» February 24, 1948: In a key trade for New York, Ed Lopat goes to the Yankees from the White Sox in exchange for C Aaron Robinson, Bill Wight, and Fred Bradley. Lopat will star for seven seasons in pinstripes, winning 21 in 1951 and going 16–4 in 1953. Robinson's main value to the Sox will come at the end of the season when he's swapped for another lefty pitcher, Billy Pierce.
» November 10, 1948: In a move that will give Chicago their mound ace
for the 1950s, Detroit sends young Billy Pierce (3-0 in 1948) to the White Sox for Aaron Robinson.
The Tigers even sweeten the deal with $10,000.
» June 5, 1950: After beating Chicago yesterday, 17–7, the Red Sox wallop Chicago again, winning 12–0. Mickey McDermott, replacing Ellis Kinder who leaves with a bad hip in the 1st inning, allows four hits to win. Billy Pierce is the loser.
» June 15, 1950: In a rain-delayed game at Comiskey, Billy Pierce twirls a masterful one-hitter to beat the Yankees, 5–0. Billy Johnson's single in the 5th and a walk to Jerry Coleman are the only NY base runners.
» July 22, 1950:
In a battle of diminutive southpaws, Chicago's Billy Pierce outduels the A's Bobby Shantz to win, 6–1. Consecutive homers by Dave Philley and Phil Masi in the 6th do in Shantz, pitching on three days rest.
» August 6, 1950: Boston P Ellis Kinder hits a grand slam off White Sox ace Billy Pierce, and totals six RBIs in the game. Kinder's HR comes after an intentional pass to Birdie Tebbetts. For "Old Folks," it is his first and only career homer. The Red Sox roll, 9–2. Kinder also stops rookie Chico Carrasquel's consecutive game batting steak of 24 games. Joe Dobson gives up seven hits in the nitecap and wins, 4–3, to give the Bosox a sweep.
» May 15, 1951:
The game that followed the ceremony featured dramatic home runs as Ted Williams hits the 300th of his career in the 4th inning against Chicago's Howie Judson. With Williams up in the 8th inning, White Sox manager Paul Richards moves reliever Harry Dorish to 3B and brings in Billy Pierce to pitch to Ted. Williams pops up against the lefty, and Dorish then returns to the mound. Boston ties the game against Dorish at 7–7, but little Nellie Fox, playing in his 6th season, cracks his first major league homer in the 11th to give Dorish a 9–7 victory. Ray Scarborough is the loser. The Sox will win their next 13 games.
» May 30, 1951:
The first place White Sox beat the Browns, 5–2 behind Billy Pierce. But in game 2, Randy Gumpert (3–0) stops Chicago's 4-game winning streak, beating the Sox, 8–1. Gumpert has two hits and two runs batted in. Al Widmar is the loser.
» September 18, 1951:
Cleveland beats Boston, 6–4, as Mike Garcia wins his 20th. With the Yanks losing to Billy Pierce and Chicago, 7–1, the Indians and Yankees are tied for first place. This is the 10th time the two teams have been in a tie for first place, surpassing the major-league record of nine set in the National League race of 1889 and the Fed League race of 1914.
» April 16, 1953:
Lefty Billy Pierce of the White Sox throws a
one-hitter against the Browns. Bobby Young's double
in the 7th is the only St. Louis safety in the 1-0
shutout. Harry Brecheen allows the White Sox just
2 hits in losing.
» June 14, 1953:
White Sox hurlers Billy Pierce and Sandy Consuegra throw shutouts at the Red Sox in a doubleheader, winning 6-0 and 10. Pierce's gem is a 2-hitter.
Chicago also picks up two players from the Browns, getting veterans 3B Bob Elliott and P Virgil Trucks for P Lou Kretlow, C Darrell Johnson, and $75,000. St. Louis had obtained Trucks only six months ago from Detroit.
» June 25, 1953:
White Sox manager Paul Richards uses five firstbasemen in beating the Yankees 4-2. He brings in Harry Dorish to face two batters, moving Billy Pierce to 1B. The Sox 3-game sweep still leaves New York nine games up on the Indians and 91Ž2 on Chicago.
