Sox players to win the award. Cleveland righthander Shane Bieber finished second in the voting, while Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman finished third.
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