Today in White Sox History: August 3

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Yesterday 18:01

In Milwaukee on this day 34 years ago, **Frank Thomas** came within inches of making his first career hit a home run. He had to settle for an game-deciding triple.

Big Frank announces his presence with authority

1906

The 4-0 win over the Boston Americans was just the second victory of what would become a record-setting 19-game winning streak for the White Sox, but for Ed Walsh, this game was a monumental one-hitter — the second one of his career, and the second one of his 1906 season.

Walsh surrendered a single to leadoff man Jack Hayden, walked three other batters, but that was it. His 87 game score ranks as the 11th-best of his Hall of Fame career.

1940

At Comiskey Park, the White Sox held off the Senators, 7-6, to record the franchise’s 3,000th win. The Sox had a six-run fourth inning, which was the difference. Jack Knott picked up the win and helped his own cause, as he doubled in two runs in the big inning.

1956

The White Sox set the franchise record for most runs ever scored in the first inning of a game, when they picked up 11 in Chicago against the Orioles. Billy Pierce got the win and improved to 17-4 as the Sox cruised, 13-3. Catcher Les Moss drove in four runs to lead the way for the Sox. Fourteen White Sox came to the plate in the inning, with 12 of them getting on via seven hits, an error and four walks.

If you got the the game late, you missed almost all of the scoring, as Baltimore had drawn first blood in the top of the first, 3-0; the 14 combined runs in the first inning tied an American League record.

1959

Nellie Fox knocked in New York’s Tony Kubek for the AL’s fourth run with a single in the circuit’s 5-3 win at the second 1959 All-Star Game, held at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Fox also was on base when the Yankees Yogi Berra blasted a two-run home run in the third, giving the AL a lead they never relinquished.

It was the first time that two All-Star Games were held in one season, an experiment that lasted from 1959-62.

1986

White Sox rookie Russ Morman collected three hits in his first three at-bats in the big leagues. Morman also tied the MLB record (set by Billy Martin) by getting two of them in the same inning in his debut game — for Morman, it happened in the fourth inning of a 10-1 win at Comiskey Park against Detroit. The first baseman homered to lead off the frame, then drove in the sixth and final run of the inning with a single to center field.

1989

White Sox GM Larry Himes is best remembered for his drafting of future stars like Robin Ventura, Frank Thomas, Jack McDowell and Alex Fernandez, but pulled off a good trade or two as well.

On this day, Himes shipped outfielder Mark Davis to the Angels for pitcher Roberto Hernandez. Hernandez would go on to save 134 games for the Sox, with three seasons of 30 or more.

1990

With two out and two on in the seventh inning of a game in Milwaukee the White Sox were trailing, 1-0, Frank Thomas clocked his first career hit, a bases-clearing triple high off of the right field fence that would put his club ahead for good. The Big Hurt had started his career off 0-for-6 to that point, but from here on into the next 15 years or so American League pitchers would shudder as he strode to the plate.

1997

White Sox second baseman Nellie Fox finally entered the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fox, the 1959 American League MVP, was voted in by the Veterans Committee after missing regular election to the Hall by the fewest votes in the history of the shrine. (Technically, Fox received the 75% needed by rounding out his original vote total, but the Hall had no provisions for that, so Fox’s general-vote total of 74.6% stood and was deemed short of the 75% needed.)

Nellie was an 11-time All-Star (who hit .368 in those games), and was one of the most beloved players in Sox history. In fact, this honor came 38 years to the day after Fox starred at the 1959 All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

2001

White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle threw a lot of big games, both in the regular season and in the playoffs. This was one of his best, as he beat Tampa Bay, 4-0, at U.S. Cellular Field.

Buehrle allowed only one hit, to Damian Rolls, leading off the seventh inning. He walked just one batter, facing just 28 total in the game.

The 88 game score trailed only his no-hitter and perfect game as his career best.