Today in White Sox History: October 11

1899

The new American League was formed, in Chicago. The city didn’t have a team in the league at that point, but soon got the St. Paul, Minn. franchise along with their player/manager, Charles Comiskey. They set up shop on the South Side at the 39th Street Grounds, at 39th and Princeton.

1906

Winning their second road game of the Fall Classic, the White Sox knocked off the Cubs, 3-0, to retake a World Series lead, two games to one. Ed Walsh shut out the Cubs on a 12-K two-hitter.

The White Sox managed just four hits off of Jack Pfiester, but one was a bases-clearing triple with two outs in the top of the sixth from George Rohe that accounted for all three runs in the game. Walsh walked to lead off the sixth inning, and came around to score what would end up as the decisive first run of the contest.

The undistinguished Rohe (1.0 WAR in 77 games for the White Sox in 1906) had gotten off to an outstanding start in the Series, going 2-for-9 with two triples, a run, three RBIs, two walks and a hit-by-pitch through three games; he’d go 5-for-12 over the next three games as well. By today’s voting standards, Rohe would have had a shot at World Series MVP had that award existed in 1906.

1991

White Sox manager Jeff Torborg — who was named Manager of the Year for 1990 — resigned to take the job as manager of the New York Mets.

It was a strange move, and the real reason for it wasn’t made known until years later: Torborg told individuals that White Sox GM Ron Schueler forced him out, wanting to hire his own man — Gene Lamont.