On behalf of everyone here at Sox On 35th, I would like to start this blog by wishing a Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads and father figures out there. In a normal year, I’m sure most of us would be spending the day watching a Sox game with the old man. Given the current circumstances, we won’t have that same luxury today so to help fill the baseball void, I decided to take a look back at some of the top Father’s Day moments for the White Sox in recent years.
Gordon Beckham Walk-Off, June 21, 2015
Five years ago to the day, the White Sox and Rangers headed to extra innings tied at two. With Conor Gillaspie due up in the bottom of the 11th, manager Robin Ventura opted to use Gordon Beckham as the pinch-hitter. The move paid off as Beckham got just enough of the 2-2 pitch to send it into the bullpen for a White Sox winner. This was also the same year that he had his iconic “stir it up” Mother’s Day walk-off, which is still an insane feat to think about.
Jon Garland’s Home Run, June 18, 2006
In a road game at Great American Ball Park, Jon Garland got the job done both on the mound and at the plate. The right-hander threw eight dominant innings of one-run ball, only giving up four hits over 111 pitches. Before he finished his outing, Garland contributed to his own cause by slugging his first Major League home run, a two-run shot in the top of the eighth off Cincinnati’s Esteban Yan. The Sox would go on to win comfortably, 8-1.
Sunday Night vs. the Dodgers, June 19, 2005
We all have some memory of this wild weekend against the Dodgers in 2005. The night before Father’s Day was the most memorable as A.J. Pierzynski bat flipped us home, capping off the improbable four-run ninth-inning comeback to sink LA.
The following night on ESPN, the Sox mounted another late-inning charge. Down one in the eighth, a little small ball and some luck put Pablo Ozuna and Scotty Pods on second and third with one out. Aaron Rowand came in clutch with a liner to left, scoring both runners to put the Good Guys up 4-3. Dustin Hermanson was summoned in the ninth and grinded out his 16th save to clinch the sweep on Father’s Day.
Carlos Lee’s Wrigley Demolition, June 16, 2002
There’s no question Carlos Lee was a Cubs killer during his time on the South Side. One of his best performances against the North Side rivals just so happened to come on Father’s Day in 2002, where he almost single-handedly gave the White Sox a win at Wrigley. The left fielder first hit a grand slam in the third off Kerry Wood to give the team a 6-4 lead, and then a three-run shot off Carlos Zambrano in the fifth to put the Sox ahead for good. Lee finished 3-for-4 with his two home runs and seven RBI in the 10-7 victory.
17 runs in New York, June 18, 2000
The White Sox put a hurting on the Bronx Bombers on Father’s Day in 2000. The offense set the tone early with a quick nine runs in the first to knock Orlando Hernandez out after just 0.2 IP (sorry, “El Duque”). By the end of the game, eight out of the nine guys in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit, with six of them having multi-hit performances. Collectively the team finished with 18 base knocks in a 17-4 victory.
Do you remember these or have memories of other moments I may have missed? Comment below and let me know!
Featured Photo: Chicago White Sox/Twitter
