When the White Sox clinched their first Western Division title in 1983, they chose Squires, an 11-year veteran of the organization, to hoist the pennant flag. Squires was a Gold Glove first baseman in 1981. From 1982 through 1984, Tony LaRussa regularly used him as a late-inning defensive replacement; Squires had only 153 at-bats in 143 games in 1983, while leading AL first basemen in fielding average.
A gifted glove man at virtually any position, on May 4, 1980, Squires became the first lefthanded catcher to appear in a ML game since the Cubs' Dale Long in 1958. He caught again three days later, without an error. At Kansas City on August 23, 1983, he gained attention by becoming the first lefthanded third baseman in at least 50 years. In 1984 he made 13 appearances at third base, including four starts. He also played the outfield, and when he pitched he retired the only man he faced, the Tigers' Tom Brookens. (RL)
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»May 4, 1980:
White Sox 1B Mike Squires catches the final inning of an 11–1 loss to the Brewers, becoming the first lefthander to catch in the majors since Dale Long in 1958.
»April 22, 1984: The Tigers roll over the White Sox, 9–1, with Kirk Gibson hitting his 4th homer of the year in the first inning. Juan Berenguer goes seven innings for the win, with Aurelio Lopez and Willie Hernandez finishing up for Detroit. Chicago finishes up with 1B Mike Squires on the mound for the last batter.
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