Here’s a look at Pat Seerey, who hit four homers for the White Sox on this date in 1948:
*WHA’ HAPPUN? On July 18, 1948, White Sox left fielder and cleanup man Pat Seerey hit four home runs in a 12-11 win over the Philadelphia A’s in 11 innings before 17,296 at Shibe Park.
*EXCLUSIVE COMPANY: The 5-foot-10 right-handed hitter is the only Sox player with four bombs in a game. … At the time, Seerey joined Lou Gehrig (June 6, 1932 at Philadelphia) as the only American Leaguers to homer four times in a game. He was the fifth player overall (with Gehrig and National Leaguers Bobby Lowe, Ed Delahanty and Chuck Klein) to do it. … After Seerey, a four-homer game wouldn’t be accomplished again until June 10, 1959 when Rocky Colavito launched four homers in a row.
*THE HOMERS: In the first game of a doubleheader, Seerey went deep off Carl Scheib to start the fourth, hit a two-run two-out shot off Scheib in the fifth, launched a two-out, three-run blast in the sixth off Bob Savage and socked a solo homer off Lou Brissie in the 11th.
The roundtripper in the 11th proved to be the game-winner and his seventh RBI, one shy of the club record.
*QUITE THE BONUS: Seerey walked out of Shibe Park with his name etched in the record book and with an extra $500.
A Philadelphia advertiser promised $300 to any player who hit three home runs in a game at Shibe Park. After his third homer, the advertiser called the park and said he would make it $500 if Seerey hit a fourth.
Seerey’s SABR biography revealed the $200 bonus. The Chicago Tribune’s account of the game reported the $300 prize.
*PREVIOUS BIG GAMES: This wasn’t the first offensive explosion of Seerey’s career.
On July 13, 1945, Seery hit three homers and drove in eight in Cleveland’s 16-4 whipping of the Yankees in the Bronx.
*DON’T FORGET ABOUT DON! Seerey’s landmark game overshadowed a career performance by Don Kolloway.
While Seerey was clearing the fence four times, Kolloway was 5-for-7 with a double, a triple, two runs and three RBI as part of the Sox incredible 24-hit attack.
Cass Michaels wasn’t bad either that day, either, going 4-for-6 (four singles) with three runs.
*CIAO! Marino Pieretti, the only native of Italy to play for the Sox, earned the save in the Seerey game.
The righty, born in Lucca, Italy, retired Ferris Fain with the bases loaded to make sure Seerey’s big day did not go to waste.
*ANTI-CLIMATIC: The Sox dropped the nightcap 5-1 in six innings in a game cut short by Philadelphia’s curfew law, according to the July 19 Tribune.
Seerey was 0-for-2 with a run and a walk in the nightcap.
*THAT TEAM WAS TERRIBLE: The doubleheader split dropped the Sox to 26-51 en route to a 51-101 finish under manager Ted Lyons.