History of the Chicago White Sox
After acquiring a number of stars from the older league, including pitcher and manager Clark Griffith, the White Stockings also captured the AL's first major-league pennant the next year, in 1901.
During this time, however, they acquired a solid core of players such as catcher Ray Schalk, shortstop / third baseman Buck Weaver, and pitchers Eddie Cicotte, Red Faber and Reb Russell.
During this period, the White Sox featured stars such as third baseman Willie Kamm, shortstop Luke Appling, outfielder Leo Najo and pitcher Ted Lyons.
Following Charles Comiskey's death in 1931, the team continued to be operated by his family – first by his son Lou, then by Louis' widow Grace, and finally by their daughter Dorothy Rigney.
Not until 1959 did the team pass out of the family (thanks in part to a feud between Dorothy and her brother Chuck) to a new ownership group, led by Bill Veeck, who had run the Cleveland Indians and the St. Louis Browns.
[5] Perennial All-Star Minnie Miñoso, a former Negro leaguer who became the White Sox' first black player in 1951, personified both aspects, leading the league in stolen bases while hitting over .300 and providing terrific play in left field.
The White Sox had several outstanding pitching staffs in the 1960s, with pitchers who had the best ERA in four different seasons -- Frank Baumann, 2.67 (1960), Gary Peters, 2.33 (1963), and again with 1.98 (1966) and finally Joe Horlen, 2.06 (1967).
After the pennant-clinching victory, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, a lifelong White Sox fan, ordered his fire chief to set off the city's air raid sirens.
The White Sox had a brief resurgence in 1972, with slugger Dick Allen winning the MVP award; but injuries, especially to popular third baseman Bill Melton, took their toll and the team finished 5+1⁄2 games behind Oakland, the eventual world champion.
Veeck's strategy to make the team competitive quickly, dubbed "rent-a-player" by sports writers, involved acquiring star players entering the final year of their contracts.
Under Lemon's cool hand, the Yankees erased a 14-game deficit in the American League East and defeated the Red Sox in a one-game playoff for the division championship, dispatched the Royals for their third consecutive pennant, and downed the Dodgers to repeat as World Series champions.
A bright spot emerged in August 1979 when Veeck replaced player-manager Don Kessinger with 34-year old coach Tony LaRussa, who embarked on a Hall of Fame career which lasted over three decades.
Veeck favored Ohio real estate tycoon Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr., whose family owned the NFL's San Francisco 49ers and the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins and had tried to buy several MLB teams and move them to New Orleans.
The new owners moved quickly to show that they were committed to winning by signing All-Star catcher Carlton Fisk from the Red Sox as well as power-hitting outfielder Greg Luzinski from the defending champion Phillies during the 1980–81 offseason.
The White Sox were led by Thomas, Ventura, multi-sport star Bo Jackson, Cy Young Award winner McDowell and All-Star closer Roberto Hernández and won the last AL West before realignment with a 94–68 record.
The team scored runs at a blistering pace, which enabled them to overcome the effects of a mediocre pitching staff, led by Mike Sirotka and James Baldwin.
At first Pierzynski headed back to the dugout but ran to first base upon realizing that umpire Doug Eddings had ruled that Angels catcher Josh Paul (a former White Sox player) did not field the ball cleanly, meaning he would have to either tag the batter or throw to the first baseman to record the out (see uncaught third strike).
In fact, the last time any major league pitching staff had hurled four straight complete game victories was near the end of the 1983 regular season, when the Texas Rangers accomplished the feat.
The World Series then shifted to Houston for Game 3, in which Astros' starter and NLCS MVP Roy Oswalt cruised with a 4–0 lead until the wheels totally came off for him with a five-run fifth by the White Sox.
Game 4 also saw a spectacular defensive play by Juan Uribe, as the Chicago shortstop fell two rows into the stands in order to retire Chris Burke for the second out in the bottom of the ninth.
After leading the wild card race for much of the season, the White Sox faltered, losing 15 of 24 at the beginning of September to eliminate them from playoff contention, ending their chances of becoming the first repeat winner of the World Series since the New York Yankees in 1999 and 2000.
In addition to manager Ozzie Guillén, the White Sox had six representatives at the 77th All-Star Game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, the most among any club: starting pitcher Mark Buehrle, closer Bobby Jenks, catcher A. J. Pierzynski, first basemen Paul Konerko and Jim Thome, and right fielder Jermaine Dye.
Buehrle secured his spot in the MLB record books when he forced Rangers catcher Gerald Laird to ground out to third baseman Joe Crede at 9:14 P.M. CDT, sending the crowd of 25,390 at U.S. Cellular Field into a frenzy.
[10] On August 14, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramírez, and Juan Uribe combined to hit four consecutive home runs against the Kansas City Royals off of pitchers Joel Peralta and Rob Tejeda, something that has only been done six other times in the history of Major League Baseball.
A game saving throw to home plate from center-fielder Ken Griffey Jr. to catcher A. J. Pierzynski on a flyout to keep Michael Cuddyer from scoring would keep the Twins scoreless through the top of the 5th inning.
[11] Javier Vázquez and Boone Logan were traded to the Atlanta Braves for prospects Tyler Flowers, Brent Lillibridge, Jon Gilmore and Santos Rodriguez.
On July 31, the White Sox traded 2007 number one draft pick (25th overall), pitcher Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter in exchange for Jake Peavy.
The White Sox Organization also printed his face on the legendary wall in Left-Center field with other number retirees Billy Pierce to his left and Carlton Fisk to his right.
First baseman José Abreu was named the American League Rookie of the Year, winning the team triple crown with a .317 batting average, 36 home runs and 107 RBIs.
The White Sox had an aggressive offseason following the 2014 season, signing free agents David Robertson and Melky Cabrera to multi-year contracts and trading for pitcher Jeff Samardzija.
