White Sox shades of ’59 ‘Go-Go Sox’
Different teams, but same love Both nines relied on their pitching
CHICAGO— Those “Go-Go Sox” stole more bases than they hit homers, were built for defence and speed, batted .250 as a team and had a 39- year- old as their ace. When the White Sox last ended a four- decade pennant drought, the year was 1959. It was the year current Chicago coaches Harold Baines and Greg Walker were born. Managed by Al Lopez, the White Sox featured the up- themiddle defence of shortstop Luis Aparicio and steady second baseman Nellie Fox and the pitching of 22-game winner Early Wynn — all hall of famers. These White Sox sent a baseballhungry town into a tizzy. When they beat the Cleveland Indians to win their first AL pennant since the scandalscarred “ Black Sox” in 1919, air raid sirens went off in the city.
“ After 40 years of waiting for a pennant in the American League, I assume that everyone who was watching the telecast was happy about the White Sox’s victory,” mayor Richard J. Daley said in the Chicago Tribune, adding that the sirens were sounded “ in the hilarity and exuberance of the evening.’’ Now 46 years later, Daley’s son, Richard M., is running the city and finally the White Sox are back in the Fall Classic to face St. Louis or Houston beginning Saturday. The 1959 team, like the current one, was very good in one- run games, going 35- 15. This year’s team is 37- 20. Wynn was the ace and won the Cy Young. Fox hit .306 and was the MVP and Jim Landis patrolled centre field with grace.
Landis was watching Sunday when the current White Sox finished off the Los Angeles Angels in the AL championship series, thrilled that the long wait since they were in the spotlight is finally over.
“ What can you say? The Red Sox waited so many years. The White Sox waited so many years, and they’re there now,” Landis said. Even though the current White Sox had more power and hit 200 homers, they were restructured in the offseason to be better defensively and rely on pitching.
That came through against the Angels when they strung together four straight complete games, something that hadn’t been done in the same series since the Yankees had five straight complete games in the 1956 World Series.
“ It proves a point as far as I’m concerned: A pitcher can go nine innings. . . . If you’ve got some good pitching, they can go all the way,” Landis said. Aaron Rowand and Paul Konerko told him in spring training, “‘ We are going to be so much better because our defence is so much better.’ They lived up to that.’’