team photo holds the record for lowest career
earned run average (ERA), 1.82. The White Sox originated as the
Sioux City Cornhuskers of the
Western League, a
minor league under the parameters of the National Agreement with the
National League. In 1894,
Charles Comiskey bought the Cornhuskers and moved them to
St. Paul, Minnesota, where they became the
St. Paul Saints. In 1900, with the approval of Western League president
Ban Johnson, Charles Comiskey moved the Saints into his hometown neighborhood of
Armour Square, where they became the Chicago White Stockings, the former name of Chicago's National League team, the Orphans (now the
Chicago Cubs). In
1901, the Western League broke the National Agreement and became the new major league
American League. The first season in the AL ended with a White Stockings championship. However, that would be the end of the season, as the
World Series did not begin until
1903. The franchise, now known as the Chicago White Sox, made its first World Series appearance in
1906, beating the crosstown Cubs in six games. The White Sox won a third pennant and a second World Series in
1917, beating the
New York Giants in six games with help from stars
Eddie Cicotte and
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson. The Sox were heavily favored in the
1919 World Series, but lost to the
Cincinnati Reds in eight games. Huge bets on the Reds fueled speculation that the series had been
fixed. A criminal investigation went on in the
1920 season, and although all players were acquitted, commissioner
Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned eight of them for life, in what was known as the
Black Sox Scandal. This set the franchise back, as they did not win another pennant for 40 years. The White Sox did not finish in the upper half of the American League again until after founder Charles Comiskey died and passed ownership of the club to his son,
J. Louis Comiskey. They finished in the upper half most years between 1936 and 1946, under the leadership of manager
Jimmy Dykes, with star shortstop
Luke Appling (known as "Ol' Aches and Pains") and pitcher
Ted Lyons, who both had their numbers 4 and 16 retired. After J. Louis Comiskey died in 1939, ownership of the club was passed down to his widow,
Grace Comiskey. The club was later passed down to Grace's children
Dorothy and
Chuck in 1956, with Dorothy selling a majority share to a group led by
Bill Veeck after the
1958 season. Veeck was notorious for his promotional stunts, attracting fans to
Comiskey Park with the new "exploding scoreboard" and outfield shower. In 1961,
Arthur Allyn, Jr. briefly owned the club before selling to his brother
John Allyn. , manager of the "Go-Go Sox" From 1951 to 1967, the White Sox had their longest period of sustained success, scoring a winning record for 17 straight seasons. Known as the "Go-Go White Sox" for their tendency to focus on speed and getting on base versus power hitting, they featured stars such as
Minnie Miñoso,
Nellie Fox,
Luis Aparicio,
Billy Pierce, and
Sherm Lollar. From 1957 to 1965, the Sox were managed by
Al López. The Sox finished in the upper half of the American League in eight of his nine seasons, including six years in the top two of the league. In
1959, the White Sox ended the
New York Yankees' dominance over the American League, and won their first pennant since the ill-fated 1919 campaign. Despite winning game one of the
1959 World Series 11–0, they fell to the
Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. During the late 1960s and 1970s, the White Sox struggled to win games and attract fans. The team
played a total of 20 home games at
Milwaukee County Stadium in the 1968 and 1969 seasons. Allyn and
Bud Selig agreed to a handshake deal that would give Selig control of the club and move them to
Milwaukee, but it was blocked by the American League. Selig instead bought the
Seattle Pilots and moved them to Milwaukee, where they would become the
Milwaukee Brewers, putting enormous pressure on the American League to place a team in
Seattle. A plan was in place for the Sox to move to Seattle and for
Charlie Finley to move his
