WHITE SOX ETERNAL MOMENTS
The White Sox have a pretty rich history, having entered the Boston MABL in 1994. Official league bookkeeping began in 1998. Since then, the team and many of it's players have experienced some pretty memorable moments. Below is a compilation of some of the finest.
| Walk-off Victories Sometimes it's pretty June 4, 2005 White Sox 6, Mariners 5 A 4-4 tie game at the end of 7 innings forced extra frames. In the top of the 9th inning, the Mariners took a 5-4 lead when Jamie Aldoupolis hit a 2-out single that scored EJ Freni who had walked to start off the inning. The White Sox fought back. In the bottom of the 9th inning, Brett Rudy led off with a strike out, but reached when the 3rd strike was dropped and an errant throw allowed him to reach. Matt Giblin pinch ran for Rudy. Kyle Michaud singled to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Will Bissonnette sac bunted perfectly, allowing Giblin and Michaud into scoring position to set the stage for Jason Hoye. Hoye delivered a 2-RBI walk off single to allow the White Sox victory. September 17, 2003 White Sox 1, Marlins 0 The White Sox scored first to defeat the Marlins 1-0 in walk-off style in the deciding Game 3 of the Atlantic Conference Semifinals. Al Wiesner of the White Sox was masterful, pitching 8 shutout innings, allowing only 2 hits, 2 walks and striking out 8. In the bottom of the 8th, all with no outs, Jim Baldyga reached on a misperceived fly ball to left. Dan Field then walked. Hiro then entered for the Marlins (his 3rd outing in 3 games), relieving Doherty, and walked John Howe to load the bases. Nate Pane then delivered a clean single to drive in Baldyga to lead the Sox to victory and send them to the Atlantic Conference Finals. April 27, 2003 White Sox 3, Marlins 2 The White Sox beat the Marlins in 13 dramatic innings for the White Sox first Opening Day in team history (EST 1994). Luke Foskett, who had 3 hits on the day, hit his finest in the bottom of the 13th inning as he drove in Al Wiesner from 2nd base to win the game in walk-off fashion. Pitcher Eamonn McDonough entered the game in the 6th inning of a 2-2 game and grabbed the win after pitching 8 innings of shutout relief -- allowing only 4 hits and racking up 9 K's. August 21, 1998 White Sox 9, Rockies 8 In an 8-8 game versus the Rockies, in the bottom of the 7th inning, ace Sean Russell entered to throw smoke. But that did not stop the Sox. Aarron Hutchins led off with a base hit Then, Adam O'Hara laid a perfectly executed bunt moving Hutchins to second. Mike Gennaro then advanced Hutchins to third on a awesomely placed ground ball. Brett Rudy then stroked the game winning hit into the right field gap scoring Hutchins, as the White Sox won 9-8. June 6, 1999 White Sox 11, Yankees 9 Going into the bottom off the last inning down 9-6, the Sox prevailed by picking up five runs highlighted by a game-winning walk-off homerun blast by Murray Reed. Mike Gennaro walked to leadoff the inning, followed by a Mike Moloney double. Then Jeff Zielinski and Dave Timmons each singled before Reed hit his 3-run game-winning shot. Sometimes it's not May 30, 2002 White Sox 9, Broncos 8 In a seesaw battle, the White Sox took a 6-5 lead in the fifth inning on a Jim Baldyga solo homerun. However, the Broncos padded on 3 more runs. In the bottom on the 7th inning, down 8-7, the White Sox loaded the bases with no outs. After an infield force-out at the plate, Sam Voolich hit a hard ball to shortstop who made the unassisted out at second base However, his throw to first base got by the firstbaseman and allowed the tying run (Mike Lembo) and winning run (Mike McInnis) to score and allow for a dramatic walk-off victory. Wacky Wins Bases loaded jams May 16, 1999 White Sox 6, Dodgers 3 Newly acquired pitcher Jon Tsilimos was on the mound during his first game in a White Sox jersey. And in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings, the White Sox witnessed a streak most teams will likely never see. In three straight innings, the Dodgers had the bases loaded with no outs. And in three straight innings, Tsilimos allowed no runs to score. Talk about cleaning up a mess. August 7, 2000 White Sox 8, Rockies 7 In the bottom of the seventh, the Rockies rallied for 4 runs to make the game 8-7. With the bases loaded, nobody out, and the winning run a second base, Darron Henn pitched amazing relief the shut the door and seal the Sox the victory. June 25, 2000 White Sox 12, Rockies 11 The Sox brought a 12-9 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. The Rockies rallied for 2 runs to bring the score to 12-11. With the bases loaded and one out, Scott Bevis held the Rockies to seal the victory. Overcoming deficit June 12, 2005 White Sox 6, Indians 5 Down 5-2 in the top of the 7th inning with one out and nobody on, Al Wiesner was HBP, Mike Lembo singled and Jason Hoye hit an RBI single to score Wiesner and close the score to 5-3. Then Ivan Clemente walked to load the bases. Nate Pane followed with a sac fly to score Lembo and close the score to 5-4. With 2 outs and the tying run on 3rd (Hoye) and the go ahead run on 2nd (Clemente), Earl Murphy delivered a clutch 2-RBI single to give the Sox a 6-5 lead. Brian Houlding (4-0) who had pitched 6 solid innings was relieved by Matt LoPresti to close it out. LoPresti struck out the first batter he faced, but then hit Daryl Pina with a pitch to put the tying run on base. But LoPresti settled in and retired the next two batters for a scoreless 7th and earned the first Sox save of the season. August 29 & August 12, 2004 White Sox 4, Reds 3 Dave Martin and Sean Magee battled it out at Ryan Field on August 12th. The Reds were up 3-1 in the top of the seventh before the White Sox scored two to tie the score 3-3, capped by a Nate Pane 2-out RBI single to tie the score bringing home Tom Manning from second. In the bottom of the 7th inning, with the score still 3-3, the rain came down and suspended the game. GAME SUSPENDED: Bottom 7th, 0 outs, 0 on base, 2-2 count on Brandon Moore. GAME CONTINUED: So picking up 17 days later, Al Wiesner finished a scoreless 7th inning. In the top of the 8th inning, the Sox took a 4-3 lead courtesy of a Mike Lembo double and a Ryan Gray RBI-single in the. Al Wiesner then closed the game with a scoreless 8th inning to preserve the victory. June 24, 2001 White Sox 10, Mets 9 The White Sox overcame a 0-7 deficit to defeat the Mets. With the score 9-9 in the top of the 7th inning, Mike Gennaro doubled home Jon Mead to take a 10-9 lead. Al Wiesner pitched the bottom of the 7th inning for the save, stranding the tying and winning Mets runners in scoring position. Versatility Getting around August 2, 1998 Red Sox 25, White Sox 14 Ian Lev became the only White Sox player to play every position over the course of a season. Versus the Red Sox, Lev played 5 positions (1B, P, SS, LF, and C) to complete the feat that he had begun over the season's previous games. NOT Getting around August 21, 2003 White Sox 1, Marlins 1 The White Sox were in the middle of a 1-1 game in the bottom of the 1st inning when the lights went out in at Balch Field in a game that would need to be re-played in entirety. It was too bad, as it was to be Mike Lembo Day. Reminiscent of Bill Veeck, in this stunt, Lembo was to be honored for his duties securing his hometown Norwood field. Lembo was to become the first Boston MABL player ever to play all 9 positions in a 7 inning game. He had already played shortstop and thirdbase when it went dark. Rumor has it that Lembo was afraid of having to make his MABL catching debut in the 6th inning and ordered the lights to falter. All or nothing May 23, 1999 Red Sox 11, White Sox 10 In his first start ever as a White Sox pitcher, and perhaps his last, Jon Mead struck out the first 6 batters of the game. But the tide turned quickly. To start off the 3rd inning, Mead hit the first batter, walked the next two, and then 8 runs proceeded to score in the inning. The White Sox went on to lose 11-10 in the bottom of the 7th inning. At the time, nobody could have imagined Mead would become one of the MABL's all time best batters (5th most MABL hits all-time, and counting). But he has not pitched since. Streaks Consecutive Wins (individual) July 26, 1998 White Sox 5, Indians 3 Chris Walsh upped his record to 6-0 by defeating the Indians with 6 1/3 solid innings, allowing only 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6. No other White Sox pitcher has ever jumped out to 6-0. The closest win streak was in 2001 from June 24th through August 5th where Scott Bevis went 5-0. Consecutive Wins (team) May 25 through July 10, 2004 On July 15th and for the first time since May 23rd, the White Sox lost a baseball game. In between, it was a win streak that lasted 10 games and spanned 3 months, the longest in White Sox history and the longest such streak in the league that season. The streak began with a 12-7 win over the Mariners on 5/25 and ended with a 2-1 loss to the Reds on 7/10. Consecutive Shutouts (team) June 21, 1998 - White Sox 4, Rockies 0 June 7, 1998 - White Sox 5, Indians 0 The Boston White Sox defeated the Boston Rockies 4-0 winning their second shutout in a row after beating the Indians 5-0 the game before. Chris Walsh, who pitched five shutout innings in the previous shutout, pitched seven more for this complete game. He also improved his record on the year to 3-0. Consecutive Games Hitting August 6, 2000 White Sox 21, Astros 5 Jon Mead had a perfect day. At 3 for 3 with 2 runs and 2 RBI, Mead increased his hitting streak to 18 games and his batting average to .516. While the streak ended the very next day versus the Rockies, this 18-game streak would be the longest in MABL history for more than two years until it was topped by the Diamondbacks' Jeremy Broadwell at 20. No Hitters (and close calls) Houlding joins the exclusive club August 6, 2003 White Sox 13, Royals 1 Brian Houlding became the second White Sox hurler to ever chuck a no-hitter. After a lead-off walk to the Royals' TJ Unger, Houlding retired 21 straight batters for a near perfect game. Unger scored after Mike Malin grounded out. While Unger was advancing to 3rd base, an errant throw allowed him to score, thus shattering the shutout. Houlding finished the day with 5 K's, 1 walk and no hits allowed. Finally, a real no hitter August 6, 2003 White Sox 5, Athletics 0 Al Wiesner became the first player in the White Sox 10-year history to toss a no hitter. And in the same evening, with 13 K's, Wiesner also became the White Sox All-Time Strikeout King with 94, surpassing Darron Henn, the previous record holder at 88. A 3rd inning walk got in the way of a perfect game, as Wiesner was otherwise perfect. Wiesner also knocked in the game-winning run with an RBI double in the first inning, plating Dan Field who tripled to lead off the game. Controversial bookkeeping July 10, 1998 Rockies 10, White Sox 1 The White Sox got no-hit -- sort of. Although Dave Timmons did get credit in the White Sox book as lining a double past first base in the third inning, the Rockies scored it an error, thus giving their pitcher Charlie Byrne a no-hitter. Since the Rockies won the game, their book is the official one. But it will go down as controversial. 7 innings without a hit June 17, 2002 White Sox 1, Mets 0 Al Wiesner (1-1, 0.79) out-dueled Tim Fortune (1-2, 0.74) as two of the MABL top pitchers battled it out. The only hit allowed by Wiesner was the 1st inning leadoff batter, Chris Sansone. From then on, Al threw 7 complete innings without allowing a hit. The Mets hit just 2 balls out of the infield, and only 1 runner reached second base all night. For the White Sox, three straight singles to start the game by Josh Gordon, Jon Mead and Wiesner plated the game's only run for the 1-0 victory. Shutouts Lots of Zeros Below is a list of all White Sox shutouts won since official bookkeeping began in 1998. In the regular season, the White Sox have won 16 shutouts and been shut out 7 times. In the playoffs, the White Sox are 2-2, with shutout losses coming in 2001 versus the Yankees by a score of 14-0 and in 2004 versus the Bluefish losing 1-0.
Game of Longball By one player May 28, 1998 White Sox 8, Indians 2 Dave Timmons hit two monster homeruns into Jefferson Field's left-field parking lot above the rocks becoming the first Sox player to homer twice in a game. Plus, he walked twice, scored 3 runs, and drove in 5. And he called an excellent game behind the plate. August 6, 2000 White Sox 21, Astros 5 The White Sox shelled the Astros in a 21-5 victory with 5 homeruns. This was highlighted by Bart Layer who hit 2 homeruns in 1 inning (the 2nd inning), going 2 for 4 on the day with 3 runs and 5 RBI. By both teams July 18, 1999 Pirates 22, White Sox 20 - Game #1 Pirates 14, White Sox 9 - Game #2 During the White Sox vs. Pirates doubleheader, 14 (yes, fourteen) participants connected for homeruns. It was a match-up of strength as 65 runs were scored in this spectacle While the White Sox lost both games, they outhit their opponent by a total of 31 to 28. Jeff Zielinski went 7 for 8, Mike Moloney who went 6 for 7 and Brett Rudy, Jeff Zielinski, and Jon Tsilimos all homered. The Pirates connected for 11 dingers. Running up the Score All the way from second base -- twice June 3, 2001 White Sox 12, Royals 9 On iMassRadio, Sox 18-year-old rookie Cesar Urena stole the show -- and if you you looked away for a moment, you may have missed it. In the game, Cesar scored from 2nd-base on a sac-fly to left. And later in the game, Cesar scored from 2nd-base on a sac bunt to third base. This kid can run! For putting on this spectacle, Cesar