Here is one(ish) White Sox-related fact on every player listed on the 2026 Baseball Writers Association of America Hall-of-Fame ballot, which was released in November (results will be revealed on Jan. 20th):
PLAYERS DEBUTING ON THE BALLOT:
*RYAN BRAUN: Longtime Milwaukee Brewer hit a measly .196 against the White Sox. The only team to hold him to a lower average were the Tampa Bay Rays (.133).
*SHIN-SOO CHOO: Only Boston’s Dustin Pedroia at .750 hit for a higher average in home games (min. 8 at bats) against the 2008 Central Division champion White Sox than Choo’s .625.
*EDWIN ENCARNACION: 16-year veteran hit the last 10 of his 442 home runs for the 2020 White Sox. … Only Ken Griffey Jr. (608), Manny Ramirez (554), Jose Canseco (446) and Jim Thome (2006) joined the White Sox with more homers than his 414 in 2020.
*GIO GONZALEZ: The left-handed pitcher made his White Sox debut 5,894 days after being drafted by the club, which has to be the longest duration by any pick in club history.
Gonzalez was the Sox first round pick in the June 2004 draft but a pair of trades delayed his debut with the club until July 26, 2020.
On the opposite end of that spectrum, Garrett Crochet made his big league debut on Sept. 18 for the Sox just 101 days after being drafted by the club.
The pitcher Crochet relieved in his debut?
Gio Gonzalez!
*ALEX GORDON: Eight-time Gold Glove winner in the outfield is the Royals’ all-time leader with 100 games, 416 plate appearances, 42 runs, 19 doubles, 38 walks and 103 strikeouts at the White Sox current home.
*COLE HAMELS: Left-hander made just one appearance in New Comiskey Park/US Cellular Field/Guaranteed Rate Field in his decorated career.
On July 1, 2017, Hamels gave up a two-run homer to Jose Abreu in the first but held the Sox scoreless until he departed with two out in the seventh. Hamels wound up getting the win in the Rangers’ 10-4 victory. Elvis Andrus’ two-run homer in the fifth gave Texas the lead for good and helped Hamels secure his 139th win.
*MATT KEMP: Two of the long-time Dodgers’ four hits at New Comiskey Park/US Cellular Field/Guaranteed Rate Field/Rate were home runs (June 24, 2009 off Jimmy Gobble and May 20, 2011 off Philip Humber).
*HOWIE KENDRICK: Long-time Angel played the last of his 1,621 Major League games for the Washington Nationals on Sept. 5, 2020. His manager was former White Sox player Dave Martinez, future Sox Erick Fedde was the Nats’ starting pitcher, future Sox Michael A. Taylor was the Nats’ starting right fielder and he walked off the field for the final time after being lifted for pinch-runner and future Sox Josh Harrison.
*NICK MARKAKIS: The White Sox catcher in the first loss he ever played in at New Comiskey Park/US Cellular Field/Guaranteed Rate Field/Rate Field was AJ Pierzynski on July 4, 2006. The Braves catcher in the final loss and game he ever played in at New Comiskey Park/US Cellular Field/Guaranteed Rate Field/Rate Field was … AJ Pierzynski on July 10, 2016.
*DANIEL MURPHY: Mets’ hero vs. the Cubs in the 2015 NLCS spent part of his final pro season of 2023 with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Among his teammates there were Alejandro De Aza, Brian Goodwin and Al Alburquerque and his manager was Wally Backman, who managed in the Sox minor league system from 2001 to 2003.
*HUNTER PENCE: One-time Astro, Giant and Ranger was charged by MLB Network to give the White Sox, facing elimination in the 2021 ALDS, one of his famous pep talks. It worked for one day at least as the Sox won Game 3 at home before bowing out at the hands of Houston.
Here’s the link https://www.mlb.com/video/hunter-pence-s-white-sox-pep-talk?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share
*RICK PORCELLO: The White Sox second baseman in the right-handed pitcher’s debut vs. the Sox was Chris Getz on July 26, 2009 in Detroit … The Boston leadoff man in Porcello’s final game against the Sox was Andrew Benintendi on May 5, 2019 in Chicago
PLAYERS RETURNING TO THE BALLOT:
*MARK BUEHRLE: Stone-cold Southside legend.
For more on Buehrle see https://soxnerd.wordpress.com/2023/03/23/happy-birthday-to-white-sox-icon-mark-buehrle/
*BOBBY ABREU: White Sox manager Jerry Manuel once referred to him as “Ah-brew” in a press conference
*CARLOS BELTRAN: Switch-hitter clubbed the first of his 435 home runs off the White Sox Jaime Navarro on April 10, 1999 at Comiskey Park. The solo shot in the second inning gave the Royals a 3-0 lead in a 9-4 win before 11,908 on a Saturday afternoon.
