The last day of November was quite busy for our White Sox. Here’s the rundown:
*1955, TRUCK DEPARTS: The White Sox dealt one-time 20-game winner Virgil Trucks to the Detroit Tigers for third baseman-outfielder Bubba Phillips.
This tunred out to be a heckuva trade for the Sox. Phillips had three solid campaigns for the Sox and hit .300 with a double in the 1959 World Series. Trucks had just 15 wins left in his arm and those came over the next four seasons.
*1961, BYE BILLY: One of the great careers in franchise history came to an end when the White Sox dealt stylish lefty Billy Pierce to the San Francisco Giants in a six-player swap.
The Sox sent pitcher Don Larsen, he of the World Series perfect game fame, to the West Coast and received pitchers Eddie Fisher, Dom Zanni, first baseman-outfielder Bob Farley and a player to be named later (the Sox received pitcher Verle Tiefenthaler on Aug. 17, 1962 to complete the deal).
Pierce, who started with the Sox in 1949, left the Southside tops in franchise history with 1,796 strikeouts (a record that still stands) and first among lefties (fourth overall) with 186 wins. He was a two-time 20-game winner and a four-time All-Star.
Pierce won 16 games for the 1962 N.L. champion Giants and then struggled with a 3-11 mark in 1963. After going 3-0 out of the Giant bullpen in 1964, Pierce was released.
Pierce has always been one of the nicest and most popular players in White Sox history. He was a fixture on the Southside until his death in 2015 and remains – deservedly so – one of the most revered figures in Sox history.
*1964, LEE ELIA ARRIVES: The White Sox traded for youth — including Lee Elia — when they swung a four-player trade with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Sox dealt veteran pitcher Ray Herbert and a minor leaguer to Philadelphia in exchange for 23-year-old outfielder Danny Cater and Elia, a minor league shortstop.
Cater, who played in 60 games as a rookie for the infamous ’64 Phillies, made an immediate impact with the Sox. Playing left field, the Texan hit .270 with 14 homers and 55 RBIs for the 1965 Sox.
Elia didn’t make it to the Sox until 1966 when he got into 80 games. He was sold to the Cubs in May of 1967. It was with the Cubs as manager where he delivered his world famous postgame tirade on April 29th, 1923.
As for Herbert, he won seven games for the Phillies in 1965 and 1966 before calling it a career.
*1964, HELLO HERRMANN: Also on this date, the White Sox made one of the wisest pickups of the 1960s when they snared catcher Ed Herrmann from the Milwaukee Braves’ organization in the first-year minor league player draft.
A left-handed hitter, Herrmann made it to the White Sox in 1967. By 1969, he was the Sox regular catcher and such a force behind the plate he was nicknamed “Fort Herrmann.”
An All-Star in 1974, Herrmann’s 19 homers in 1970 were the most ever by a left-handed hitting catcher in White Sox history.
*1970, BIG HAUL: The White Sox secured three key contributors without surrendering much in a six-player deal with the California Angels.
The Sox acquired starting pitcher Tom Bradley, catcher Tom Egan and outfielder Jay Johnstone for outfield stalwart Ken Berry, infielder Syd O’Brien and pitcher Billy Wynne.
Berry, a Gold Glover, still had some good years left in him but he was pushing 30. Bradley won 15 games and fanned 200 batters in both 1971 and 1972, Egan filled a nice platoon role in 1971 and 1972 and Johnstone had a stellar 1971 hitting .260 with 16 homers.
*1970, DEAL WITH THE CUBS: Also on this date, the White Sox and Cubs swung a rare trade when they pulled off a five-player that basically resulted in nothing.
The White Sox sent outfielder Jose Ortiz and first baseman-outfielder Ossie Blanco to the Cubs for pitchers Pat Jacquez and Dave Lemdonds and Roe Skidmore. This was the first trade between the Chicago teams since a Dec. 1, 1964 transaction that sent Frank Baumann to the Cubs for Jimmie Schaffer.
Of the players involved in this deal, only Lemonds made an impact. In his only year with the Sox, the left-hander posted a 2.95 ERA while going 4-7 in 31 games (18 starts).
*1971, ORTA ARRIVES: The White Sox purchased infielder-outfielder Jorge Orta from Mexicali of the the Mexican Northern League. Orta, a hard-hitting lefty, hit .423 and .362 in his final two seasons south of the border.
The Mazatlan, Mexico native made a quick stop at Knoxville in 1972 before joining the Sox in that season. Orta was a staple in the Sox lineup through the 1979 season, hitting a career-best .316 in 1974.
*2000, WELCOME BACK, ROLLIE: The White named Roland Hemond executive advisor to the general manager. Ken Williams hired the affable Hemond shortly after being hired GM.
Williams couldn’t have made a better choice. In addition to be extremely popular with fans and in the game, Hemond was a three-time winner of Major League Baseball’s Executive of the Year Award.
*2005, PAULIE RE-UPS: The White Sox re-signed first baseman Paul Konerko, who was the quiet force behind the team’s run to the 2005 World Series title.
The Sox gave the reigning MVP of the American League Championship Series a five-year deal. Konerko had filed for free agency but ultimately decided to return to the team that he led to the World Series title the previous October.
*2018, SEATTLE SWAP: The White Sox acquired closer Alex Colome from Seattle for catcher Omar Narvaez.
Colome saved 30 games for the 2019 Sox and then 18 for the 2020 playoff-bound Sox. His save in Game 1 of a 2020 American League Wild Card series was the first by a Sox pitcher in the postseason since Bobby Jenks nailed down Game 3 in the 2008 AL Division Series. Colome became a free agent after 2020 and signed with Minnesota as the Sox opted for Liam Hendriks as their closer. Colome returned briefly to the Sox in 2023 for the final four games of his MLB career.
Narvaez played one season with the Mariners after three seasons with the Sox. His career peaked with an All-Star berth for the 2021 Brewers. Like Colome, Narvaez returned to the Sox for the final four games of his MLB career (2025).