Here’s a look at what happened on this day (April 23rd) in White Sox history:
*1919, A BIG WIN ON OPENING DAY: Buck Weaver two-run single in the fourth gave the pennant-bound White Sox the lead for good in a 13-4 Opening Day win over the Browns in St. Louis. Eddie Collins’ three-run homer capped a five-run frame, which was part of the Sox highest scoring opener in 11 years. It took the Sox until 1951 to score more than 13 runs in a season-starter.
*1933, A LYONS SIZED EFFORT: Future Hall of Famer Ted Lyons hit a three-run homer in the third and went the distance in the White Sox 4-1 win over Cleveland before 25,000 at Comiskey Park. Lyons gave up two hits, two walks and struck out four to improve to 2-0. Luke Appling also homered as the Sox moved to 7-3 for their best 10-game start since the 1920 team started 8-2.
*1939, OWEN DOUBLES HIS PLEASURE … FOUR TIMES: Marv Owen tied a club record with four doubles in the White Sox 17-4 win vs. the St. Louis Browns before 12,000 at Comiskey Park. Two years earlier, Mike Kreevich set the record at Detroit. Johnny Rigney got the win as the Sox posted their first win of the season thanks to 19 hits. The 17 runs were the most by the Sox since a 17-2 win vs. the Athletics Sept. 11, 1936. Joe Kuhel was 4-for-5 with five RBIs while Boob McNair and Mike Kreevich each had four RBIs in the rout.
*1949, WIN NO. 1 FOR BILLY: Billy Pierce won the first of his 186 games with the White Sox in a 12-5 victory over the St. Louis Browns before 8,086 at Comiskey Park. The left-handed Pierce, acquired from Detroit in November, got the win in relief as the Sox scored four in the sixth and five in the seventh to pull ahead.
*1955, 29 RUNS ON 29 HITS: Using 29 hits including a club record seven homers, the White Sox administered a 29-6 pasting of the A’s in the team’s second game ever in Kansas City (it was only the A’s fourth game in KC after relocating from Philadelphia). The 29 runs tied an American League record and the 29 runs, 29 hits and seven home runs are club records that still stand. Sherm Lollar tied an American League record with a pair of two-hit innings and went 5-for-6 with two homers and five RBIs. Bob Nieman, who homered twice, and Walt Dropo, who homered once, each drove in seven runs while Minnie Minoso, who homered, brought home five. Jack Harshman started and also homered for the Sox. Chico Carrasquel had five hits as the Sox totaled 55 bases and scored at least two runs in every inning except the scoreless fifth and ninth.
*1972, A DOUBLE SHY OF THE CYCLE: MVP-to-be Dick Allen singled, tripled and homered in the White Sox 3-2 win over the Royals before 12,108 at Comiskey Park. Allen also scored the go-ahead run in the eighth as the Sox won their fifth straight game in a streak that would reach seven.
*1981, SOX DROP 18 RUNS AND 26 HITS ON BIRDS: Billy Almon and Chet Lemon each had four hits as part of the White Sox 26-hit effort in an 18-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader sweep before 6,839 at Comiskey Park. Lemon drove in four runs while Almon drove in three as the Sox scored seven runs in both the fourth and sixth innings. Tony Bernazard, Carlton Fisk and Greg Pryor each had three hits in support of Richard Dotson, who went the distance for his first victory of the season. The Sox took the nightcap 5-3 to win their third straight overall in a streak that would reach six.
*1982, BACK ON TRACK: The Sox broke a 2-2 tie in the ninth on an RBI triple by Jim Morrision and a run-scoring double by Ron LeFlore in a 4-2 win at Baltimore. The win came after two straight losses following the team’s record 8-0 start.
*1986, LAST TRIUMPH FOR TOM TERRIFIC: Tom Seaver earned his last win in a White Sox uniform in a 2-1 victory at Milwaukee. Reid Nichols’ double in the ninth scored Bobby Bonilla with the eventual winning run as Seaver won his second game of the season and the 306th of his career. The Sox took the lead in the second on Jerry Hairston’s home run before the Brewers tied it in the third. Seaver would drop his next four decisions for the White Sox before being dealt to the Boston Red Sox in a June trade.
*1990, WINDY CITY SUCCESS: Dave Gallagher threw out the tying run at the plate in the last of the ninth to end the game in the White Sox 6-5 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field in the Windy City Classic. Waukegan’s Jerry Kutzler got the win and Dan Pasqua was named MVP after going 3-for-3 with a home run. Sox utilityman Steve Lyons played every position in the game.
