Here’s a look at what happened on this date (Dec. 14) in White Sox history:
*1960, A JUAN-DERFUL DEAL: The White Sox acquired left-hander Juan Pizarro from the Reds with fellow pitcher Cal McLish in exchange for third baseman Gene Freese.
Pizarro went on to become an All-Star in 1963. The following year he went 19-9 with a 2.56 ERA.
In McLish, the Sox had the player with one of the longest names in big league history in the fold. Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish would pitch just one season for the Southsiders.
*1961, SOX CONTRACT: The Sox lost Earl Averill, Ted Kluszewski, Jim McAnany and Ken McBride to Los Angeles and Dick Donovan, Joe Hicks and Ed Hobaugh to Washington in the Expansion Draft.
*1965, BEWARE THE BRAT: The White Sox hired Eddie Stanky to succeed Al Lopez as manager.
This signaled a major departure in managerial styles at Comiskey Park. The Sox replaced the affable, cerebral Lopez with the bombastic Stanky, who was known as “The Brat” for obvious reasons.
Stanky pushed, pulled and cajoled the 1967 light-hitting White Sox to within a hair of one of the most improbable pennants in history.
On July 12, 1968, 78 games into the season, Stanky resigned and was replaced by the man he replaced, Al Lopez.
*1966, HELLO, NO NECK: The White Sox acquired one of the most popular players in recent memory when they acquired outfielder Walt “No Neck” Williams in a four-player exchange with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Sox also got pitcher Don Dennis and had to surrender veteran catcher John Romano and minor leaguer Lee White to get Williams. This was the second time the Sox dealt Romano, whom they originally signed in 1954.
Williams was a regular in the White Sox outfield through 1972. His best campaign came in 1969 when he hit .304.
*1994, DEALING BLACK JACK: With a new player compenstation system looming because of the on-going work stoppage, the White Sox sent pitcher Jack McDowell to the New York Yankees for minor leaguer Keith Heberling and a player to be named later. The Sox dealt potential free agent McDowell for fear of getting nothing in return.
The deal was completed April 22, 1995 when the Yankees sent outfielder Lyle Mouton to Chicago.
McDowell was a two-time 20-game winner and Cy Young Award winner with the White Sox. He was a battler in the true sense of the word. Sadly, one of the legacies he left was his failure in two starts in the 1993 American League Championship Series.
*2000, ROYCE ROLLS INTO TOWN: The White Sox gained and lost a shortstop all on the same day.
In a trade with Texas, the Sox acquired slick-fielding Royce Clayton from Texas for pitchers Aaron Myette and Brian Schmack.
Also on this day, the Sox lost the enigmatic Mike Caruso on waivers to the Seattle Mariners. After his sterling rookie season of 1998, Caruso’s production dipped so dramatically in 1999, he spent all of 2000 at Triple-A Charlotte while the team he was supposed to be a major part of was winning the division.
*2018, ALONSO ACQUIRED: The White Sox obtained first baseman-DH Yonder Alonso from Cleveland for minor league outfielder Alex Call.