Today in White Sox History: December 30
A tidy little pickup for the hot corner, at the right price
1926
Fueled seemingly by just one source, Black Sox scoundrel Swede Risberg, the Chicago Tribune ran a front-page story teasing deeper details of the squad that shall live in infamy — namely, that in the “pristine,” 100-win season of 1917, the Detroit Tigers threw a four-game series to the White Sox in that season’s stretch run.
The four games Risberg referenced were back-to-back doubleheaders at Comiskey Park, on September 2 and 3. The fact that the White Sox had been in first place since June 8 and entered the Tigers series 3 1⁄2 games up in the AL takes the teeth out of Swede’s salacious claims, but in truth, who knows, it was more a wildcat sport a century ago.
Commissioner Landis invited Risberg to Chicago to learn more, after Risberg testified on accusations against Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker for throwing games in the final week of the 1919 season.
No witnesses came forward to corroborate Risberg’s claim about the 1917 White Sox — in fact, 30 Detroit and Chicago players specifically contradicted his accusation.
In the end, it was a nice headline for the Tribune, and some brief attention for Risberg (by then working at a dairy farm in Minnesota and playing summer semipro ball in South Dakota). A little smoke, but no fire.
1944
In a smart little pickup, the White Sox bought third baseman Floyd Baker from the Browns. Baker had seen little time in St. Louis and was just a part-timer on the South Side in 1945. After a full season spent at Triple-A Milwaukee in 1946, Baker arrived in Chicago for strong seasons in 1947 and 1949, combining for 5.2 WAR fueled by stellar defense. All told he’d play seven seasons on the South Side, producing 7.9 WAR — making him the 11th-best in franchise history at the hot corner.
2019
After a last-minute setback in their pursuit of Zack Wheeler and still needing a solid starting pitcher to round out a young and promising rotation, the White Sox quickly and aggressively pivoted by signing former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel to a three-year, $55.5 million deal. The agreement, which had been agreed to as an early gift to Sox fans on December 21, also included a vesting option for a fourth season.
Keuchel helped the Astros win the 2017 World Series and pitched in 12 postseason games before coming to the South Side. He’d have a terrific, pandemic-shortened season in 2020 (6-2 with a 1.99 ERA in 11 starts) before regressing badly in 2021.
Keuchel was released before the All-Star break in 2022, was picked up by the Diamondbacks ... and released, then signed by the Rangers ... and released. He saw the majors again in 2023, with the Minnesota Twins.