Most fans assume big crowds only happen when a team is winning big. History shows something very different happened on the South Side. On August 25, the White Sox played before 70,740 fans at Yankee Stadium just to score one single run. That huge number remains the sixth-largest crowd the team has ever seen during a regular season.
The game itself was a tight battle that ended 1-0. Ted Lyons threw a masterful shutout against the Yankees. The only run came late in the ninth inning thanks to a Luke Appling single and a Taffy Wright double. The White Sox lost the nightcap of that doubleheader 3-1 after being held to just five hits.
The Big Klu Trade
Decades later, that same date brought a different kind of drama to the team. In 1959, the White Sox made a move to grab first baseman Ted Kluszewski from the Pirates. They traded Harry Simpson and minor-leaguer Bob Sagers to get him.
“Big Klu” hit .297 in 31 games to help the team win the pennant. He also crushed three home runs and drove in 10 runs during the World Series loss to the Dodgers. Five of those RBIs came in a single 11-0 rout in Game 1.
A Deal That Almost Happened
History almost repeated itself in 1967 when the team tried to sign Ken “Hawk” Harrelson. The power hitter was waived by Oakland after criticizing owner Charlie Finley. This made him a free agent, which was an utter rarity for that era.
White Sox GM Ed Short called Harrelson in his Baltimore hotel room that same day. Short offered a one-time contract for $100,000 to get him to join the team. Short explained the proposal was non-negotiable to avoid a bidding war.
Eddie Stanky, the manager, also phoned Harrelson to persuade him to join the White Sox. At that moment, the team was battling in a four-team pennant race. Harrelson declined, noting in his autobiography that he only wanted more.
The contrast between these events is stark. One day saw a record crowd for a low-scoring game. Another saw a massive cash offer rejected by a hungry hitter. The 1940 crowd of 70,740 fans still stands as a giant number for any regular season game. Just a few days later, the series finale drew only 6,942 fans.