*FELIX HERNANDEZ: The first batter to victimize “King Felix” with a multi-home run game was the White Sox Brian Anderson.
On Aug. 26, 2005 in Seattle, Anderson and Hernandez were both playing in their fifth Major League games when Anderson experienced a power surge. Anderson went deep in the third and seventh innings in the future World Series champions’ 5-3 win in 12 innings.
Hernandez’s last good start came against the White Sox.
On Sept. 14, 2019, Hernandez gave up one run on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts in seven innings in a no decision against the Sox in Seattle. Twelve days later, he made the final start of his career.
*TORII HUNTER: Longtime Twin faced Buehrle more times (101 plate appearances, 100 at bats) than any other pitcher. He slashed .240/.238/.410 with three homers and 17 strikeouts against Buehrle
*ANDRUW JONES: Ten-time Gold Glove winner in the outfield is the only player in White Sox history to hit a walkoff homer on his birthday.
On his 33rd birthday, Jones capped his 39th career multi-homer game with a game-winning shot in a 7-6 victory over Seattle. Jones joined Mike Kreevich (June 10, 1938) as the only Sox players with a multi-homer game on his birthday.
Jones’ also hit his 400th homer with the Sox on May 25, 2011.
Here’s the link https://youtu.be/lO8e5wBDaao
*DUSTIN PEDROIA: Red Sox legend won the American League MVP Award in 2008 that the White Sox Carlos Quentin should have won if not for a season-ending September injury.
Quentin was the front-runner for the award when he suffered a fractured wrist after slamming his bat in frustration following a foul ball in Cleveland on Sept. 1.
Despite missing the final 26 games of the season, Quentin led the AL in home run ratio (13.3) and game-winning RBI. He was leading the circuit in home runs (36) as late as Sept. 27 before being overtaken.
With the White Sox in first place when he went down and his name all over the leaderboard, Quentin had to be a strong favorite — if not the favorite — to win the award. Instead it was Pedroia who topped the voting while Quentin finished fifth.
*ANDY PETTITTE: The starter for Houston (no decision) in the White Sox epic win in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series, the left-hander was 3-8 with a 6.99 ERA in the regular season at 35th and Shields.
*MANNY RAMIREZ: “Manny Being Manny” hit the final home run of his career for the White Sox.
Wearing No. 99, Ramirez hit home run No. 555 on Sept. 17, 2010 off the Tigers’ Max Scherzer at U.S. Cellular Field.
Here it is https://youtu.be/OcvELleH5pI
*ALEX RODRIGUEZ: Starcrossed slugger was the out in what I consider one of the most important — if not the most important — sequence of the White Sox 2000 Central Division title season.
I blogged about it at https://soxnerd.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/foulke-lore-recalling-a-great-battle/
*FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ: Right-hander earned the save in the Sox only loss in the 2005 postseason. Rodriguez closed out the Angels’ 3-2 win in Game 1 of the ‘05 ALCS at US Cellular Field.
The next time the Sox saw him he gave up two unearned runs in 1.1 innings in THE GAME WHERE THE SOX CLINCHED THE PENNANT!
*JIMMY ROLLINS: Only Omar Vizquel (2,704), Harold Baines (2,844), Ken Griffey Jr. (2,691), Roberto Alomar (2,615 and 2,713) and Manny Ramirez (2,735) joined the Sox with more hits than his 2,422 in 2016
*CHASE UTLEY: The long-time Phillie was the first batter Buehrle faced in the last of Buehrle’s three All-Star appearances.
In the 2009 game in St. Louis, Buehrle relieved starter Roy Halladay in the third inning and promptly got Utley to fly out to center field. Buehrle went on to retire Albert Pujols and Ryan Braun in his only inning of work.
*OMAR VIZQUEL: Best known as a shortstop, Vizquel made his first appearance at first base on May 28, 2011 for the White Sox. The start in a 9-8 loss at Toronto came in Vizquel’s 2,874th game.
He was also the last player 5-foot-9 or shorter to play first for the Sox.
Here’s proof Vizquel played first base https://youtu.be/6yo8ciSK16g
*DAVID WRIGHT: The Mets’ legend scored the tying run on June 25, 2013 when Gordon Beckham famously barreled into Conor Gillaspie with two outs in the ninth inning allowing an easy pop fly to fall into the U.S. Cellular Field turf. https://youtu.be/KfFrHM8uP9g?si=oCJeM3_nCtPCEGqC
Fortunately for the Sox, Alexei Ramirez bailed out “Gordo” with a walkoff single in the bottom of the frame.
In that game, Wright had two steals giving more one more stolen bases (2) than hits (1) at the Sox home ballpark.