Bill Melton: The South Side’s First Home Run King

“Now it’s even. It’s neck and neck. We’ll start from here and see who’s boss.” — Reggie Jackson1

There have been two players in Chicago White Sox history that led the American League in home runs. Only two over the first 123 seasons of baseball on the south side of Chicago. The second of those two players led the league in two different seasons. The first did not accomplish the feat until 1971, 70 years after the American League went major in 1901.

It might seem like a low number, but the White Sox built their greatest teams on fielding, speed, and pitching. As of 2022, there have been seven players for the franchise that have hit 40 or more home runs in a season. However, none of them led the league in home runs.

Bill Melton is not one of those seven. But the California native, who became to be known as “Beltin’ Melton” to the Comiskey Park faithful, broke through the 71-year drought by finishing on top of the AL heap with 33 home runs in 1971.2

Melton showed an aptitude for hitting early on. At Citrus College, he batted .300 and hit nine home runs. It was his good fortune that Chicago White Sox scout Hollis Thurston was on hand to witness his exploits. “The reason I signed was because I primarily needed the money to go to school,” said Melton. “At that particular time, there was not a draft and the most they could offer me was $8,000. I remember hitting a couple of home runs over 400 feet at Brookside Park, the day Hollis Thurston was there. He offered me something like $2,000, $5,000, and then $8,000 after the last home run which was about 450 feet.”3

In 1964, Melton began the long and winding road to the big leagues in the Sarasota Rookie League as a second baseman and outfielder. From there, he made stops in Appleton, Wisconsin (1966) with the Class A Fox Cities and in Evansville, Indiana (1967) with the AA White Sox.

He began the 1968 season at AAA Hawaii of the Pacific Coast League. Melton was called up to the White Sox, making his major league debut on May 4, 1968, against the New York Yankees at Comiskey Park. Playing third base and batting seventh, Melton knocked in a run by way of a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second inning. Chicago won the game 4-1. “I wasn’t even shaky,” said Melton. “I guess I was too tired to be scared. I’ve only had about five hours sleep in the last 50 after they called me up.”4

As for playing third base, Melton was getting a crash course from Chicago manager Eddie Stanky’s coaching staff. “Most of my instructions on how to play third base were done on a plane,” said Melton. “I will never forget Eddie Stanky’s coaches, they were drawing on an airplane napkin, on a bunt situation you want to play here.”5

Chicago sent Melton back down to Hawaii on May 22. Melton returned to the White Sox in September 1968. Stanky had been fired after the Sox started the season with a 34-45 record. He was eventually replaced with Al Lopez.6 Stanky had taken over for Lopez after 1965 due to Lopez dealing with an illness. Now, Lopez was replacing “The Brat” three years later.

In that final month, Melton appeared in seventeen games and batted .317. He swatted two home runs and drove in thirteen runs. As a result, Lopez all but handed Melton the third base job for 1969. “But where I look for the biggest lift is at third base, with our rookie Bill Melton,” said Lopez. “This kid really swings a good bat. He knocked in some big runs for us after we brought him up late in the season.”7

Pete Ward was one of seven players who started at third base for Chicago in 1968. Ward started 77 games at the hot corner, more than the others. Ward was a versatile player who also saw playing time at first base and the corner outfield positions. However, Ward batted .216 in 1968 and Lopez felt that there must be a be a better solution.

Melton’s first big moment came on June 24, 1969. Chicago beat the Seattle Pilots 7-6 in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Sicks’ Stadium. In the that second game, Melton went four-for-five with three home runs and a double, becoming the fifth player in White Sox history to hit three home runs in one game. Melton victimized Seattle starter Fred Talbot with solo home runs in the second and fourth innings. In the sixth, Melton connected off Pilots’ reliever John O’Donoghue. All three home runs were hit over the left field wall. In the ninth, he smoked a line-drive double to left field that fell several feet short of the outfield wall. “What has helped me is leveling my bat,” said Melton. “Originally, I held my bat straight up. Then last fall in the Instructional League, Al Lopez suggested I go even farther. He had me hold the bat back, even with the ground. Well, it worked well until recently when I began dropping my right shoulder with the result I was uppercutting again. I’ve gone back to a 45-degree angle.”8

