Today in White Sox History: January 28
Happy birthday to the two right fielders who roamed Sox Park throughout the 2000s
1901
The American League moves from minor-league status to the majors, with the existing Washington Senators, (the 1900 AL’s Kansas City Blues were relocated to the nation’s capital) Cleveland Lake Shores (renaming themselves the Blues), Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox joined by new additions the Baltimore Orioles (who had sat out a season after being booted from the National League in 1899), and the expansion Philadelphia A’s (created to compete against the NL’s Phillies) and Boston Americans (created to compete with the NL’s Boston Braves). Three clubs are cut from the AL: The Indianapolis Hoosiers, who joined the Western Association; the Buffalo Bisons, who joined the Eastern League; and the Minneapolis Millers, who joined the Western League.
All eight original AL teams still exist, seven contiguously. The White Sox and Tigers still completely intact, with no changes. Four clubs changes cities and/or nicknames: The Blues are now the Guardians, the Senators became the Minnesota Twins, the A’s are now in Oakland, and the Americans became the Red Sox. The Orioles have a more complicated history, by almost immediately moving to St. Louis to become the Browns, but returning to Baltimore in 1954 and reverting to the Orioles nickname.
The last team, Milwaukee, exists in 2023, but not as the same franchise as 1901. The Brewers are now in the National League, but this Brewers team were born in Seattle in 1969 as the Pilots and were moved to Milwaukee in in 1970.
The league played a 140-game schedule in 1901, and with roster limits set at 14, commenced a raid on National League talent. The AL also (temporarily) did away with the reserve clause, setting a five-year limit on team ownership of a player.
The White Sox had won the first American League pennant in 1900, with the AL still consider a minor league. They would finish first in the AL in 1901 as well, with an 83-53-1 record. Both of those pennants ended the White Sox seasons, however, as there was no World Series in those years.
1974
The two players who would roam right field in Sox Park for the balance of the 2000s, Magglio Ordóñez and Jermaine Dye, were born. Ordóñez, born in Caracas, Venezuela, was a White Sox mainstay from 1998-2004, suffered a career-threatening knee injury that cut short his South Side career; he signed with Detroit after the 2004 season. And replacing him in right was Dye, born in Oakland. Dye’s power helped drive the White Sox to the 2005 title, and he was in fact named the MVP of the 2005 World Series. He played the final five years of his career for the White Sox, through 2009.
In another coincidence, of all the players in major league history, Dye was most similar to Ordóñez in his age-26 (96.1% identical) and -27 (95.4%) seasons.
Overall, Ordóñez had the better career, both overall and with the White Sox. Magglio still ranks 17th all-time among White Sox hitters, with 25.3 WAR.
2008
Reliever David Aardsma was shipped to Boston for two minor-leaguers, starter Miguel Socolovich and center fielder Willy Mota.
Aardsma had been acquired from the Cubs in 2006 for Neal Cotts, and his lone campaign (2007) on the South Side was miserable: He pitched in just 25 games, to a 6.40 ERA and -0.4 ERA.
Socolovich toiled in the White Sox system for four seasons, making it to Charlotte in 2010-11 and pitching well in late relief (3.65 ERA). He opted for free agency after 2011 and would eventually pitch in the majors for four teams, over four season.
Mota reported to rookie ball in hopes of converting to the bullpen, and played all of four games before (presumably) retiring from baseball at age 22.
Aardsma remains the first player listed alphabetically on the all-time White Sox roster. He is the only South Side player ever with a surname beginning with two As.