1973 Chicago White Sox season
Encyclopedia
The 1973
Chicago White Sox
season was the team's 73rd season in the major leagues, and its 74th season overall. They finished with a record 77-85, good enough for fifth place in the American League West
, 17 games behind the first-place Oakland Athletics
.
1973 Major League Baseball season
The 1973 Major League Baseball season was the first season of play for the designated hitter in the American League. The Kansas City Royals moved their home games from Municipal Stadium to the new Royals Stadium, adjacent to the Chiefs' football facility, Arrowhead Stadium...
Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
season was the team's 73rd season in the major leagues, and its 74th season overall. They finished with a record 77-85, good enough for fifth place in the American League West
American League West
The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the...
, 17 games behind the first-place Oakland Athletics
1973 Oakland Athletics season
The Oakland Athletics season involved the A's winning their third consecutive American League West title with a record of 94 wins and 68 losses...
.
Offseason
- October 19, 1972: Walt WilliamsWalt Williams (baseball)Walter Allen Williams is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Houston Colt .45s , Chicago White Sox , Cleveland Indians , and the New York Yankees .-Early life:Williams was nicknamed No-Neck due to his relatively short stature...
was traded by the White Sox to the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for Eddie LeonEddie LeonEduardo Antonio Leon is a former Major League Baseball infielder of Mexican American descent, who played for eight seasons, splitting time as a shortstop and second baseman...
. - February 1, 1973: Jim LyttleJim LyttleJames Lawrence Lyttle Jr. is a former major league baseball player from Hamilton, Ohio. He played as an outfielder for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Montreal Expos, and Los Angeles Dodgers...
was traded by the White Sox to the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
for Joe KeoughJoe KeoughJoseph William Keough is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1968 through 1973 for the Oakland Athletics , Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox . Keough batted and threw left-handed...
. - February 7, 1973: Chuck HartensteinChuck HartensteinCharles Oscar Hartenstein [Twiggy] is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 11", 165 lb., Hartenstein batted and threw right-handed...
and Glenn RedmonGlenn RedmonGlenn Vincent Redmon is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who appeared in seven games for the San Francisco Giants in . He batted and threw right-handed....
were traded by the White Sox to the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
for Skip PitlockSkip PitlockLee Patrick Thomas Pitlock is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Noted for his unusual wind-up, he had a "herky-jerky" motion which deceived major league batters, and led to 124 career strikeouts in 192.2 innings pitched....
.
Regular season
- July 20, 1973: Wilbur WoodWilbur WoodWilbur Forrester Wood, Jr. is a former knuckleball pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and most notably the Chicago White Sox, where he got 163 of his 164 wins...
became the last pitcher in the 20th century to start both ends of a doubleheaderDoubleheader (baseball)A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
.
Opening Day lineup
- Pat Kelly, rf
- Carlos MayCarlos MayCarlos May is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago White Sox through most of his career, and also the New York Yankees and California Angels. He also played four seasons in Japan, from until , for the Nankai Hawks. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
, lf - Dick AllenDick AllenRichard Anthony Allen is a former Major League Baseball player and R&B singer. He played first and third base and outfield in Major League Baseball and ranked among his sport's top offensive producers of the 1960s and early 1970s...
, 1b - Bill MeltonBill MeltonWilliam Edwin Melton , nicknamed "Beltin' Bill" or "Beltin' Melton", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Chicago White Sox, California Angels and Cleveland Indians...
, 3b - Ken HendersonKen HendersonKenneth Joseph Henderson was an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants , Chicago White Sox , Atlanta Braves , Texas Rangers , New York Mets , Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs .He helped the Giants to win the National League Western Division in 1971 and the Reds to win the NL West in...
, cf - Mike AndrewsMike AndrewsMichael Jay Andrews is a retired American Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics. He is currently the chairman of The Jimmy Fund, an event fundraising organization affiliated with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston,...
, dh - Ed HerrmannEd HerrmannEdward Martin Herrmann is a former American professional baseball player. He played in the Major Leagues as a catcher for the Chicago White Sox, the New York Yankees, the California Angels, the Houston Astros and the Montreal Expos from 1967 to 1978...
, c - Jorge OrtaJorge OrtaJorge Orta Núñez is a retired professional baseball player.He made his debut with the Chicago White Sox on April 15, 1972. Through the 1970s, he played usually second baseman but also third baseman and also some outfield...
, 2b - Eddie LeonEddie LeonEduardo Antonio Leon is a former Major League Baseball infielder of Mexican American descent, who played for eight seasons, splitting time as a shortstop and second baseman...
, ss - Wilbur WoodWilbur WoodWilbur Forrester Wood, Jr. is a former knuckleball pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and most notably the Chicago White Sox, where he got 163 of his 164 wins...
, p
Notable transactions
- August 15, 1973: Jim KaatJim KaatJames Lee "Jim" Kaat , nicknamed "Kitty", is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins , Chicago White Sox , Philadelphia Phillies , New York Yankees , and St...
was selected off waivers by the White Sox from the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. - August 29, 1973: Eddie FisherEddie Fisher (baseball)Eddie Gene Fisher was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants , Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians , California Angels and St...
was purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals from the Chicago White Sox.
Roster
| 1973 Chicago White Sox | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 109 | 309 | 88 | .285 | 4 | 30 | |
| SS | 127 | 399 | 91 | .228 | 3 | 30 | |
| RF | 144 | 550 | 154 | .280 | 1 | 44 | |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 139 | 26 | .187 | 1 | 10 | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 359.1 | 24 | 20 | 3.46 | 199 | |
| 42 | 282.1 | 18 | 21 | 3.57 | 120 | |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 110.2 | 6 | 7 | 4.88 | 57 | |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 2.23 | 60 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.60 | 1 |
Farm system
Awards and honors
All-Star Game1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 44th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 24, 1973 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, home of the...
- Pat Kelly, reserve