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The Beginning
The team began as the Cornhuskers in Sioux City, Iowa.
They played in a smaller league compared to the National League, called the Western League. The current manager of the Cincinnati
Reds at the time, Charles Comiskey, decided to be a team owner after his contract expired. He ended up buying the Cornhuskers
and moved the team to Minnesota, where the team enjoyed above average seasons.
In 1900, the Western League changed its name to the American League, and decided to have a team in Chicago.
Comiskey took the opportunity and moved the team to Chicago. They took the name
of the White Stockings, the former name of the Chicago Cubs. Eventually, sports writers shortened the name to the White Sox,
and the club adapted the name.
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| Doc White |
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| Shoeless Joe Jackson |
The Black Sox
Scandal
During the 1919 World Series, members of
the White Sox team were secretly paid to lose the World Series on purpose. The eight players that were involved are: “Shoeless”
Joe Jackson, Fred McMullim, Charles Risburg, George Weaver, Claude Williams, Eddie Cicotte, Oscar Felsch, and Arnold Gandil.
Some events that occurred during the World Series included Cicotte intercepting a ball thrown to prevent a runner from scoring,
Jackson’s inability to prevent a 2 run triple, even though he is regarded as a great defensive player, Williams losing
3 games with a 6.63 ERA for the series, and Cicotte beaning the first batter in game one.
The White Sox lost the series and rumors of the
fixed game plagued the team during the 1920 season. Officials were suspicious of the surprising downfall of the team during
the playoffs. In September of 1920, when the White Sox were contenders of a playoff spot, a grand jury was held to investigate
the matter. Upon being interviewed, Jackson and Cicotte confessed for accepting money from gamblers. White Sox owner Comiskey
suspended the two in response, which diminished the team’s hope for a playoff run. In the end, eight players were all
together banned from major league baseball for having participated or knowledge of the conspiracy.
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| William Veeck |
The Second Half of the Century
During this time of the century, Minnie
Minoso became the first black player for the White Sox, playing excellent defense aggressive running the bases. In 1959, the
team won their first pennant in 40 years. The team included Cy Young winner Early Winn, Nellie Fox, the MVP, and the young
Luis Aparico. In the World Series, the Sox played against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but lost to them in game 6.
After the loss of the World Series, the
Sox continued their success by having consecutive winning seasons throughout the 1960s. But due to heath problems, owner Will
Veeck was forced to sell the team. After him, the team would still be in contention,
but were always eclipsed by the New York Yankees. The fans lost interest during the period while the team continued to be
shy of the championships. However, Veeck returned during to ownership hoping to reenergize the team again. After experimenting
with numerous trades that gradually improved the team, Veeck was unable to sign big name stars play while many key players
left the team to free agency. The team endured losing seasons that followed.
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| Ozzie Guillen |
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The Hitless Wonders
The team started successfully during its
beginning years. With an excellent pitching staff of aces Ed Walsh, Doc White, and Nick Altrock, the Sox paced themselves
to winning their first world series in 1906, defeating the elite Chicago Cubs team. Their dominating pitching earned the team
the name “The Hitless Wonders”.
World Series Champions of 1917
During the 1917 season, the Sox emerged
as the top team in the American League, leading with both offense and pitching. Lead
by players like Shoeless Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins, Happy Felsch, Eddie Cicotte, Reb Russell and more, the Sox were able
to win their second World Series Championship with a record of 100-54 during that season. The White Sox faced off against
the New York Giants, where the Sox took the first two games. However, the Giants were able to win the next two to even the
record. The White Sox ended up winning the next 2 to claim the title of world champions.
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| Eddie Cicotte |
Post Scandal Era
After the suspension of key team players,
the White Sox failed to repeat their early success. Years following the events of the Black Sox Scandal, the team had dropped
to as low as seventh place. The club also saw the death of team owner Charles Comiskey, and the succession of his son, Louis. The team would finally be intention for a playoff spot
in the year 1936, after enduring all but two years of over .500 teams. The team was built around third basemen Willie Kamm,
pitcher Ted Lyons, and player Luke Appling.
The team saw success when the White Sox hired Jimmie Dikes to manage the team,
in which he did for 12 years. However, the team was falling apart so the White Sox management decided to rebuild the team.
In 1959, Bill Veeck became the new owner of the team, and decided to bring more than baseball to the ballpark. He focused on entertainment for the fans, and brought joy to many who visited the ballpark.
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| Logo from 1976 to 1990 |
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| Current Sox Logo |
The 1980s-2000s
During the 80s, some of the Sox's greatest stars emerged. Harold Baines came
up from the farm system and provided the Sox with many years of great hitting. Ozzie Guillen was traded to the Sox for his
flashy style of play. All Star Carlton Fisk also joined the ranks of the White Sox to give them a reliable backstop.
in the 1990s, Frank Thomas emerged as the main power hitter of the group, complimented by Robin Ventura. As the Sox welcomed new manager Jerry Manuel in the year 2000,
the Sox played underachieving as they failed to reach the
playoffs consistently with
such talent. Manuel was fired and replaced by former White Sox player Ozzie Guillen.
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