The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball franchise based in Chicago. They play in the American League Central division. The White Sox have used 62 Opening Day starting pitchers since they were established as a Major League team in 1901. The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starter is an honor, which is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season, [1] though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day. [2] The White Sox have a record of 60 wins and 53 losses in their Opening Day games, through the 2013 season. [3] [4] [5]
The White Sox have played in three different home ball parks. They played at South Side Park from 1901 through the middle of 1910, the first Comiskey Park from 1910 through 1990, and have played at the second Comiskey Park, now known as U.S. Cellular Field, since 1991. They had a record of four wins and two losses in Opening Day games at South Side Park, 18 wins and 19 losses at the first Comiskey Park and four wins and one loss at U.S. Cellular Field, for a total home record in Opening Day games of 27 wins and 22 losses. [3] Their record in Opening Day away games is 33 wins and 31 losses. [3] [4]
Mark Buehrle holds the record for making the most Opening Day starts for the White Sox, with nine. Billy Pierce had seven Opening Day starts for the White Sox, Wilbur Wood had five, Tommy Thomas and Jack McDowell each had four, and Frank Smith, Jim Scott, Lefty Williams, Sad Sam Jones, Bill Dietrich, Gary Peters and Tommy John each had three. Several Baseball Hall of Famers have made Opening Day starts for the White Sox, including Ed Walsh, Red Faber, Ted Lyons, Early Wynn and Tom Seaver. [6]
The White Sox have played in the World Series five times. They won in 1906, 1917 and 2005, and lost in 1919 and 1959. [7] Frank Owen was the Opening Day starting pitcher in 1906, Williams in 1917 and 1919, Pierce in 1959 and Buehrle in 2005. The White Sox won all five Opening Day games in those seasons. [3] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
In addition to being the White Sox' Opening Day starter in 1917 and 1919, Williams was also the Opening Day starter in 1920. [13] However, he was suspended from the team later in the season and then banned from baseball for life for his role in throwing the 1919 World Series. [14] [15] Ed Cicotte, who had been the White Sox' 1918 Opening Day starter, was also banned from baseball as a result of his actions during the 1919 World Series. [14] [16] Ken Brett's Opening Day start on April 7, 1977, against the Toronto Blue Jays was the first game in Blue Jays' history. [17] [18] The Blue Jays won the game 9–5. [17]
Season | Each year is linked to an article about that particular White Sox season. |
W | Win |
L | Loss |
T | Tie game |
ND (W) | No decision by starting pitcher; White Sox won game |
ND (L) | No decision by starting pitcher; White Sox lost game |
(W) | White Sox won game; no information on starting pitcher's decision |
(L) | White Sox lost game; no information on starting pitcher's decision |
Final score | Game score with White Sox runs listed first |
Location | Stadium in italics for home game |
(#) | Number of appearances as Opening Day starter with the White Sox |
* | White Sox advanced to the post-season |
** | White Sox were American League Champions |
† | White Sox were World Series Champions |
Edward Augustine Walsh was an American pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball, nicknamed Big Ed. From 1906 to 1912, he had several seasons where he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Injuries shortened his career. Walsh holds the record for lowest career earned run average, 1.82. He is one of two modern (post-1901) pitchers to win 40 or more games in a single season, and the last pitcher to do so. He is the last pitcher from any team to throw more than 400 innings in a single season, a feat he accomplished in 1907 and 1908. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
The 1919 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 1919 season. The 16th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. Although most World Series have been of the best-of-seven format, the 1919 World Series was a best-of-nine series. MLB decided to try the best-of-nine format partly to increase popularity of the sport and partly to generate more revenue.
Mark Alan Buehrle is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Chicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World Series with them in 2005. Buehrle also pitched for the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays.
Larry DeWayne Wise is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He graduated from Chapin High School in 1997 and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the fifth round of the 1997 Major League Baseball draft. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Florida Marlins, and New York Yankees. He is best known for robbing Gabe Kapler of a home run to preserve Mark Buehrle's perfect game in 2009.
Michael Lynn Squires is an American former Major League Baseball player who played for the Chicago White Sox primarily as a first baseman in 1975 and from 1977 to 1985. He won the American League Gold Glove Award at first base in 1981. Squires was best known as a defensive player, often coming on in late inning situations when the White Sox had a slim lead. He did not have the typical power associated with a corner infielder, never hitting more than two home runs in a season. Nonetheless, he was a valuable member of the White Sox of the early Tony La Russa era, particularly in their 1983 AL West championship run.
Carl David Frost was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. The 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), 235 lb (107 kg) right-hander was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 18th round of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft. During a five-year Major League career, Frost played for the White Sox (1978), California Angels (1978–1981), and Kansas City Royals (1982).
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team based on the South Side of Chicago. They are one of eight charter members of the American League, having played in Chicago since the inaugural 1901 season. They have won six American League pennants and three World Series titles, most recently in 2005.
The 1993 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 17th season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing first in the American League East with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses. They were shut out only once in 162 regular-season games. The Blue Jays would repeat as World Series champions and become the first back-to-back champions since the 1977–1978 New York Yankees. The American League Championship Series would see the Blue Jays play the Chicago White Sox. After defeating the White Sox in six games, the Blue Jays would beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, also in six games. The team would not qualify for the postseason again until the 2015 season.
The 2009 Chicago White Sox season was the organization's 110th season in Chicago and 109th in the American League. The Sox entered the 2009 season as the defending American League Central champions, attempting to repeat against the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins. The White Sox finished the season 79–83 with third place in the American League Central, 7+1⁄2 games behind the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins, were officially eliminated from postseason contention for the first time since 2007, and failed to make the playoffs until the 2020 season.
On July 23, 2009, Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox pitched a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The game took place at US Cellular Field in Chicago in front of 28,036 fans, and occurred from 1:07 PM CT to 3:10 PM CT.
Kendall Chase Graveman is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox.