Today in White Sox History: July 10
Michael Kopech is perfect for an inning
1916
The White Sox swept Boston in a doubleheader, 4-0 and 3-0, with Lefty Williams and Reb Russell earning the shutouts. Russell’s effort was a one-hitter, with the only Boston safety coming on a single in the sixth inning by Clarence “Tilly” Walker.
About six weeks earlier, on May 28, the White Sox also swept a doubleheader with shutouts, as Jim Scott and Red Faber beat Cleveland by identical 2-0 scores.
But the doubleheader shutout pairs bury the lede on an even weirder story, as the Boston sweep came at the start of what would become a 19-day, 21-game road trip odyssey, with the White Sox playing in seven straight doubleheaders starting on this day, through July 20 — seven doubleheaders in 11 days!
The White Sox had a series in Boston in mid-May completely washed out by rain, so the July doubleheaders all wedged May and July games together. Then, traveling to Philadelphia for the next leg of the trip, the White Sox were deluged by rain to force additional doubling-up of games. The Sox then traveled to Washington, where they played six games, and ended the trip in Detroit with a two-game set.
The White Sox only split one of the seven doubleheaders, otherwise sweeping three and getting swept in three. After this leadoff sweep in Boston, the White Sox dropped four straight, then took five straight, and finished the doubleheader marathon by losing three straight. They then swept the Tigers twice in solo games on consecutive days.
Based on the original schedule and all the rain-soaking, the White Sox ended up with just one scheduled day off (i.e. a day off not forced by rain) in all 19 days of the trip.
In late August 1938, the Sox did one better having had to play six doubleheaders in six consecutive days!
1956
For the third and final time, Billy Pierce was pegged to start for the American League in the All-Star Game. In this game, in Washington D.C., Billy was tagged with the loss despite only allowing one run in three innings of work. The NL won, 7-3.
Pierce would represent the Sox in seven All-Star affairs. Joining him on the 1956 team were Nellie Fox, Sherm Lollar and Jim Wilson. Pierce also started All-Star Games for the American League in the 1953 in Cincinnati and 1955 at Milwaukee.
1995
At the All-Star festivities in Texas, White Sox All-Star first baseman Frank Thomas won the home run contest, on the day before the actual game.
2001
Magglio Ordoñez clubbed a solo shot to center field off of the Cubs’ John Lieber at the All-Star Game in Seattle, becoming the second White Sox player to ever homer in the annual classic. The AL won the game, 4-1. Ordoñez was the only Sox representative on the team.
2022
It was a tie game, 2-2, in the seventh inning at Sox Park when Luis Robert Jr. launched a fly ball to left-center.
Why is this notable? Because Tigers left fielder Robbie Grossman missed the catch for an error — which snapped his MLB-record 440-game errorless streak. Worse for Grossman, his error fueled the White Sox rally that would lose Detroit the game, as AJ Pollock drove in Robert from second with a single two batters later.
Grossman and Robert would end up being teammates for 25 games on the 2024 White Sox before Grossman was dealt away to the Rangers.
2024
Nobody ever doubted his talent. After all, Michael Kopech could throw a baseball 100 mph. While Kopech struggled with consistency, on this afternoon in the opener of a doubleheader against the Twins, Kopech was perfect — throwing an “immaculate inning” of nine pitches, all strikes, and three outs.
In the ninth inning of the Sox 3-1-win, Kopech blew pitches past Minnesota’s Brooks Lee, Matt Wallner and Max Kepler. Those hitters were just able to foul some off, but never had any good swings.
Nineteen days later, Kopech was dealt to Los Angeles, where he would help the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series.
The only other Sox pitcher to record an immaculate inning was Hollis Thurston, against the Philadelphia A’s on Aug. 22, 1923. It came in the 12th inning of a game he’d lose, 3-2.