Oakland A's to Chicago. However, the city had a renewed interest in the Sox after the
1972 season, and the American League instead added the expansion
Seattle Mariners. The 1972 White Sox had the lone successful season of this era, as
Dick Allen wound up winning the American League MVP award. Bill Veeck returned as owner of the Sox in 1975, and despite not having much money, they managed to win 90 games in
1977, with a team known as the "South Side Hitmen". However, the team's fortunes plummeted afterwards, plagued by 90-loss teams and scarred by the notorious 1979
Disco Demolition Night promotion. Veeck was forced to sell the team, rejecting offers from ownership groups intent on moving the club to
Denver and eventually agreeing to sell it to
Ed DeBartolo, the only prospective owner who promised to keep the White Sox in Chicago. However, DeBartolo was rejected by the owners, and the club was then sold to a group headed by
Jerry Reinsdorf and
Eddie Einhorn. The Reinsdorf era started off well, with the team winning their first division title in
1983, led by manager
Tony La Russa and stars
Carlton Fisk,
Tom Paciorek,
Ron Kittle,
Harold Baines, and
LaMarr Hoyt. During the
1986 season, La Russa was fired by announcer-turned-general manager
Ken Harrelson. La Russa went on to manage in six World Series (winning three) with the Oakland A's and
St. Louis Cardinals, ending up in the
Hall of Fame as the second-winningest manager of all time. at the plate in 1986 in 1997 The White Sox struggled for the rest of the 1980s, as Chicago fought to keep them in town. Reinsdorf wanted to replace the aging Comiskey Park, and sought public funds to do so. When talks stalled, a strong offer was made to move the team to
St. Petersburg, Florida. Funding for a new ballpark was approved in an 11th-hour deal by the
Illinois State Legislature on June 30, 1988, with the stipulation that it had to be built on the corner of 35th and Shields, across the street from the old ballpark, as opposed to the suburban ballpark the owners had designed. The new ballpark opened in 1991 under the name
new Comiskey Park. The park, renamed in 2003 as
U.S. Cellular Field and in 2016 as
Guaranteed Rate Field, underwent many renovations in the early 2000s to give it a more retro feel. In December 2024, it was renamed
Rate Field when Guaranteed Rate rebranded as Rate. The White Sox were fairly successful in the 1990s and early 2000s, with 12 winning seasons from
1990 to
2005. First baseman
Frank Thomas became the face of the franchise, ending his career as the White Sox's all-time leader in runs, doubles, home runs, total bases, and walks. Other major players included
Robin Ventura,
Ozzie Guillén,
Jack McDowell, and
Bobby Thigpen. The Sox won the West division in
1993, and were in first place in
1994, when the season was canceled due to the
1994 MLB strike. In
2004, Ozzie Guillén was hired as manager of his former team. After finishing second in 2004, the Sox won 99 games and the Central Division title in 2005, behind the work of stars
Paul Konerko,
Mark Buehrle,
A. J. Pierzynski,
Joe Crede, and
Orlando Hernández. They started the playoffs by sweeping the defending champion
Boston Red Sox in the
ALDS, and beat the
Angels in five games to win their first pennant in 46 years, due to four complete games by the White Sox rotation. The White Sox went on to sweep the
Houston Astros in the
2005 World Series, giving them their first World Championship in 88 years. Guillén had marginal success during the rest of his tenure, with the Sox winning the Central Division title in
2008 after a
one-game playoff with the
Minnesota Twins. Guillén left the White Sox after the
2011 season and was replaced by former teammate Robin Ventura. The White Sox finished the
2015 season, their 115th in Chicago, with a 76–86 record, a three-game improvement over
2014. The White Sox recorded their 9,000th win in franchise history by the score of 3–2 against the
Detroit Tigers on September 21, 2015. Ventura returned in 2016, with a young core featuring
José Abreu,
Adam Eaton,
José Quintana, and
Chris Sale. Ventura resigned after the
2016 season, in which the White Sox finished 78–84.
