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The Minnesota Twins were tied with the Kansas City Royals for third place in the American League West Division, one game under .500 with a 70-71 record, as they prepared for the Chicago White Sox, who were only a half-game behind the two teams. Minnesota had played sub-.500 baseball nearly all season; the team last […]

In September 1972, the Oakland A’s were attempting to nail down their second straight American League West title. On September 19, the second-place Chicago White Sox arrived in town for a two-game set. The A’s led the White Sox by five games, with 13 to play, so the White Sox would have to sweep the […]

In the first week of August 1974, Americans could be forgiven for watching the events of the day unfold through their fingers. The Watergate scandal was at the top of the news, and many wondered how long President Richard Nixon would remain in office. On Monday, August 5, a bomb exploded in a public locker […]

Motivated by the unusual antics of opposing rookie pitcher Mike Loynd, Kansas City Royals second baseman Frank White took a frenzied game into his own hands and powered the Royals to a come-from-behind win over Texas on August 19, 1986. However, White’s record-setting game would be squandered by the Royals in a disheartening season. Mired […]

The Chicago White Sox were scheduled to open their season on Thursday, April 6, 1972, in Comiskey Park, hosting the Oakland Athletics. Midway Airport reported winds ranging from 9 to 23 mph that day, with some traces of fog, a bit of rain (0.02”), and some thunder, following the 5:25 A.M. sunrise.1 Not that it […]

The Cleveland Indians’ 1985 season featured a cavalcade of wild and wacky moments. The Indians opened the campaign with five straight losses, were forced to take early-morning fielding practice a week into the season,1 literally lost their best hitter for a game in New York,2 saw their ace put up an “obscene gesture” toward Baltimore’s […]

A photo in the August 12, 1979, edition of the Chicago Tribune summed up the previous day’s bizarre baseball action at Comiskey Park. White Sox right fielder Claudell Washington stood alone amid an apparent moonscape—on a field covered by a pocked layer of dust, rather than a carpet of grass.1 Faced with a soggy and […]

In late July of the 1973 season, Royals third baseman Paul Schaal suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for 19 games.1 Utility infielder Kurt Bevacqua filled in at the hot corner during Schaal’s absence. Searching for a replacement, the Royals placed a call to their Triple-A team in Omaha, Nebraska. Around noon on August […]

The legendary exploits of major-league baseball players are a primary component of the game’s enduring appeal. Fans fondly recall now-mythical figures like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, and Hank Aaron, all of whom had extraordinary careers. They also remember players like Bobby Thomson, Bill Mazeroski, and Joe Carter, whose reputations were cemented by memorable […]

From the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, Toronto was considered a potential major-league expansion city.1 Shortly after New Year’s Day 1976, a Toronto consortium purchased the struggling San Francisco Giants, intending to relocate the club north.2 However, a San Francisco court granted a restraining order that prevented the Giants from leaving and then a local […]

On August 5, 1977, the Kansas City Royals gave the Chicago White Sox a taste of their own medicine. The host Royals smacked four home runs en route to a 12-2 victory in the Friday night opener of a three-game weekend series. Making the defeat worse for the visiting White Sox was watching the Royals […]

Over three days, June 19-21, the Republican Party held its 1900 National Convention in Philadelphia. It was a confident and celebratory affair. Under President William McKinley the nation had successfully conducted a “splendid little war”1 against Spain while the economy was roaring again. New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt, whose war heroics remained fresh in the […]

Opening Day is usually a day of optimism, celebration, and a big crowd as fans flock to the ballpark after a long winter without baseball. Those very crowds, however, can overwhelm a team with poor ballpark security. Perhaps the modern nadir in Opening Day crowd control occurred in Chicago on April 5, 1974, when the […]

The 1977 Chicago White Sox – known ever after as the “Southside Hitmen” – may have been the most celebrated third-place club in major-league history. From Opening Day until season’s end, the Hitmen were never dull, either in victory or defeat. But Bill Veeck’s players really outdid themselves on the morning (and early afternoon) of […]

Greg Minton did everything for the San Francisco Giants during the 1982 season, including stealing the team bus. More about that later. The right-handed relief ace achieved a milestone when he recorded his 30th save of the season in the Giants’ come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 25 at Dodger Stadium. […]

The Chicago White Sox were sparking a revival of sorts on the South Side of the Windy City in 1977. Dubbed the “South Side Hitmen,” the White Sox were making their presence known. Through the month of July, Chicago held a 5½-game lead over both Kansas City and Minnesota in the American League West Division. […]

On June 19, 1977, the Chicago White Sox hosted the Oakland A’s for a Father’s Day doubleheader. Those among the crowd of 24,161 who arrived before the first pitch witnessed an unusual sight: A player in uniform walked to the microphone to sing the National Anthem. The player was White Sox first baseman Lamar Johnson, […]

In 1976 Minnesota Twins center fielder Lyman Bostock was in his second season in the majors. Part of his rookie season (as well as some time in winter ball) had been cut short by ankle injuries, and he had started his sophomore year platooning in center with Steve Brye. However, the 25-year-old Bostock quickly raised […]

Five days before the 1979 All-Star Game, two fifth-place teams in the American League had a twi-night doubleheader scheduled, as the Detroit Tigers visited the Chicago White Sox. Mike Veeck, son of White Sox owner Bill Veeck, was the director of promotions for the White Sox. He had conspired with Steve Dahl, a Chicago disc […]

In the annals of baseball dating back to when it first became a game played by professionals, the great teams have always taken on the persona of their managers. This includes the old Chicago White Stockings of the National League led by their first baseman-manager Adrian “Cap” Anson, and continues with managers such as Ned […]

He was being compared to Eddie Stanky, because of his short, stocky, build. But he also played the game with a reckless abandon like Stanky, and was given the moniker “Scrappy Jack.” He was also referred to as the “The Hammer,” if for no other reason than it was an abbreviation of his surname. But […]

Utility infielder Luis “Pimba” Alvarado never hit much in the majors, but he forged a career with solid defense. He ran well and was known for his quick hands and release. One press guide said, “The ball seems to bounce from his glove to his throwing hand as if on a string.”1 Alvarado served four […]

From the late 1970s through the early 1990s, few players were as feared with the bat or possessed the brashness of Jack Clark. Twice he powered teams to the World Series. Four times he played in the All-Star Game. His prowess at the plate moved his manager to call him “the greatest fastball hitter of […]

Twenty-five years after his playing days ended, Pastor Tom Johnson was again coming in as a reliever; this time, though, he was headed half-a-world away from the scene of his success as a home-grown Minnesota Twins pitcher. Speaking humbly, but still exhibiting the confidence he took to the mound, Johnson explained his move to the […]