There are no off-days for the @SoxNerd!
Maybe it’s a good thing the Sox didn’t play today. The Sox haven’t won on this date since 2013.
On this unscheduled day off, a chance to look back on some significant events (April 17th) that happened on this date in White Sox history:
*1906, THE START OF SOMETHING BIG … AND HITLESS! Frank Hemphill’s first big league hit and his only two big league RBIs handed the White Sox a 5-3 Opening Day win at Detroit. Hemphill’s two-run single in the eighth sent the Sox to the first of 93 wins during their first championship season.
*1913, SUCCESSFUL HOME OPENER: Jim Scott tossed a three-hitter in the Sox 3-1 win over Cleveland in the home opener before a record crowd of 25,000 at Comiskey Park.
*1914, A FIRST: A 4-0 START: Shano Collins’ walkoff in-the-park homer sent the perfect White Sox to a 6-5 win over Cleveland at Comiskey Park. Harry Lord’s three-run homer helped the Sox move to 4-0 for the first time in history.
*1920, DEFENDING CHAMPS STAY PERFECT: Even without the aid of the outlawed spitter and his trademark shine ball, Eddie Cicotte dropped a four-hitter on Detroit in the Sox 4-0 win at Comiskey Park. Cicotte struck out two complaining and confused Tigers and only had one ball thrown out of play by the ump.
*1924, CYCLE CAN’T TOP SOX: Ted Lyons retired Baby Doll Jacobson, who had hit for the cycle, to save the Sox 6-3 win vs. St. Louis at Comiskey Park. Sarge Connally got the win as the Sox moved to 2-1 for their best start since 1920.
*1930, METZLER THE HERO: Alex Metzler’s double in the 10th pushed the White Sox to a dramatic 8-7 win over Cleveland in the season-opener before 26,000 at Comiskey Park. Metzler’s hit scored Bill Cissell and made a winner out of Cleveland native Dutch Henry.
*1942, THE FIRST OF 20 STRAIGHT COMPLETE GAMES: Ted Lyons turned in the first of his 20 consecutive complete games in the Sox 1-0 win at Cleveland. Lyons allowed just seven hits in getting the Sox their first win of the season against three losses.
*1945, TRICKY TONY: Behind Tony Cuccinello’s “hidden ball trick,” the Sox topped host Cleveland 5-2 on Opening Day. Cuccinello duped Lou Boudreau into an out at third base during a Cleveland rally in the sixth.
*1951, “GO GO” ERA GETS GOING: Al Zarilla, who homered, and Gus Zernial each drove in four runs as the Sox ushered in the “Go Go” era with a 17-3 Opening Day rout in St. Louis. The 17 runs and 14-run margin of victory in manager Paul Richards’ debut were both club Opening Day records.
*1962, SEVEN RIBBIES FOR FLOYD: Floyd Robinson fell one shy of the franchise record with seven RBIs and Joel Horlen notched his first career shutout in the White Sox 8-0 win at Minnesota.
*1982, 7-0 TO START 1982: The Sox improved to 7-0 thanks to Jim Morrison’s tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning of a 10-6 Game 2 win over Baltimore in the home opener before 28,977 at Comiskey Park. Coupled with a 3-1 win in Game 1, the victories enabled the Sox to break a 62-year-old club record for consecutive wins at the start of a season.
*1990, UP ON THE ROOF ONE LAST TIME: Ron Kittle launched the final roof-shot home run at Comiskey Park in the White Sox 2-1 win over Boston before a frigid crowd of 8,479. Kittle’s “roofer,” the record seventh of his career, came off Rob Murphy and tied the game at one in the sixth.
More on Comiskey Park roofshot homers here https://soxnerd.wordpress.com/2017/02/18/notes-on-glorious-white-sox-roof-shot-homers/
*1994, FRANK, D.J. TOUCH ’EM ALL: Frank Thomas’ leadoff homer in the fourth off Frank Viola put the Sox on top for good in a 7-4 win over Boston at Fenway Park. Darrin Jackson later homered in helping Scott Sanderson win his first game in a White Sox uniform.
*2002, BUEHRLE 4-0: Mark Buehrle improved to 4-0 with eight sterling innings in the White Sox 7-2 win over Cleveland before 15,561 at Comiskey Park. Buehrle gave up two runs on seven hits in becoming the third Sox pitcher since 1994 to win his first four starts of the season.
*2006, PAULIE, CREDE, JOSE LEAD THE WAY: A five-run first – highlighted by a three-run home run from Paul Konerko and a two-run blast from Joe Crede – powered the defending World Series champion White Sox to a 9-0 win over the Royals before 27,889 at US Cellular Field.
*2013, CANADIAN SHUTOUT: Tyler Flowers’ three-run homer in the second sent the White Sox to a 7-0 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto. Alex Rios also homered in support of Jose Quintana, who pitched into the seventh inning for his first win of the season and the team’s first shutout win in Toronto since June 1, 2007. … This was the last time the Sox won on this date