Today in White Sox History: August 26
Today’s theme? Stealing
1920
During a robbery attempt at the Illinois Vinegar Manufacturing Company on August 3, three armed bandits gunned down highly-respected detective sergeant Frank McGurk, a veteran of the Chicago police department. His fellow officers were able to start arresting the individuals who committed the crime, after getting tips from individuals.
On August 26 and thanks to another tip, police were able to stop another robbery attempt, one that was going to snatch the $40,000 payroll of the Wilson & Company stockyard meat packers. One of those arrested, James Ryan, confessed to being part of the group that killed McGurk, and then told police that he and his gang were planning on robbing the Comiskey Park box office in mid-September after Babe Ruth and the Yankees came to town. Ryan detailed the plan, where the gang was going to kill everyone in the box office —including Sox owner Charles Comiskey! Ryan said he knew Comiskey would be there because he had been advised by his doctors not to actually watch the games, for health reasons.
Thanks to the arrest of Ryan, Comiskey’s life was spared, as well as every other person who would have been in the box office at that time.
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.
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.
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.
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.