The adjustments Melton made at the plate paid off. In his first full season he led the Sox in home runs (23), doubles (26), and RBI (87) while batting .255. In the AL, only expansion Kansas City (Ed Kirkpatrick with 14) and California (Rick Reichardt with 13) had home run leaders with a lesser total than Melton. “Bill Melton has done better than anybody has a right to expect,” said Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio. “But he needs help.”9

In spite of the new infusion of talent, the White Sox were not a competitive team. Their drop in the standings was astounding. In 1967 under Stanky, the White Sox were in a pennant race with Detroit, Boston, and Minnesota until the final week of the season. They finished in fourth place with an 89-73 record. But in 1968 they plummeted to eighth place with a 67-95 mark, 36 games behind pennant-winning Detroit. The following year with expansion came the realignment into two divisions. Chicago fared no better, finishing in fifth place of the six-team AL West division with a 68-94 record.

Lopez resigned due to health reasons seventeen games into the 1969 season. He was replaced with longtime coach Don Gutteridge. The revolving managerial door continued in 1970 when Gutteridge was let go on September 1 after the Sox plummeted to the AL West cellar with a 49-87 record. Ultimately, he was replaced with Chuck Tanner.

Melton continued to smash home runs at a record pace. On September 21, 1970, Melton became the first player in White Sox history to hit 30 or more home runs in a season. In the first game of a doubleheader against Kansas City, Melton smacked a solo shot off Royals’ relief pitcher Aurelio Monteagudo. The home run was Melton’s 22nd smash hit at home. The previous mark was 21 set by Zeke Bonura in 1934.

The spider webs on the Comiskey Park turnstiles were hardly disturbed as only 672 tickets were sold. Many more will swear they were there to witness the record-breaking night.

Melton eclipsed the previous record of 29 home runs set by Gus Zernial (1950) and Ed Robinson (1951). Melton ended the season with 33 round-trippers, finishing sixth in the league.

The year was not all glory for Melton, who split time with Syd O’Brien at third base. When he wasn’t in the hot corner, Melton was patrolling right field. Gutteridge did not view Melton much as a third baseman, but Tanner felt otherwise.

One big change for the White Sox was the insertion of Wilbur Wood into the starting rotation. The southpaw knuckleballer had mostly pitched in relief with some spot starting assignments sprinkled during his ten seasons. Chicago’s team ERA shrank from 4.54 in 1970 to 3.12 in 1971.

Two key additions came via the trade route. Chicago obtained outfielders Jay Johnstone from California and Rick Reichardt from Washington, which added some pop to their lineup and solidified its outfield.

Melton was inserted into the cleanup spot of the White Sox lineup with Carlos May either before him or in the five-hole. The rest of the lineup was adjusted as Tanner sought the right combination.

At the beginning of the year, Melton swatted only six home runs through May 31. But in June he caught fire. Strengthened by a stretch of four games (June 14-17) “Beltin’ Melton” clubbed four home runs and totaled eleven RBI. In all, he hit twelve homers, drove in 26 runs and batted .311 in June. It was easily the most productive month of his career to date.

At the All-Star break on July 11, 1971, Melton was batting .286 with 20 home runs and 52 RBI. Melton and Detroit’s Norm Cash shared the AL home run leaderboard with 20 apiece. Boston’s Reggie Smith and Minnesota’s Tony Oliva were right behind with eighteen.

Melton was selected for the All-Star Game, held July 13 at Tiger Stadium, but did not appear in the game. The AL was victorious, 6-4, breaking an eight-game losing slump against the senior circuit. The bottom of the third inning was indeed historic. Oakland’s Reggie Jackson smashed a ball that banged off a light tower on top of the ballpark. Later in the inning, Baltimore’s Frank Robinson also homered, becoming the first player to hit a home run for each league.

As the final month of the season approached, Cash, Smith, and Melton were all tied with 27 home runs. Jackson trailed by two with 25 dingers. The home run race may have tightened, but the same could not be said for the AL West division championship. Oakland (87-47) flexed its muscles and held a sixteen-game lead over second-place Kansas City (70-62). Chicago (63-70), although it showed improvement in the standings, were in third place, 231/₂ games out.

On September 23, with a week left in the season, Cash, Jackson, and Melton were all even with 30 home runs. On September 28, Cash swatted two solo home runs off Steve Hargan at Cleveland. Jackson, who had led by one, also hit a solo homer against Mike Hedlund of Kansas City.

