Note: This is the latest in an occasional series where I identify a random White Sox picture without a date based on what’s in the photo
*The photo: The original scoreboard at Comiskey Park “exploding”
*The date: June 6, 1980
*The situation: The Comiskey Park scoreboard illuminates in celebration of a first-inning home run by Wayne Nordhagen vs. Cleveland.
*The discovery: I found this on X (formerly Twitter). The Sox used this picture as a backdrop or file photo in 2018 to commemorate the first time the board was set off.
I was able to determine the date of the game based on the numbers listed on the lineup. The retrosheet and Baseball Almanac websites did the job for me. The player that really made this search quick was Kevin Bell because No. 8 only made two starts vs. Cleveland batting second. After I was able to ID Bell, the rest fell into place.
*What happened: Jim Morrison and Bell walked to start the game before Chet Lemon and Lamar Johnson struck out. Nordhagen then touched Rick Waits for his fifth home run of the year.
*The postscript: The dinger to left set off a wild one on a Saturday night before 20,240 on the Southside.
The Sox eventually prevailed 8-7 thanks to Harry Chappas’ walkoff double off Sid Monge with one out in the ninth.
Chappas’ heroics capped a game where the Sox blew leads of four runs and three runs thanks to a four-run outburst by Cleveland in the eighth.
The Sox pulled even in the eighth behind a two-run pinch-homer by Marv Foley. Chappas won it in the next frame when his two-bagger plated Bobby Molinaro, who was hit by a pitch to start the inning.
*How about that homer: The dinger was Nordhagen’s fifth of the season and 21st of his career … Four of the five homers broke a tie and were off lefties. … This was just Nordhagen’s second homer at Comiskey Park and set off a streak where he would hit nine of his last 11 bombs at home.
*Sox Yarns: The White Sox, under manager Tony La Russa (in his first full season), improved to 28-24 and remained three games back of first-place Kansas City in second place in the American League West
… It was all downhill from here for what turned out to be Bill Veeck’s last team in his second go-round as Sox owner. This was the last time the 1980 Sox would be four games over .500 (they were a season-high seven games over on two occasions) and as close to first place as 3.5-games. The ‘80 Sox finished 70-90 and in fifth place in the West, 26 games behind Kansas City
… Winning pitcher Ed Farmer, bound for his only All-Star Game, moved to 5-0 by hurling 1.2 shutout innings
… 37 players were used in the 3 hour and 29 minute contest
… Steve Trout started for the Sox and gave up three runs (two earned) in 5.1 innings
… Monge, the losing pitcher, surrendered a single to 52-year old Minnie Minoso four years earlier at Comiskey Park as a member of the Angels
*MORE PICTURE THIS FEATURES: