Today in White Sox History: January 7
The fourth Brazilian ever to play in the majors is born
1967
Twenty-six years and two days after being acquired by the White Sox on waivers in 1941, Joe Haynes died of a heart attack while shoveling snow at his home in suburban Minneapolis. He was just 49 years old.
Although Haynes found his stardom with the White Sox, he made his longest-lasting connections with the Senators organization, marrying Thelma Griffith in 1941 ... yes, Thelma was the daughter of Washington owner (and former White Sox star and manager) Clark Griffith.
When the White Sox traded Haynes to Cleveland after the 1948 season, the righty was flipped back to the Senators three weeks later, in a swap that sent Early Wynn to the Wahoos. Haynes retired after the 1952 season, coached with the Senators for three years, then became the team’s general manager after Clark’s death.
Haynes remained a team executive through the franchise move to Minnesota in 1960 and was working in that capacity at the time of his death.
Haynes compiled 12.4 WAR for the White Sox, good for 39th in team history. He threw to a 3.14 ERA over 1,007 2⁄3 innings and a 114 ERA+ — only 16 pitchers in White Sox history have thrown at least 1,000 innings for the team and posited a lower ERA.
1983
Edwin Encarnacíon, who would grow up to one day be paid $12 million to hit .157 for -0.4 WAR on the 2020 White Sox, was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic.
1985
Former White Sox reliever Hoyt Wilhelm was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, garnering 83.8% of the vote in his eighth year on the ballot. In the previous election of 1984, Wilhelm had fallen just 13 votes shy of enshrinement, with 72% of the vote. Wilhelm pitched six full seasons for the White Sox, the most time logged with any of the knuckleballer’s nine franchises. He had a career 16.3 WAR with the White Sox, along with a 1.97 ERA, 41 wins, 99 saves and a 0.935 WHIP.
Former White Sox broadcaster Lou Brock was also elected with Wilhelm.
More controversially, Nellie Fox missed election on his 15th year on the ballot because the BBWAA and Hall of Fame decided not to round up his 74.7% to the needed 75% mark. Fox was named on 295 ballots, but needed a 297th vote to make it to 75% proper. Fox would eventually be enshrined in the Hall of Fame on his first Veterans’ Committee ballot, in 1997.
1992
Tom Seaver was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, earning 98.8% of the vote. Just five of 430 voters neglected to vote for Tom Terrific, giving him the highest election percentage in Hall of Fame history at the time.
Seaver pitched two-and-a-half seasons on the South Side, recording 9.7 WAR from age 39-41.
Reliever Rollie Fingers would join Seaver at the Hall of Fame induction that year.
1993
Thyago Vieira, who would effectively make his major league debut with the White Sox 25 years later, was born in Sao Paolo, Brazil. At the time begoggled, Vieira took his one game/one inning debut with Seattle in 2017 to Chicago in exchange for international bonus money. Possessing a live fastball but an almost complete inability to find the plate, Vieira pitched on the South Side for two years and 22 games, to a -0.5 WAR and 7.66 ERA.
Cut loose after the 2019 season, Vieira pitched for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan for three seasons before returning to the majors in 2023.
With his 2018 debut, Vieira became the fourth player and third pitcher from Brazil to make the majors. Interestingly, pitcher André Rienzo was the second Brazilian ever in the majors, and he made his debut with the White Sox in 2013.