Today in White Sox History: August 6

1949

Luke Appling played his 2,154th game at shortstop, passing Rabbit Maranville for most in MLB history. He would play another 42 games there in the 1949 season and 20 in 1950, at age 43, before retiring. Appling played all but one of his seasons (1948) as a primary shortstop, and 94% of his career games there.

Today, Appling sits at eighth all-time in games played at shortstop, his all-time record broken 20 years later by another White Sox shortstop, Luis Aparicio, on Sept. 25, 1970, his last game played that season. Interestingly, that marked not only the last game Aparicio played that season, it was the last game Aparicio ever played for the White Sox.

1959

It was the third and final marathon game of the 1959 season.

The White Sox battled the Orioles in Baltimore, and played for 18 innings before midnight curfew stopped the night game tied at 1-1. The game lasted only four hours.

There were two incredible performances on the pitcher’s mound. For Baltimore, Hoyt Wilhelm relieved Billy O’Dell to start the ninth inning and held the White Sox hitless for 8 ²⁄₃ innings, as Billy Goodman slapped a single with two outs in the 17th. Meanwhile White Sox starter Billy Pierce went 16 innings, allowing just one run and recording a 100 game score, before giving way to Turk Lown in the 17th.

Billy faced 61 hitters, struck out seven and gave up 11 hits, 10 of them singles.