On May 7, 1927, the upper deck of Comiskey Park opened, featuring a grand slam by Lou Gehrig. In 1941, Ted Williams hit a game-winning home run over the roof, marking a notable moment in White Sox history.
Mentioned in this story
Don Kolloway (left) took some hitting tips from Washington Senators manager Ted Williams in 1970 â 21 years later than necessary for the tutoring to help his mediocre MLB career. | (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
1927
The Comiskey Park upper deck officially opened to fans, as 37,000 fans streamed in to watch the New York Yankees crush the home team, 8-0. The upper deck added 23,200 seats to the ballparkâs capacity. It was a tight contest until the ninth inning, when Lou Gehrig capped a six-run frame for the Bronx Bombers by christening the upper deck with a grand slam to mark the first-ever home run in the new seats.
The crowd of 37,000 set a new White Sox and Chicago city record for attendance for a game. That record wouldnât last long.
1941
For the sixth time in Comiskey Park history, a player homered over the roof. Again, as the first five, it was an opponent: Ted Williams. And in a rarity, the clout made a big difference in the game: Williams clubbed his homer with one out in the top of the 11th, giving the Boston Red Sox a 4-3 lead and eventual win.
1949
The White Sox sent Don Kolloway to the Tigers for Earl Rapp. Despite playing for eight seasons on the South Side (missing two years serving in the military, Kolloway was shockingly mediocre, never once reaching the 2.0 WAR mark of an MLB regular in spite of three full-time seasons at second base; he ended his Chicago career with 2.8 WAR over 683 games. Kolloway would be no better in , and by his careerâs end five of his 12 seasons were sub-replacement (negative WAR) level.
The upper deck of Comiskey Park officially opened, and Lou Gehrig hit the first home run there.
Ted Williams hit a home run over the roof of Comiskey Park in 1941, leading the Boston Red Sox to victory.
The attendance record set on May 7, 1927, was 37,000 fans, a record for both the White Sox and the city of Chicago.
Lou Gehrig's grand slam capped a six-run inning for the Yankees, leading to an 8-0 victory over the White Sox.
The Steelers vs. Ravens matchup is ranked among the top 10 games of the 2026 NFL season!
The Toronto Blue Jays may become sellers at the MLB Trade Deadline due to their poor record of 16-21. A predicted fire sale could be beneficial for the team, potentially saving them $100 million.
Can Sean Strickland upset Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328?
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
Rapp was terrible in right field for the White Sox over the next month (-0.1 WAR), but arguably the trade was a Chicago win just in getting Kolloway off of the books (Nellie Fox would be taking over second base in 1950, anyway). The White Sox shipped Rapp to Oakland of the PCL in June as a player to be named later afterthought; he scraped back into the majors for the Giants, Browns and Senators in 1951-52, playing about as well as Kolloway would.
1975
After Dick Allen refused to report to Atlanta after the White Sox traded him there prior to the 1975 season, the Braves shipped the slugger and Johnny Oates to Philadelphia for Jim Essian, Barry Bonnell, and cash. Eight days later, without having played a game for the Braves, Essian was sent to the White Sox as a player to be named later in a prior deal.
What was the prior deal? Why, it was the Allen-to-Atlanta deal back on Dec. 3, 1974, which yielded the White Sox cash and a PTBNL.
While not unheard of, this trade was odd in that the player received by the White Sox from Atlanta for Allen (Essian) wasnât even on the Braves at the time of the original deal!
1989
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the start of construction on the new Comiskey Park, across the street from the original stadium built in 1910. Dignitaries from the state, city and White Sox franchise were on hand for the occasion.
1991
Sammy Sosa became the first Sox player with a âwalk-offâ home run at new Comiskey Park, when he beat Milwaukee with a blast leading off the 12th inning. The final score was 2-1. Sosa hit his game-winner off of Brewers relief pitcher Mark Lee.
1999
White Sox outfielder Carlos Lee homered in his first at-bat in the majors, becoming the first player in team history to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat.
Lee connected off of Oaklandâs Tom Candiotti, in the second inning of a 7-1 White Sox home win.
2023
The White Sox scored 11 runs in the second inning of a 17-4 romp in Cincinnati, triggered by a two-run homer from Hanser Alberto. The White Sox sent 14 batters to the plate and rang up three walks, five singles, a triple and two homers in the assault. In the inning the Sox went 5-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Gavin Sheetsâ three-run homer bookended the scoring in the frame.
It was the most runs ever scored in a second inning in White Sox history, and tied for the second-most runs ever by the White Sox in a single inning.
Only a 13-run outburst in the fourth inning at Washington on Sept. 26, 1943 beat this dayâs output.
Backed by that kind of support, Michael Kopech pitched six innings and got the easy win.
The 17-run game is tied for 32nd-most in White Sox history. Despite playing relatively few games in their history in Cincinnati (interleague play being a mostly-21st Century concept), the Pale Hose also put up 17 runs at the Reds in a 17-12 win on June 6, 2000.