*1993, KARKO PLAYS PARTY-POOPER: Ron Karkovice’s three-run double in the seventh inning spoiled the good time of 50,000-plus fans in Toronto in the White Sox 5-4 victory. Karkovice’s two-bagger was part of a five-run inning which made a winner out of Kirk McCaskill. Roberto Hernandez picked up his third save as the future A.L. West Division champions improved to 8-7.
*1994, ONE DOG CLEARS ‘EM: A bases-clearing triple by Lance Johnson and a two-run home run by Ron Karkovice highlighted a six-run first inning in the White Sox 9-3 win over Detroit before 39,846 at Comiskey Park.
*1996, BALD-WIN NO. 1: James Baldwin tossed four scoreless innings in earning his first big league win in the White Sox 6-5 win at Texas. Baldwin departed after giving up five runs in the fifth. Tony Phillips went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and two RBI and Harold Baines homered for the second consecutive game to fuel the Sox offense.
*1999, SIROTKA SHUTS OUT DETROIT : Mike Sirotka fashioned the White Sox best pitching performance of the season by whitewashing the Detroit Tigers 5-0 before 9,837 at Comiskey Park. Sirotka limited the Tigers to five hits and allowed just runner to reach third in the Sox first complete game shutout since Wilson Alvarez turned the trick against the Cubs June 18, 1997.
*2000, SOX BEAT UP TIGERS AGAIN: A day after a fight-filled game, the White Sox ripped the Tigers 9-4 before 12,154 at Comiskey Park for their fifth consecutive win. The Sox scored eight runs in the first two innings and then cruised to victory in completing a three-game sweep of the Tigers. Magglio Ordonez was a single shy of hitting for the cycle while James Baldwin improved to 3-0.
*2005, THE BEST 18-GAME START IN FRANCHISE HISTORY: Thanks to an Aaron Rowand RBI, the White Sox improved to 14-4 for their best 18-game start ever with a 3-2 win over the Royals in 10 innings in Kansas City. The Sox escaped trouble in the ninth when Damaso Marte tagged out a runner on a pitch that got away from catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Marte got the win after getting out of a bases loaded jam in the ninth and tossing a scoreless 10th.
*2006, URIBE SHOWS OFF HIS MUSCLE: Juan Uribe hit two home runs in support of starting pitcher Jose Contreras, who extended his winning streak to 11, as the White Sox blasted the Twins 7-3 before 38,102 at US Cellular Field. Uribe drove in four and Joe Crede and Brian Anderson also homered as the White Sox improved to 13-5 and extended their winning streak to eight games.
*2007, PAULIE POWER: Paul Konerko’s second homer of the game in the eighth inning snapped a 3-3 tie and powered the White Sox to a 7-4 win over the Royals before 12,265 at US Cellular Field. Konerko’s 20th career multi-homer game helped make a winner of Mark Buehrle, who went seven innings in his first start since no-hitting Texas.
*2010, BIRTHDAY BOY: Andruw Jones celebrated his 33rd birthday with a walkoff homer in the White Sox 7-6 win over Seattle before 24,653 at U.S. Cellular Field. Jones also homered in the first and Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko added dingers as part of the 10-hit attack. Matt Thornton fanned five of the seven batters he faced to get the win.
*2012, STINGY PEAVY: Jake Peavy fired a three-hitter in the White Sox 4-0 win at Oakland. Peavy walked two and fanned five in improving to 3-0. Peavy got support from Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko, who homered, in posting the Sox first complete shutout in Oakland since Jon Garland’s four-hitter on April 25, 2005.
*2014, A SLAMMIN GOOD TIME: A seventh-inning grand slam by Marcus Semien was the difference in the White Sox 6-4 win at Detroit. Jose Abreu gave the Sox the lead with a two-run homer in the first. After the Tigers scored four in the seventh, Semien’s slam made a winner of Andre Rienzo.
*2016, ATTA WAY, JOSE: Jose Abreu’s single with one out in the 11th nailed down a 4-3 White Sox win over Texas before 20,182 at U.S. Cellular Field. The Sox got home runs from Melky Cabrera and Todd Frazier in improving to 12-6.
*2017, DEREK HOLLAND! Derek Holland gave up one run on three hits with six strikeouts in earning his second win in the White Sox 6-2 triumph over Cleveland at Guaranteed Rate Field. The win, which featured four RBI from Matt Davidson, ignited a six-game win streak
*2018, JOSE POWER: Jose Abreu hit two homers and drove in five in a 10-4 win over Seattle at Guaranteed Rate Field. Yoan Moncada fell a single shy of the cycle as the Sox banged out 18 hits.
*2021, MERCEDES THE HERO: Yermin Mercedes capped his four-hit/three RBI day with the go-ahead hit in the seventh in the Sox 9-7 win over Texas at Guaranteed Rate Field. The four hits boosted Mercedes’ average to .444.