The 1990 Chicago White Sox season was the White Sox's 91st season. They finished with a record of 94–68, good enough for second place in the American LeagueWest, 9 games behind of the first place Oakland Athletics, as the White Sox played their final season at the aging Comiskey Park before moving to the new Comiskey Park the next season.
Regular season
In the summer of 1990, Michael Jordan took batting practice at Comiskey Park.[1] The following year, Upper Deck created a baseball card of Michael Jordan and it was numbered SP1.[2]
The White Sox and Texas Rangers were involved in the longest rain delay in baseball history at 7 hours and 23 minutes at Comiskey Park on August 12. Behind the delay's length was the White Sox's insistence that the game be rescheduled at Comiskey four days later when both teams were idle and not at Arlington Stadium the subsequent weekend, which was rejected by the Rangers. The gamesmanship between the two sides resulted in the contest eventually played as part of a twi-night doubleheader at Arlington on August 17.[3]
Bobby Thigpen had the best season of his career in 1990, setting the major league record of 57 saves. He also maintained a 1.83 ERA and was named to the AL All-Star team. He also blew eight saves that season, including two three-run leads.
In anticipation of the move to new Comiskey Park, the White Sox on July 2 unveiled new team colors of black and silver and uniforms based on the ones worn in 1959 and the early-1970s featuring a return of pinstripes to the home version.[4] The uniform ensemble was originally scheduled to debut the following season, but its popularity with the fans resulted in the White Sox officially making the change beginning with the opening game of its final homestand of the campaign on September 25.[5] The ballclub instantly jumped to the top of MLB merchandise sales.
June 4, 1990: Alex Fernandez was drafted by the White Sox in the 1st round of the 1990 amateur draft.[6]
June 4, 1990: Bob Wickman was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 2nd round of the 1990 amateur draft. Player signed June 6, 1990.[7]
June 4, 1990: Ray Durham was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 5th round of the 1990 amateur draft. Player signed June 5, 1990.[8]
June 4, 1990: Jason Bere was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 36th round of the 1990 amateur draft. Player signed June 6, 1990.[9]
July 30, 1990: Phil Bradley was traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Chicago White Sox for Ron Kittle.[10]
No Hitter
July 1, 1990 – New York Yankees pitcher Andy Hawkins threw a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox and lost the game. A scoreless game until the bottom of the 8th inning, Sammy Sosa started the rally by hitting a ground ball that Yankee third basemen Mike Blowers bobbled. Initially it was ruled a hit. Yankee manager Stump Merrill was standing on the top of the dugout steps barking up in the direction of the press box. Quickly the play was changed to an error on Blowers. Sosa then stole second base. Ozzie Guillén and Lance Johnson both then drew walks to load the bases. The next batter, Robin Ventura hit a fly ball that eluded Yankees left fielder Jim Leyritz allowing three unearned runs to score. The next batter, Iván Calderón, then lifted a fly ball to right field that was dropped by Jesse Barfield making the score 4-0.
On July 11, 1990, as part of the celebration of Comiskey Park, the White Sox played a Turn Back the Clock game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The White Sox wore their 1917 home uniforms. This was the first Turn Back the Clock game in the major leagues and started what has become a popular promotion. The club turned off the electronic scoreboards and public address system. They constructed a special manually operated scoreboard in center field for the day and even the grounds-crew wore period costume. General admission tickets were sold for $0.50, popcorn was a nickel, and the stadium organ was shut down for the game.
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Base on balls; SO = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
^20th Century Chicago: 100 Years, 100 Voices By Chicago Sun-Times, p.119, Chicago sun-times, Adrienne Drell, Published 2000, Sports Publishing LLC, ISBN1-58261-239-0