On this Date (April 22) in 1959, the Chicago White Sox completed what may be the weirdest MLB offensive inning ever – an event Baseball Roundtable loves to revisit and a nightmare Kansas City (Athletics) players and fans would surely like to forget. So,. I guess we’ll remind them here.
Nellie Fox drew two bases-loaded walks in the seventh inning of the White Sox 20-6 win. For the game. Fox was four-for-five, with a double, two walks,a run scored and five RBI.
In the seventh inning of a 20-6 road win over the Kansas City A’s, the Chicago White Sox scored 11 runs on just one base hit. In fact, they got only one ball out of the infield … and benefited from eight bases-loaded walks (ten total walks) and one bases-full hit by pitch. Actually, it did not start out like it was going to be a good day for the White Sox. The A’s knocked Chicago’s starting pitcher Early Wynn – who would go on to lead the AL in wins with 22 – out of the game with six runs on six hits and two walks in the first 1 2/3 innings. The Sox trailed 6-1 after two frames. The White Sox, however, had come back to take the lead 8-6 before their 11-run sixth.
A Brief Break in the ChiSox Story – One for the Record Books
The ten seventh-inning walks received by the White Sox on April 22, 1959 were not a record. On September 11, 1949, the Yankees got the benefit of an MLB record 11 walks in a single inning – the 12-run third frame of a 20-5 win over the Senators in New York. In that inning, the Yankees had 11 walks, two doubles, two singles and one batter safe on an error. Eight different Yankees drew free passes that frame, with RF Cliff Mapes, LF Charlie Keller and 1B Joe Collins drawing two each. Five of the 11 walks came with the bases loaded (a full replay of that inning can be found at the end of this post).
This White Sox’ unique “offensive outburst” would prove to be a portent of things to come. The 1959 AL pennant-winning White Sox became known as the “Go-Go Sox” for their ability to manufacture runs despite a punch less offense. (The Sox finished last in the league in home runs and sixth – out of the eight AL teams – in batting average and runs scored, but first in stolen bases and second in walks).
Still, it would have been hard to predict an inning in which the boys from Chicago would plate eleven runs on just one hit (a single) – or to anticipate a frame which included ten walks, a hit batsman, and three opposition errors – or a team plating 11 runs and hitting only one ball out of the infield. Here are few “numbers” from that 11-run inning:
- The Sox sent 17 batters to the plate, but collected just one hit – and, again, got only one ball out of the infield. For those that like to know such trivia, the hit belonged to LF Johnny Callison.
- The inning started with two Athletics’ errors.
- Sox’ hitters stepped into the box with runners in scoring position 14 times.
- Sox hitters batted with the bases loaded 12 times and never got the ball past the pitcher.
- Eight different White Sox’ players drew walks; Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio each drew two walks in the inning.
- The Sox drew eight bases-loaded walks (and had one bases-loaded hit batsman).
- White Sox 2B Nellie Fox walked twice with the bases loaded in the inning.
- Johnny Callison, who got the only base hit, was hit by a pitch in his only other place appearance that inning..
- The White Sox three outs came on one strikeout and two groundouts – both hit to the pitcher.
Here’s how it went that inning (per baseball-reference.com):
Tom Gorman Pitching
- 1B Ray Boone is safe on a throwing error by A’s shortstop Joe DeMaestri.
- RF Al Smith attempts to sacrifice Boone to second (score was 8-6 at the time) and reaches safely on an error by A’s third baseman Hal Smith.
- LF Johnny Callison singles to right. Scoring Boone and Smith (with the help of an error by A’s right fielder Roger Maris). Callison ends up on third.
- SS Louis Aparicio walks – steals second (runners now on second and third).
- P Bob Shaw walks (loading bases).
- PH Earl Torgeson (batting for 3B Sammy Esposito) walks (scoring Callison).
Mark Freeman Pitching
- 2B Nellie Fox walks (scoring Aparicio).
- CF Jim Landis reaches on fielder’s choice – grounding back to pitcher Mark Freeman, who takes the force at home (bases still loaded).
- C Sherman Lollar walks (scoring Torgeson, bases still loaded).
George Brunet Pitching
- Boone makes his second plate appearance of the inning and walks (scoring Nellie Fox).
- Smith makes his second plate appearance of the inning and walks (scoring Landis).
- Johnny Callison, who had the only hit of the inning in his first plate appearance, is hit by a pitch (scoring Lollar, bases still loaded). Lou Skizas comes in to run for Callison.
- Louis Aparicio draws his second walk of the inning (scoring Boone, bases still loaded).
- Shaw strikes out.
- PH Bubba Phillips (batting for Torgeson, who batted for Esposito earlier in the inning) walks (scoring Smith, bases still full).
- Nellie Fox draws his second bases-loaded walk of the inning (scoring Skizas).
- Jim Landis grounds out pitcher to first to end the inning.
- The 20-runs the White Sox scored that day were the most they plated in any game that season.
- In addition, to scoring 20 times, Chicago left eleven runners on base.
- Nellie Fox was the offensive star of the game – with four hits (five at bats), two walks and five RBI.
- The A’s used six pitchers in the contest, three in the seventh inning.
______________________________________________________
Now, a look at the record-setting Yankee inning.
—–Bottom of third inning, Senators at Yankees (September 11, 1949)—–
Paul Calvert Pitching
- SS Phil Rizzuto – walk.
- RF Cliff Mapes – walk.
- 3B Bobby Brown -two-run double.
- CF Joe DiMaggio – Grounder to third, safe on an error (one run scores).
- C Yogi Berra – RBI double.
Dick Welteroth pitching
- LF Charlie Keller – walk.
- 1B Joe Collins – walk, loading the bases.
- 2B Jerry Coleman – walk, forcing in a run.
- P Allie Reynolds – two-run single.
Coleman picked off second
- Rizzuto – walk.
- Mapes – walk, loading the bases.
Julio Gonzalez pitching
- Brown walk – forcing in a run.
- DiMaggio – run-scoring fly out to left.
- Berra – walk, loading the bases.
- Keller – walk, forcing in a run.
- Collins – walk, forcing in a run.
Buzz Dozier Pitching
- Coleman – walk, forcing in a run.
- Reynolds – pop out.
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com
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