Rick Renteria, the 2016 White Sox
bench coach, was promoted to the role of manager. against the
Minnesota Twins for a spot in the 2008 playoffs. Prior to the start of the 2017 season, the White Sox traded Sale to the Boston Red Sox and Eaton to the
Washington Nationals for prospects including
Yoán Moncada,
Lucas Giolito and
Michael Kopech, signaling the beginning of a rebuilding period. During the
2017 season, the White Sox continued their rebuild when they made a blockbuster trade with their crosstown rival, the Chicago Cubs, in a swap that featured the Sox sending pitcher José Quintana to the Cubs in exchange for four prospects headlined by outfielder
Eloy Jiménez and pitcher
Dylan Cease. This was the first trade between the White Sox and Cubs since the
2006 season. During the
2018 season, relief pitcher
Danny Farquhar suffered a brain hemorrhage while he was in the dugout between innings. Farquhar remained out of action for the rest of the season and just recently got medically cleared to return to baseball, despite some doctors doubting that he would make a full recovery. Also occurring during the 2018 season, the White Sox announced that the club would be the first Major League Baseball team to entirely discontinue use of plastic straws, in ordinance with the "Shedd the Straw" campaign by
Shedd Aquarium. The White Sox broke an MLB record during their 100-loss campaign of 2018, but broke the single-season strikeout record in only a year after the Milwaukee Brewers broke the record in the 2017 season. On December 3, 2018, head trainer Herm Schneider retired after 40 seasons with the team; his new role will be as an advisor on medical issues pertaining to free agency, the amateur draft and player acquisition. Schneider will also continue to be a resource for the White Sox training department, including both the major and minor league levels. On August 25, 2020, Lucas Giolito recorded the 19th no-hitter in White Sox history, and the first since Philip Humber's perfect game in 2012. Giolito struck out 13 and threw 74 of 101 pitches for strikes. He only allowed one baserunner, which was a walk to
Erik González in the fourth inning. In 2020, the White Sox clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2008, with a record 35–25 in the
pandemic-shortened season, but lost to the
Oakland Athletics in three games during the
Wild Card Series. The White Sox also made MLB history by being the first team to go undefeated against left-handed pitching, with a 14–0 record. At the end of the season, Renteria and longtime pitching coach Don Cooper were both fired. Jose Abreu became the 4th different White Sox player to win the AL MVP joining Dick Allen, Nellie Fox, and Frank Thomas. During the 2021 offseason, the White Sox brought back Tony La Russa as their manager for 2021. At the age of 76 when hired, La Russa became the oldest active manager in MLB. When he was named manager of the White Sox during the
1979 season, La Russa was the youngest active skipper in MLB. On April 14, 2021, pitching against the Cleveland Indians, Carlos Rodon recorded the team's 20th no-hitter. Rodon retired the first 25 batters he faced and was saved by an incredible play at first base by first baseman Jose Abreu to get the first out in the 9th before hitting
Roberto Pérez which was the only baserunner Rodon allowed. Rodon struck out seven and threw 75 of 114 pitches for strikes. On June 6, 2021, the White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 3–0. This also had Tony La Russa winning his 2,764th game as manager passing
John McGraw for 2nd on the all-time managerial wins list. On August 12, 2021, the White Sox faced
New York Yankees in the first ever
Field of Dreams game in
Dyersville, Iowa. The White Sox won the game 9–8 on a walk-off two-run Home Run by
Tim Anderson. The homer was the 15th walk-off home run against the Yankees in White Sox history; the first being
Shoeless Joe Jackson on July 20, 1919, whose character featured in the movie
Field of Dreams. On September 23, 2021, the White Sox clinched the American League Central Division for the first time since 2008 against the
Cleveland Indians. In 2024, the White Sox tied a 14-game losing streak, then proceeded to have a
21-game losing streak from July 10 to August 5. They became the 7th team all time, and the first since the
1988 Baltimore Orioles to lose 20 consecutive games. On September 1, the White Sox set a new franchise record for losses at 107 following a 2–0 loss to the New York Mets. They are also the first team since the
1965 Mets to have 3 separate 10 or more game losing streaks in one season. On September 27, the White Sox lost their 121st game of the season, surpassing the
1962 Mets for the
most losses in modern MLB history. ==Ballparks==