1983 Chicago White Sox season

Major League Baseball team season

The 1983 Chicago White Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the White Sox winning the American League West championship on September 17. It marked their first postseason appearance since the 1959 World Series. It was the city of Chicago's first baseball championship of any kind (division, league, or world), since the White Sox themselves reached the World Series twenty-four years earlier.

After the White Sox went through a winning streak around the All-Star break, Texas Rangers manager Doug Rader said the White Sox "...weren't playing well. They're winning ugly."^[1] This phrase became a rallying cry for the team, and they are often referred to as the "winning ugly" team (and their uniforms as the "winning ugly" uniforms).

Offseason

• October 12, 1982: Sparky Lyle was released by the White Sox.^[2]
• November 10, 1982: Casey Parsons was signed as a free agent by the White Sox.^[3]
• January 11, 1983: Damon Berryhill was drafted by the White Sox in the 13th round of the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign.^[4]
• January 25, 1983: Steve Trout and Warren Brusstar were traded by the White Sox to the Chicago Cubs for Scott Fletcher, Pat Tabler, Randy Martz, and Dick Tidrow.^[5]

Regular season

Ron Kittle won the American League Rookie of the Year Award and set a club record for most home runs by a rookie. He missed the American League home run title by 3 home runs and finished third in the league. He would rank in ninth place in the American League for runs batted in. Kittle would manage to lead the league in strikeouts with 150.

LaMarr Hoyt won the American League Cy Young Award while fellow pitcher Floyd Bannister finished second in the American League in strikeouts. He also won 13 of 14 games after the All-Star Break.

Tony LaRussa was named American League Manager of the Year.

Opening Day lineup

• Rudy Law, CF
• Tony Bernazard, 2B
• Harold Baines, RF
• Greg Luzinski, DH
• Greg Walker, 1B
• Tom Paciorek, LF
• Carlton Fisk, C
• Vance Law, 3B
• Scott Fletcher, SS
• LaMarr Hoyt, P

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

• April 1, 1983: Pat Tabler was traded by the White Sox to the Cleveland Indians for Jerry Dybzinski.^[6]
• June 6, 1983: Doug Drabek was drafted by the White Sox in the 11th round of the 1983 amateur draft. Player signed June 11, 1983.^[7]
• August 31, 1983: Aurelio Rodriguez was signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox.^[8]

Roster

Game log

Regular season

Postseason

All-Star game

The 54th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL) was held on July 6, 1983, at Comiskey Park. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 13–3. The game occurred exactly 50 years to the date of the first All-Star game. The game is best remembered for Fred Lynn's third-inning grand slam off of San Francisco's Atlee Hammaker. As of 2021, it is the only grand slam in All-Star Game history.

Player stats

Batting

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

Pitching

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

American League Championship Series

Summary

Game One

October 5, Memorial Stadium

Playing in their first postseason game since the 1959 World Series, the White Sox jumped out to a 1–0 series lead behind a complete-game victory by Hoyt, the American League Cy Young Award winner.

Game Two

October 6, Memorial Stadium

Game Three

October 7, Comiskey Park

Game Four

October 8, Comiskey Park

Award winners

• LaMarr Hoyt, American League Cy Young Award
• Ron Kittle, American League Rookie of the Year Award
• Tony La Russa, American League Manager of the Year Award
• Tony La Russa, Associated Press AL Manager of the Year
• Roland Hemond, Executive of the Year

All-Star Game

• Ron Kittle, reserve

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Denver, Appleton

Notes

1. Evans, Sean (April 24, 2012). "The 25 Greatest Moments in White Sox History". Complex.com. Complex Media. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
2. "Sparky Lyle Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
3. "Casey Parsons Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
4. "Damon Berryhill Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
5. "Steve Trout Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
6. "Pat Tabler Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
7. "Doug Drabek Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
8. "Aurelio Rodríguez Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2024.

References

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
• 1983 Chicago White Sox team page at Baseball Reference
• 1983 Chicago White Sox team page at www.baseball-almanac.com