Melton had yet to have a multi-homer game in 1971. Tanner inserted Melton into the leadoff position to potentially give the slugger more at bats. On September 29, he broke through for his first. The White Sox won 2-1 over Milwaukee at Comiskey Park. Both runs came off single shot home runs by Melton off the Brewers’ Jim Slaton. “I spread myself out more in the batter’s box, moved closer to the plate, choked two inches on the bat—a Mike Andrews model that I tried earlier in the season,” said Melton. “And I went up there guessing on the pitches. I guessed at a pitch and if I didn’t get it, I let it go by. But I wasn’t about to walk. Sure, I was going for the home run. I have been for three weeks.”10

On Thursday, September 30, 1971, Melton made White Sox history, clubbing a home run off Brewers’ pitcher Bill Parsons in the third inning. The miniscule crowd of an announced 2,814 fans cheered loudly in cavernous Comiskey Park. “I was so happy today, I didn’t know what to do,” said Melton. “When I got to the dugout, I threw my batting helmet into the crowd. Then I went back into the clubhouse because Tanner told me he would take me out of the game if I got the 33rd. But Rich Morales came back and told me the fans were still standing and cheering for me to come back so I did.”

When Melton eventually got back to the clubhouse, the fan who caught the historic ball was waiting for him. “I gave him $50 for it,” said Melton. “He said it was the 490th ball he had gotten here and Wrigley Field. I asked him if he ever worked.”11

In the off-season, Chicago traded Tommy John and infielder Steve Huntz to Los Angeles for first baseman Dick Allen. That season Allen became the second, and last, White Sox player to lead the league in home runs. He hit 37 home runs in 1972 and 32 home runs in 1974.

Melton suffered a back injury in October 1971. He fell from the roof of his house and landed on his tail- bone. He returned to the Sox lineup in 1972, but was lost for the rest of the season after back surgery in July.12 Over the next three years Melton averaged 18 home runs, 73 RBI, and batted .254.

Chicago traded Melton on December 11, 1975, to the California Angels. One year later he was traded to Cleveland. Melton retired in 1977. He hit 160 home runs, drove in 591 runs, and batted .253 for his career. After his playing career, he would return to the White Sox in 1992 as a community relations representative. In 1993-94 he worked with Michael Jordan daily on his swing, helping the basketball star transition to baseball.13 Then in 1998, Melton moved to WGN television as a White Sox pre- and postgame commentator. 

JOSEPH WANCHO lives in Brooklyn, Ohio. He has been a SABR member since 2005. Wancho has contributed to both the Games Project and the BioProject and is the author of the book “Hebrew Hammer: A Biography of Al Rosen, All Star Third Baseman,” published by McFarland. He is currently working on his second biography, on Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon.

 

Notes

1. Ron Bergman, “Athletics Set One Record, Want Another—100 Wins,” Oakland Tribune, September 20, 1971, 35.

2. Although born in Gulfsport, Mississippi in 1945, Melton considers himself a native of California.

3. Mark Fletcher, “Former Chisox slugger Bill Melton interviewed,” Sports Collectors Digest, July 30, 1993, 241.

4. George Langford, “‘Cisco Kid’ Wins for the White, Sox, 4-1,” Chicago Tribune, May 5, 1968, 2-2.

5. Fletcher.

6. Assistant coach Less Moss twice took over as the White Sox manager on an interim basis.

7. Edgar Munzel, “Lopez Sees Chisox in Thick of Western Title Fight” The Sporting News, January 11, 1969, 43.

8. Edgar Munzel, “Melton Barely Misses a 4-HR Salvo,” The Sporting News, July 12, 1969, 25.

9. Dave Nightingale, “Exit McGraw, Berry, Ward: 3 Sox sure they’ll depart,” Chicago Dally News, September 26, 1969, 39.

10. George Langford, “Wood, Melton Combine,” Chicago Tribune, September 30, 1971, 2-3.

11. George Langford, “Melton A.L. Home Run King,” Chicago Tribune, October 1, 1971, 3-6.

12. The New York Times, “Melton Lost for Season; Has Rare Back Treatment,” July 28, 1972. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/28/archives/melton-lost-for-season-has-rare-back-treatment.html.

13. Curtis Koch, “Here’s How Bill Melton Helped Michael Jordan Play Baseball with the White Sox,” May 9, 2020, WGNRadio.com, https://wgnradio.com/sports-central/heres-how-bill-melton-helped- michael-jordan-play-baseball-with-the-white-sox.