Today in White Sox History: August 4
A future Hall-of-Famer begins to make his presence known
1911
Here’s a weird record and distinction for you: Lee Tannehill not only is the only shortstop in baseball history to record two unassisted double plays in the same season — he got both in the same game!
The milestone came in a doubleheader opener, an extra-inning, 1-0 loss to Walter Johnson and the Washington Senators.
The nightcap featured Washington’s Germany Schaefer running maniacally on the White Sox. With runners at the corners, Schaefer broke to second on a steal attempt, hoping to draw a throw to second to get the runner on third home. That failed. So Schaefer then stole first base on the next pitch, technically legal at the time, still trying to induce a throw that would score Clyde Milan from third. When Schaefer made a second attempt at stealing second (and third steal attempt overall) the White Sox bit, and ended up throwing Milan out at home to end the inning. (Base-running rules were later changed in order to prevent similar shenanigans in the future, and Schaefer was not credited with a stolen base in the box score.)
The White Sox dropped the nightcap, 3-2, on a day where they only mustered eight hits across 20 innings. Both defeats were walk-offs in Washington.
1979
Harold Baines hit two home runs in one inning during an Iowa Oaks game vs. Oklahoma City. At just 20 years old and five years younger than his level, the future Hall-of-Famer dominated Triple-A to the tune of 22 homers, 87 RBIs and a .298/.342/.528 slash line.
1980
Still just 92 games into his major league career and carrying a .684 OPS into the game, Harold Baines went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run in an 11-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown.
1985
On the same day Rod Carew got his 3,000th hit in Anaheim, White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver won his 300th career game by beating the Yankees, 4-1, at Yankee Stadium. The Sox scored four times in the sixth inning to put Seaver in a position to get the milestone win, and he got late-inning defensive help when Harold Baines climbed the right field wall to rob Willie Randolph of an extra-base hit with men on base.
Seaver retired Don Baylor on a fly to left for the final out of the game. The ball was caught by Reid Nichols, as the capacity crowd at Yankee Stadium (many of whom were Mets fans) gave Seaver a standing ovation.
1992
The White Sox set the franchise record for the most runs ever scored in the third inning of a game when nine men crossed the plate against the Twins in Chicago.
Wilson Álvarez got the win as the Sox took the slugfest, 19-11. DH George Bell had five RBIs in the game for the Sox. Thirteen players batted in the big third inning, and nine straight reached base.
The 19th runs in the game remain tied for 12th-most ever scored by the White Sox in a game.
1993
After years of getting brushback pitches thrown at White Sox hitters by Nolan Ryan, Robin Ventura snapped in the third inning of a game in Texas and charged the mound. Ryan got the better of the fight, but Ventura and his teammates found strength from the brawl and used it during the stretch run, which would lead to a division title and keep the Rangers in second place by eight games.
2000
Catcher Carlton Fisk was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Even though Fisk played more games and seasons with the White Sox, he went in wearing the colors of the Red Sox. Fisk explained to the Chicago media that his choice in no way reflected any animosity towards White Sox fans, but was based in part on his treatment by the organization and ownership over the years.
2010
White Sox righthander Edwin Jackson won his debut game vs. Detroit after becoming the first pitcher since Cliff Chambers in 1951 to be traded in the same season as throwing a no-hitter. Jackson threw seven innings of one-run ball, giving up nine hits and a walk against six Ks for his seventh win on the season.
Also on this day, the rapid ascendance to the majors by 2010 first-rounder Chris Sale was complete, as the tall southpaw had his contract purchased from Triple-A. He was the first of his draft class to matriculate to the majors, making his major-league debut two days later, in Baltimore.