Chicago Sports Legends: The Chicago White Sox Part 2
Today we continue to shine a light on some of the best players to ever wear a Chicago White Sox uniform from across eras and decades. While the owners and players battle over what to make of the 2020 MLB season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, let’s take a look at the past of the White Sox history.
Nellie Fox: Widely considered one of the best second basemen of all time, Fox came to the White Sox in a trade from the Philadelphia Athletics in 1949. In Chicago, Fox really made his presence known. Spending 14 seasons with the South Side team, Fox made 12 American League All-Star teams and 15 All-Star game selections. Throughout the 1950s, Fox and the White Sox played well, routinely earning second and third-place finishes. In 1959, Fox had his best season as the team won its first AL Pennant in 40 years, and the second baseman won the AL Most Valuable Player award. That year Fox batted .306 and had an on-base percentage of .380, all the while leading the AL in single. The team made it to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although they lost the series, Fox batted .375. In over 10,000 appearances at the plate, Nellie Fox was only struck out 216 times. The beloved White Sox player passed away in 1975 and entered the Hall of Fame in 1997.
Carlton Fisk: Talk about longevity, catcher Carlton Fisk played in the MLB from 1969 to 1993. After starting his career with the Boston Red Sox, Fisk changed his sox, so to speak, and signed with the White Sox in 1981. His .289 batting average, 26 home runs, and 86 RBI helped the White Sox win the American League Western Division title in 1983. The next year, Fisk accomplished the unique feat of hitting the cycle against the Kansas City Royals, in which a player hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. In 1985, Fisk, or “Pudge,” or the “The Commander,” as he was known, had his most celebrated season, hitting 37 home runs and driving in 107 runs. Fisk played amazing baseball for a very long time. During his career, Fisk was the oldest catcher in history to hit 20 home runs in a season, holds the record for most years played as a catcher at 24, and holds the record for the longest game played by a catcher in a 25-inning victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in 1984.
Luke Appling: The shortstop spent his entire baseball career with the White Sox, playing from 1930 to 1950. While his first five seasons with the team were mostly forgettable, Appling came alive during the 1936 season batting an impressive .388, the best ever single-season showing for a shortstop in the modern era. In addition to that feat, Appling also drove in 128 runs. For the 20 seasons that he played, Appling had more career extra-base hits at 587 than strikeouts at 528. The White Sox shortstop ended his career in 1950 with a .310 batting average, 2,749 hits, and seven All-Star game selections. In 1964 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and in 1969 was voted by Chicago fans as the greatest Sox player of all time.
Notable mentions: Minny Minoso, Mark Buehrle, Jim Thome, and Robin Ventura.
That does it for some of the best Chicago White Sox players ever. Hopefully, baseball can come back again soon. In the meantime, check back next week for another spotlight on things that make Chicago so unique as we navigate a new normal with the city reopening
ERIC KAPLAN AND DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO
