Chicago White Sox - The Viet Nam Era (1960-1969)

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1960

Decade

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Titles: None

Top White Sox Players during the Sixties

BallPark: Comiskey Park

Pitchers:

Joel Horlen (23.8) - 66

Team Name: White Sox

Gary Peters (21.34) - 66

Juan Pizarro (12.87) - 43

Owner: Bill Veeck (1960-1961)

Tommy John (16.73) - 42

Arthur Allyn (1961-1969)

Hoyt Wilhelm (16.35) - 32

John Allyn (1969)

Ray Herbert (8.49) - 28

Eddie Fisher (7.4) - 26

General Managers:

John Buzhardt (6.15) - 24

Hank Greenburg (1959-1961)

Wilbur Wood (8.51) - 19

Ed Short (1961-1970)

Frank Baumann (2.79) - 18

Early Wynn (4.95) - 16

Managers:

Bob Locker (4.7) - 15

Al Lopez (1960-1965, 1968-1969)

Billy Pierce (4.45) - 15

Eddie Stanky (1966-1968)

Turk Lown (4.04) - 9

Les Moss (1968)

Dave DeBusschere (0.79) - 0

Don Gutteridge (1969)

Catchers:

Hall of Famers:

John Romano (5.21) - 22

Minnie Minoso

Sherm Lollar (4.5) - 16

Early Wynn

Hoyt Wilhelm

First Basemen:

Nellie Fox

Tom McCraw (6.12) - 37

Luis Aparicio

Roy Sievers (7.15) - 19

Moose Skowron (4.72) - 11

No Hitters:

Joe Cunningham (6.18) - 9

Joel Horlen (1967)

Second Basemen:

Rookie of the Year:

Don Buford (17.02) - 36

Gary Peters (1963)

Al Weis (4.39) - 9

Tommy Agee (1966)

Nellie Fox (6.31) - 6

MVP:

ShortStop:

None

Luis Aparicio (18.26) - 56

Ron Hansen (18.08) - 35

Cy Young:

None

Third Base:

Pete Ward (20.02) - 41

Notable Events:

Outfielders:

1960 - OF Floyd Robinson, 24, is obtained from Cleveland. He will be one of the

Floyd Robinson (18.5) - 46

better hitters in the league over the first half of the decade.

Jim Landis (9.92) - 46

Tommy Agee (10.89) - 29

1960 - Bill Veeck, who always liked to make going to the games a carnival like

Ken Berry (7.74) - 23

atmosphere, introduces the exploding scoreboard whenever a White Sox

Al Smith (6.6) - 23

player hit a home run. Nice idea.

Mike Hershberger (2.46) - 17

Minnie Minoso (5) - 17

1961 - Bill Veeck becomes the first to put names on the backs of

player's uniforms. Nice idea.

Notable Events:

1961 - Bill Veeck sells the club to Arthur Allyn after the season as

1967 - Twenty seven year old Wilbur Wood is acquired from the

Bill was having difficulty making ends meet. The other owners

Pirates for Juan Pizarro. A steal for the Sox. Wood is the mainstay of the

generally despised Veeck. Presumably because he thought of

Chicago staff for the next eight years. A knuckleballer, Wood could pitch all day

himself as one of the common folk rather than one of the elites

and racked up four consecutive twenty win seasons in the early Seventies

that they all felt they were. As a traitor to his class, the other owners

averaging around 350 innings per season while doing so. His career was

never gave Veeck an opportunity to make a go of it. An example

thwarted in 1976 when a line drive shattered his kneecap.

being expansion in baseball. Veeck wanted to own the new Los

Angeles franchise in the American League. However, Dodgers

1968 - The Sox plummet twenty two games in the standings from a very

owner Walter O'Malley would have none of it. It would have gotten

competitive 89-73 mark in '67 to an awful 67-95 mark in '68. This wasn't an

Veeck on his feet financially. After Veeck sold the White Sox, his

aberration, 1968 marked the Sox from being one of the top clubs in the league

General Manager Hank Greenberg was so disgusted with baseball

to one of the worst. There were four reasons for this sudden change of status.

that he left it for good. Two huge losses for baseball and its fans.

Chicago's offense was poor, but two players were generating much of the offense

Of course, once Veeck was out of the picture, the Anaheim franchise

that was there with their dynamism - third baseman Don Buford and centerfielder

miraculously opened up (and for an outsider, no less, cowboy star Gene Autry).

Tommy Agee. Both of them had some pop in their bat altho' they weren't hitting

for high average and they both put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses with

1963 - After being a well above average club for the previous

their baserunning and speed. Buford was sent to the Orioles for an aging Luis

dozen seasons (and exceptional once in 1959), the Sox step up

Aparicio and Agee was sent to the Mets for an aging Tommy Davis. Not Ed

their game and finish a competive second for the next three

Short's finest hour. Without Buford and Agee, the Chicago offense was dead

seasons. They are a team for their era, excellent pitching and

as a doornail. Note that the Orioles, who got Buford and the Mets, who got Agee

mediocre hitting. It's an interesting pitching staff as there are not

would meet in the World Series the following year and Buford and Agee were two

a couple of aces carrying the staff, but rather a deep effective

big reasons why. The other two reasons were that aces Gary Peters and Joe

rotation with a deep bullpen. Gary Peters, signed by the Sox in '56

Horlen lost their effectiveness. The went from studs to duds. Both hung on for a

and Juan Pizarro, pilfered from the Reds iin '61 in a deal for

few more years, but the effectiveness was gone.

third baseman Gene Freese, were the closest to aces. Hoyt

Wilhelm, picked up from the Orioles in 1963 at the age of forty,

1968 - Chcago coaxes Al Lopez out of retirement to try

for shortstop Luis Aparicio, and Eddie Fisher, picked up from the

to turn around their misfortunes on the field. Too late. They stink.

Giants in 1962 at the age of twenty five were the main bullpen

stoppers. It was GM Ed Short who put this team together

1968 The Sox try to bolster attendence by playing a home game in

Milwaukee against each team. This was also a thinly veiled

1963 - In addition to Wilhelm, the Sox also pick up 3B Pete Ward, 25, SS Ron

stepping stone toward potentially moving the club to Milwaukee

Hansen, 25, and OF Dave Nicholson, 23 in the Aparicio deal. All become starters.

which had been recently abandoned by the Braves.

1964 - Chicago loses the pennant race by a game to the Yankees.

1969 - Bud Selig tries buying the White Sox and moving them to

Their 98 wins are their most since 1917

Milwaukee. However, Arthur Allyn sells the club to his brother

John, instead, thus granting the Sox a stay of execution in Chicago.

1965 - In a tremendous three team deal for the White Sox, Chicago picks up

This was a glimpse of what baseball would be in for in the future when

twenty two year old lefthander Tommy John, twenty two year old center fielder

Selig became commissioner - a me-first individual running an

Tommy Agee and thrity year old catcher John Romano from Cleveland

organization depending on fans, but the fans be damned. Losing

while losing only catcher Camilo Carreon, righthander Fred Talbot and

the White Sox from Chicago would have been a blow to baseball and

centerfielder Mike Herschberger. Another great trade by Ed Short

a blow to many loyal fans - but who cared?, certainly not Selig.

When Selig was commissioner, he used his position for his own goals

1965 - Al Lopez retires after the season. Eddie Stanky

and gains. The office requires someone who understands that he should

takes over, but he can't match Lopez's success

act for the greater good and the good of the sport. You can't say folks

weren't warned. This self centered behavior was his modus operandi from

the instant he became involved with the game to the day he thankfully left it.