» September 9, 1953:
Mantle's 2-run HR off Chicago's Billy Pierce caps
a 7-run 5th inning, as New York wins 9-3 at at
Yankee Stadium. Returning to CF after the 5th, Mantle
is photographed blowing a huge bubble with a wad of
gum. Manager Stengel will publicly rebuke the Mick,
who will apologize for the indiscretion. However,
Mantle does get an endorsement fee from the Bowman
Gum company
» May 25, 1954:
Billy Pierce and Virgil Trucks combine to give the White Sox a 4–2 win over the Indians, and stop Cleveland's 11-game win streak. Bob Lemon takes the loss. Cleveland's Al Smith steals a base off Sherman Lollar, the last base runner to swipe one this year. The Sox catcher will throw out the next 18 base runners who try.
» May 18, 1956: Mickey Mantle hits home runs from both sides of the plate for the 3rd time in his career, eclipsing the mark of Jim Russell. The shots come off Billy Pierce and Dixie Howell, the 2nd tying the game. Mantle and Yogi Berra, the American League's top home run hitters, combine for 20 bases as the visiting New Yorkers nip Chicago 8–7 in 10 innings.
» May 28, 1956:
White Sox SS Luis Aparicio hits his first ML home run, off Kansas City's Tom Lasorda, to open the Sox scoring in the 5th. With the score tied 4–4 in the 9th, reliever Billy Pierce walks Hector Lopez, and Enos Slaughter then wins the game with a home run.
» September 18, 1956:
Mickey Mantle hits his 50th HR, only the 8th to do
so, in the 11th off of Chicago's Billy Pierce, as
New York wins 3-2 to clinch another pennant.
» May 15, 1957: When Ted Williams comes up to bat for the Red Sox, manager Paul Richards moves White Sox P Harry Dorish to 3B. After reliever Billy Pierce retires the slugger, Dorish returns to the mound to relieve himself, and goes on to finish the game for a 9–7 win in 11 innings.
» June 4, 1957:
Billy Pierce of the White Sox wins 1-0 in a 10-inning masterpiece before 38,490, against the Red Sox. Chicago maintains its 5-game lead over New York.
» May 18, 1958: The Indians' Carroll Hardy pinch-hits for Roger Maris and smacks a 3-run home run off Billy Pierce to pace the Tribe's 7–4 win. Hardy will pinch-hit for Ted Williams in 1960.
» June 4, 1958: After 32 scoreless innings, the Sox score in the 3rd, and go on to win 7–4 over first place New York. Billy Pierce is the winner, despite giving up a moon shot to Mantle that lands in the left-center field bleachers. The drive is measured at 478 feet.
» June 21, 1958: White Sox lefty Billy Pierce hurls a 2-hitter against the Orioles, winning 1–0 over Billy Loes. It's the Sox 5th shutout in the last six games.
» June 27, 1958: Billy Pierce of the White Sox retires 26 Washington Senators in a row before pinch-hitter Ed Fitz Gerald loops a double to become the only base runner. Pierce then fans Albie Pearson to win, 3–0. It is Pierce's 3rd straight shutout.
» July 28, 1959: The White Sox take over first place for good by toppling the Yankees 4–3 behind pitcher Billy Pierce. Al Smith, with a 2-run home run in the 8th, provides the winning margin. The Sox will go 13–9 against the Yankees this year, the first time since 1925 that Chicago is over .500 for the season against the Bombers.
» August 6, 1959: White Sox lefty Billy Pierce and the Orioles P Billy O'Dell are even up 1–1 when Hoyt Wilhelm relieves in the 9th for Baltimore. Wilhelm tosses eight 2/3 innings of no-hit ball before allowing a safety. After 18 innings and the score still at 1–1, the game is mercifully called because of the midnight curfew. Pierce goes 16 innings before he gets relief from Turk Lown.