was selected the iMassRadio "Player of the Game." Hitting the Road Domestic - Cooperstown May 19, 2001 Pirates 12, White Sox 2 The White Sox battled the Pirates in historic Cooperstown, New York at Doubleday Field for the first Boston Baseball League regular season game ever played outside of Boston. The Sox got jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, but in the bottom of the inning, the Pirates scored 4 runs and never looked back. The following players all got base hits at the Hall of Fame field: Al Wiesner (2), Aarron Hutchins, Sam Voolich, Murray Reed, Jon Banchick and Mike Gennaro. View the 2001 Cooperstown Photo Album. July 31-August 1, 2004 White Sox 4, Reds 2 and Marlins 6, White Sox 1 Six teams from the Boston MABL competed in the largest Boston MABL tournament ever held. Due to a rain-shortened Saturday, the Marlins and White Sox advanced to the finals on Sunday after each receiving only 1 win. The Sox beat the Reds 4-2. But the Marlins defeated the White Sox 6-1 in the finals to become the inaugural Cooperstown Classic Champions. Highlights include a Joe Fitzgerald homer, and an over-the-fence catch by Tom Manning in rightfield robbing the Marlins Chris Ryan of a 3-run homer. View the 2004 Cooperstown Classic Photo Album. International - Montreal June 15, 2002 White Sox 18, Mariners 5 In the first Boston Baseball League regular season game ever played outside of the United States, the White Sox defeated the Mariners in 9 innings at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. For the White Sox, hits came from: Al Wiesner (3), Sam Voolich (2), Jon Banchick (2), Jon Mead (2), Aarron Hutchins, Josh Gordon, Mike McInnis, Mike Lembo, Brett Rudy and Mike Burns. Rob Gnoinski was credited with the win, tossing 2 no-hit innings. View the 2002 Montreal Photo Album. June 21, 2003 White Sox 9, Mets 6 It took six different Sox pitchers to get the job done. Eamonn McDonough got the start and did not allow a run in 2 innings. Jim Lane, John Howe, Brian Houlding, Nate Pane and Al Wiesner also got work on the hill. Ultimately, John Howe (2-0) notched the win, tossing 2 innings of no-hit ball. The Mets struck first in the 4th inning to take a 1-0 lead when Jason Joyce walked, stole his 100th career base, and scored on a Kit Kadlec ROE. But the White Sox quickly tied the score in the 5th inning when Luke Foskett reached, stole 2nd and scored on a Jim Baldyga RBI single. The score was tied at 1-1 going into the 6th inning. But the Sox scored 8 runs in the final 4 frames to walk away with their 2nd straight win in Montreal. View the 2003 Montreal Photo Album. International - Toronto June 18, 2005 Athletics 10, White Sox 9 The A's defeated the White Sox, but not without a fight. The Sox trailed 8-5 going into the final inning and rallied for 4 runs to take a 9-8 lead. However, the A's tied the score 9-9 in the bottom of the 9th inning and sent the game into apparent extra innings. The Blue Jays staff insisted the game end in a tie since it was 2:15 AM. However, after Scott Reinold let them try on his World Series ring and players roared a few chants of "Let them Play, Let them Play," the Jays staff allowed one extra inning. In the top of the 10th inning, the White Sox failed to score. For the A's in the bottom of the 10th inning, Ed Perez walked to lead off and then stole second. After a bunt, Adam Nichols delivered a 1-out GWRBI single to plate Perez for the walk off victory. View the 2005 Toronto Photo Album. Stars of the Show 2002 MABL All-Star Game July 24, 2002 While the White Sox have been at the All-Star Game each year, the 2002 show was something special. Not only did the entire White Sox infield get selected to the team (Al Wiesner, Jon Mead, Mike McInnis and Mike Lembo), but Jon Mead was selected All-Star MVP. Mead hit a 2-RBI double to drive in the game's first runs and help secure the Atlantic Division's 6-4 win. And Al Wiesner was one of only two All-Stars to collect 2 hits. Plus, Mike McInnis legged out an infield single. Overall, the Sox reps were 4 for 8 with 1 run, 2 RBI and a stolen base. Career Milestones By the 100's June 9, 2002 Red Sox 11, White Sox 10 Dave Timmons recorded his 100th career hit during this tough loss. June 4, 2002 White Sox 11, Royals 7 Brett Rudy and Jon Mead both reached career milestones. Rudy, with his MABL-leading 100th consecutive game played; Mead with his 100th career hit. During the game, the White Sox extended their lead in the Atlantic East with a win over the Royals. |
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