Today in White Sox History: September 18
Three extremely rare feats — some exhilarating, others infuriating
1940
A game originally played on June 20, with the Sox beating New York 1-0 in 11 innings, was ordered replayed by the commissioner’s office after the Yankees protested an out call on a fly ball in the second inning. Yes, a White Sox win was literally taken away.
In the middle of a pennant race, the White Sox found themselves losing, 9-8, in the eighth inning of the replayed game (which was the second game of a doubleheader) when umpire Harry Geisel called the game, claiming it was too dark to finish. The decision meant a split for the two teams on the day.
1971
White Sox outfielder Carlos May pulled off one of the rarest baseball feats of all, when he hit an inside-the-park grand slam against California’s Tom Murphy. May, a left-handed hitter, sliced a drive down the left-field line at Comiskey Park in the first inning. California’s Ken Berry, the former Sox outfielder, slammed his head diving for the ball, which rolled into the corner. By the time center fielder Mickey Rivers reached the ball to throw it back to the infield, everyone had scored.
The Sox, behind pitcher Tom Bradley, won the game, 5-1.
2020
Undoubtedly as a consequence of the pandemic-postponed season for the minor leagues and compressed nature of the MLB campaign, Garrett Crochet became the first player since Mike Leake in 2010 to make his professional debut in the big leagues. His only seasoning came in alternate-site (Schaumburg) appearances, along with the cream of Chicago’s minor league system.
The top White Sox pick in the 2020 draft struck out two of the three Cincinnati Reds he faced in his debut, hitting 100+ on the radar gun multiple times. Despite pitching just one week of the regular season, Crochet will end up registering more 100+ mph pitches than anyone in the majors in 2020.