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Altrock was a standout for the early White Sox, winning 20 games plus one in the WS for the 1906 "Hitless Wonders." A sore arm ended his active career, but in his many years as a ML coach he made token playing appearances through 1933. Florid-faced, with a shock of unruly hair that whitened with age, Altrock was famous for his clowning in the coaching box and before games, teaming first with Germany Schaefer and later with Al Schacht. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » June 30, 1903: At Chicago, the White Sox jump on Boston starter Nick Altrock for eight runs in the 1st inning. Chicago has seven hits and three walks. Altrock finishes the game, a 10-3 Chicago win, for his only complete game in a Boston uniform. Chicago must like what they see: they purchase Altrock on July 2nd. » July 8, 1903: Chicago's Nick Altrock, pitching against the Pilgrims, loses to his former team, 6-1. » August 6, 1904: Lefthander Nick Altrock of the White Sox (their new nickname), en route to the first of three 20-win seasons, handles 13 fielding chances—the modern major-league record for pitchers—in an 8–1 victory over the Athletics. He will finish the year with 49 putouts, an American League record for pitchers. » October 9, 1906: Snow flies at the West Side Grounds as the first one-city World Series opens with the Cubs heavy favorites over the AL's "Hitless Wonders." Neither ballpark can accommodate the crowds, so the Chicago Tribune recreates the games on mechanical boards displayed at theaters. White Sox starter Nick Altrock and Cubs starter Three Finger Brown give up four hits each, but Cubs errors produce two unearned runs for a 2-1 White Sox victory. » October 12, 1906: It's Mordecai Brown's turn to throw a 2-hit shutout, besting Nick Altrock 1-0 and evening the Series. » April 19, 1907: Ed Walsh has his sinker working as he fields 11 assists and two putouts during a 1-0 win over the Browns. His total of 13 chances ties the mark Nick Altrock set in 1904. » July 19, 1915: The Nationals come out running, stealing a major-league record eight bases (tied in the National League in 1919) against the Cleveland Indians in the first inning. Sore-armed catcher Steve O'Neill is the victim of three SBs by Danny Moeller including 2B, 3B and home, two each by Clyde Milan and Ed Ainsmith, and one by George McBride in the 11–4 Washington win. Walter Johnson (15-8) allows just two hits in six innings before taking the afternoon off. Reliever Nick Altrock gives up the Cleveland scores. » September 2, 1918: In Washington, the Senators end the year on a light note, by splitting with the A's. Philadelphia wins the opener and the Nats take the nitecap, 8–3. The 2nd game is Washington's traditional year-end laugher, and 43-year-old coach Nick Altrock finishes in relief, one of his five appearance in 1918. Altrock bats in the bottom of the 8th and Wickey McAvoy, a catcher playing first for the day, comes in to throw. Altrock finally lines one of his lobs into the outfield, rambles around the bases and—according to Al Kermisch's description—neglects 2B and 3B. Ump Billy Evans calls Altrock safe at home for the only homer by a Senator hit at home this season. For Altrock, it's been 14 years since his last round tripper. The game ends with General March throwing out the last ball; he'll toss out the first next year. » August 14, 1922: Lizzie Murphy of the Providence all-stars, plays 1B for an AL all-star team in an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox, making her the first female to play for a major-league team. Other all-stars are Chick Shorten, Tillie Walker, Frank Bruggy, Bootnose Hoffman, Jim Bagby, Nick Altrock, and Donnie Bush. The all-stars win 3–2 when Doc Johnson triples home Pep Young in the 10th. The proceeds benefit the family of former Sox player and manager Tommy McCarthy. The future Hall of Famer passed away August 5. » September 30, 1924: In the only game scheduled, the Series-bound Senators lose a laugher 13–1 to the Red Sox. Coach Nick Altrock, 48, pitches the last two innings for the Nats and gives up a run, while driving in the lone tally with a triple. With the Red Sox outfielders making little attempt to run the ball down, Altrock is the oldest player in ML history to hit a triple. Howard Ehmke is the winning pitcher but still leads the American League in losses with 17, the same number of losses he's had the previous two years. » October 6, 1929: Former hurler Nick Altrock, 53, now a coach-comedian for the Senators, plays one inning in RF and collects a single in his one AB against the Red Sox, 2–1 winners over Washington. Other graybeards making season-ending token appearances include Browns coach Jimmie Austin, 49; Braves coach Johnny Evers, 48. » October 1, 1933: Nick Altrock, clowning coach of the Senators, pinch-hits at age 57 in a 3-0 loss to the A's. » November 18, 1934: Al Schacht leaves Washington to join Boston as a coach, breaking up the clown act he had performed with Nick Altrock. » September 11, 1976: Minnie Minoso comes to bat for the White Sox after a 12-year hiatus. He goes hitless in his three at bats against Frank Tanana, but his appearance makes him one of a handful of ML players to play in four decades. His at bat in 1980 will match him with Nick Altrock as a 5-decade player.