Today in White Sox History: August 26

1933

The White Sox honored one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history, when Ted Lyons Day was celebrated at Comiskey Park. However, Lyons didn’t have his best stuff, as he took the loss in a 10-5 decision to the A’s. He gave up eight of Philadelphia’s 10 runs.

Lyons and Bill Veeck are the only individuals associated with the franchise to have two testimonial days in their honor. Lyons’ second one would come in 1940.

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1935

As the season came crashing down on the White Sox, who were 14 games over .500 at the end of July and now stood just 59-56, Zeke Bonura provided a ray of sunshine.

In the opener of a doubleheader hosting the Yankees, the White Sox lost a late lead, surrendering two in the ninth to force extras. The two clubs traded a pair of runs in the 13th, as well. With Lou Gehrig clouting his second homer of the game to give the Yankees an 8-7 lead in the top of the 15th, the White Sox rallied once more, tying the game after a walk-single-sac bunt-walk loaded the bases and Luke Sewell grounded Luke Appling home on a roller too slow for a game-ending double play.

White Sox pitcher Whit Wyatt took three balls to start his at-bat, then was worked to 3-2. After a Wyatt spoiled another couple of pitches foul to stay alive, Bonura stole home to win the game, 9-8. It was Bonura’s fourth steal of 1935, and the fourth of his career.

In fact, Bonura had just 19 steals in his seven-year, 917-game career in the majors. He was not, you might say, swift afoot.

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1949

In one of the strangest starts by a pitcher in White Sox history, as southpaw Bob Kusava whiffed an AL record-tying six straight Boston Red Sox — and was routed out of the game!

Kusava didn’t last three innings, departing with two outs in the third, trailing, 4-0. He left apparently due to injury or fatigue, as he didn’t see action again until September 8 — then ran off three straight complete games!

Kusava fanned seven of the 15 Red Sox he saw in the contest, a doubleheader nightcap Boston won, 10-7. The White Sox dropped the opener as well, 11-4.

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1971

It was the kind of thing that could only happen to the White Sox, and only in Baltimore’s “House of Horrors,” Memorial Stadium. The Sox trailed, 6-0, before mounting a big comeback that saw them take a 9-8 lead in the ninth inning thanks to a home run by Mike Andrews. With two outs, torrential rain hit the area, and after a wait of almost an hour-and-a-half, the game was called. Because of rules in place at the time, the score reverted back to the last completed inning, the eighth, which saw Baltimore ahead and now final, 8-7.

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