The first game in White Sox History: April 24
A minor swap with Cleveland gets Chicago the short end of the stick
On this day 94 years ago, Bill Cissell was shipped east to Cleveland. | (Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images) 1901 It wasn’t planned this way, but three games in other cities were postponed by rain, putting the White Sox in position to host the first major league game in American League history. Some 9,000 fans at South Side Park — or maybe it was 14,000, reports conflict — saw the home club beat the Cleveland Blues, 8-2.
The White Sox scored five times in the first inning, and ran the score to 7-0 in the first two frames. Still, the win took just an hour-and-a-half to complete. Roy Patterson started, and got the complete-game win.
Outfielder Billy Hoy took the first White Sox at-bat. Fred Hartman ’s single scored the first two runs in (MLB) American League history. Hoy was deaf and mute, and referred to himself by his nickname, Dummy — correcting people who called him William.
In order for Hoy to understand what the umpires were calling, the arbitrators came up with a series of hand signals indicating safe/out and ball/strike. The ceremonial first ball, by the way, was supposed to be thrown out by Robert Burke, special counsel to the mayor of Chicago. Burke declined, however, stating that he was afraid the ball might get hit back to him.
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