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Today in White Sox History: August 15

An unprecedented, and monumental, draft mistake

Chicago White Sox v Detroit Tigers
Bobby Seay was a White Sox first-rounder whose South Side career was ... nonexistent. The unique reason for that came 36 years ago today.

1922

In front of 2,500 at Fenway Park, the Soxes White and Red set an AL record with 35 singles in a 19-11 Chicago win. The White Sox had 21 of the one-baggers, Boston 14. The two clubs combined for 43 hits total (25 Chicago, 18 Boston) and were a combined 23-of-39 with runners in scoring position.

Eddie Mulligan and Earl Sheely led the club with three singles apiece (Sheely added a double), with Boston’s Joe Harris and Mike Minosky matching the one-bagging feat for the Red Sox.

The White Sox actually trailed this one, 10-8, after Boston put up a seven-run sixth. But the South Siders scored 11 in the final three frames, including their own seven-spot in the ninth, to make it a laffer.


1973

White Sox GM Roland Hemond acquired starting pitcher Jim Kaat on waivers from Minnesota. All “Kitty” did was become a two-time 20-game winner for the White Sox in 1974 and 1975. Those two seasons ended up being the best of the future Hall-of-Famer’s career. In 1975, he made the All-Star team and finished fourth in AL Cy Young race, compiling a career-best 7.7 WAR.

In 92 career appearances and 87 starts over two-plus years in Chicago, Kaat won 45 games and had 15.3 WAR.


1996

White Sox first-rounder Bobby Seay was declared a free agent because the team failed to offer a formal contract within 15 days of the draft. The southpaw became the first player in the 32 years of the draft to become a free agent in the same summer he was selected. Seay signed with Tampa Bay in October and made his MLB debut six years later, putting up 3.0 WAR in his career.