» July 15, 1960:
Brooks Robinson goes 5-for-5, hitting for the cycle, to lead the Orioles to a 5–2 win over the White Sox. With three hits yesterday, Robinson has eight straight hits. His 9th inning triple off reliever Turk Lown, seals the win for Milt Pappas over starter Billy Pierce.
» July 19, 1960:
Roy Sievers' 21-game hit streak, the longest for any player in 1960, ends, but White Sox teammate Luis Aparicio's inside-the-park home run and Billy Pierce's shutout beat Boston, 6–0.
» July 24, 1960: Chicago's 3rd straight win at Yankee Stadium and 8th straight overall, 6–3 behind Billy Pierce, gives the Sox a 2-game lead atop the American League. Eli Grba beats Herb Score 8–2 in the 2nd game to give New York a twin-bill split.
» August 8, 1960: Before a day crowd of 48,323, the largest day crowd ever at Comiskey Park, cheer Billy Pierce 4-hit victory over the Yankees, 9–1. Pierce faces just 31 batters.
» August 11, 1961:
In a classic pitching duel, White Sox lefty Billy Pierce and KC's Jim Archer walk none and neither go to 3–2 in the count. Luis Aparicio's home run is the only score as the Sox win 1–0 in one hour, 32 minutes.
» August 16, 1961:
Roger Maris ties an American League record with his 7th home run in his 6th straight game, as New York beats Chicago 5–4 in the 9th inning. His two blasts off Billy Pierce give him 48, three more than Mickey Mantle.
» November 30, 1961: The Giants acquire pitchers Don Larsen and Billy Pierce from the White Sox for pitchers Eddie Fisher, Dom Zanni, and Verle Tiefenthaler and 1B Bob Farley. The swap is a steal for the Giants, one of their best trades since moving to California. Pierce, another Chicago favorite, will win 16, while Larsen will win five and save 11 for the pennant winners.
» May 4, 1962: The first-place Giants win their 10th straight game, beating the Cubs 11–6. Billy Pierce wins his 4th straight and gives up a run after 17 2/3 innings of shut out pitching. The 10 wins is the longest winning streak since they moved west.
» June 7, 1962: The 1st-place Giants have their lead cut to a half-game over the Dodgers when Billy Pierce loses his 1st game of the year. The little lefty had won seven straight before the Cubs top him, 4–3.
» August 11, 1962: The Dodgers protest the wetting down of the field at Candlestick, a tactic they claim is to stop Maury Wills. Billy Pierce then hands 21-game winner Don Drysdale his 5th loss, and the first after 11 straight wins, as the Giants win 5–4 to take the 2nd game in their series. Willie McCovey's pinch-homer with two on is the big blow off Drysdale. The watering ploy earns Giants manager Alvin Dark the sobriquet "The Swamp Fox."
» September 25, 1962:
The Giants keep pace as Billy Pierce beats St. Louis 6–3. Pierce runs his record at Candlestick to 11–0.
» October 1, 1962: San Francisco wins the first of the best-of-3 National League playoff games as Billy Pierce takes his 12th straight at Candlestick Park, a three-hit, 8–0 victory. Willie Mays hits two home runs, giving him 49 in 1962, one more than American League leader Harmon Killebrew. Sandy Koufax, making just his 3rd start since returning from his hand injury, is the loser.
» October 7, 1962: At Yankee Stadium in game 3, Bill Stafford and Billy Pierce match goose eggs for six innings. Ed Bailey's 2-run 9th-inning home run ruins Stafford's shutout, but his 4-hitter downs the Giants 3–2.
» October 15, 1962: After one day of travel and three of rain, Billy Pierce pitches a 3-hitter for a 5–2 Giants win of game 6. Orlando Cepeda breaks his hitless streak with two hits and three RBI.
» June 6, 1963: With the bases loaded and one out in the 12th, Cubs reliever Lindy McDaniel picks Willie Mays off 2B and then strikes out Ed Bailey. McDaniel then hits a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 10th, off reliever Billy Pierce, to win 3–2. It was Lindy's first hit of the season. Chicago moves into a 3-way, first-place tie with St. Louis and San Francisco, its first taste of the lead since May 1958.
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