MLB – The history of the White Sox

Established in 1900 and originally called the Chicago White Stockings, the Chicago major league baseball team was one of the American League’s eight original franchises. The team changed it’s nickname to White Sox in 1901 to accomodate newspaper headlines, which had already begun calling them the “Sox.” Their first home was South Side Park, and in 1910 they relocated to Comiskey Park, where they would remain until 1990. In 1991, Chicago moved across the street from Comiskey Park into the “new” Comiskey Park, which was renamed U.S. Cellular Field in 2003.

Successful almost immediately, and a great team for MLB odds, the White Sox were 1906 World Series champions, as well as winning the Fall Classic in 1917. In the 1919 World Series, the baseball world was rocked by a scandal involving the Sox in what became to be known as the “Black Sox Scandal.” Several star players, including Shoeless Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins and Eddie Cicotte were charged with conspiracy to deliberately lose games, although questions persist to this day as to Jackson’s involvement. Nevertheless, baseball banned the accused players for life, robbing the splendid Jackson of his rightful place in the Hall of Fame. With a lifetime batting average of .356 over a dozen seasons, the third highest in major league history, Jackson was widely considered to be in the same class as Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby, two of his peers.

For the next 30-plus seasons, the White Sox were mediocre at best, often finishing at or near the bottom of the American League standings. The 1959 season was an exception, with the Sox capturing the pennant, but they fell to the Dodgers in the World Series, four games to two. It would be almost another half-century before Chicago returned to the World Series, when in 2005 they won their third world championship by defeating the Houston Astros in a four-game sweep. The 88-year span between World Series titles set a major league record.

Eleven White Sox have been enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. These include: Luis Aparicio, Luke Appling, Eddie Collins, Charles Comiskey, George Davis, Red Faber, Nellie Fox, Ted Lyons, Ray Schalk, Bill Veeck and Ed Walsh. Several other one-time White Sox players have also been enshrined, but the above-mentioned eleven were inducted wearing the White Sox cap. Nine uniform numbers have been retired by the White Sox.

The retired numbers are: #2-Fox, #3-Harold Baines, #4-Appling, #9-Minnie Minoso, #11-Aparicio, #16-Lyons, #19-Billy Pierce, #35-Frank Thomas, and #72-Carlton Fisk. Jackson is Chicago’s all-time batting average leader, while some other leaders include: Appling, 2,422 games as well as 2,749 hits; Frank Thomas’ 448 home runs as well as 1,465 RBI’s; Eddie Collins’ 368 stolen bases; Ted Lyons 260 pitching wins; Red Faber’s 669 games pitched, and Billy Pierce’s 1,796 strikeouts.