Miñoso creates new stat line in historic White Sox win

The headlines trumpeted the team records on April 23, 1955, when the Chicago White Sox tied the modern big league standard by scoring 29 runs against the Kansas City Athletics.

Unknown to many, however, was the historic stat line that day authored by future Hall of Famer Minnie Miñoso.

In his six at-bats, Miñoso raced to five runs scored, five RBI, a stolen base and a walk. It marked the first time in American League or National League history that a player posted such a line in the box score.

Miñoso opened the scoring in the top of the first inning at Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium by driving in Chico Carrasquel when he reached on an error. Miñoso later scored that inning on a home run by Bob Nieman.

The Athletics responded with three runs in the bottom of the first to keep the game close, but the White Sox took command in the second with seven runs, with Miñoso drawing an intentional walk and scoring again on a Nieman single.

Miñoso doubled in the third and scored on another Nieman home run then singled home Carrasquel in the fourth inning before making his first out of the game on a grounder to shortstop in the sixth. An inning later, Miñoso hit a three-run homer off Bob Spicer and then added an RBI single in the eighth – a hit that plated Carrasquel once again. Miñoso later stole second base in that inning to establish his unique line in the box score.

The 29-6 win tied the White Sox with the 1950 Red Sox, who defeated St. Louis 29-4 on June 8 of that year to set a new single-game runs scored mark. Boston’s Walt Dropo had five runs scored, seven RBI and a walk in that game but did not steal a base – which was not unusual since Dropo did not attempt a single stolen base all season.

Incredibly, Dropo was the White Sox’s first baseman against the Athletics and had a home run among his three hits.

For Miñoso, the outburst against the A’s was a highlight in an otherwise tough start to the season. He entered the game hitting just .207 and then was hit in the head by a pitch from the Yankees’ Bob Grim on May 18, sidelining him for almost three weeks. When he returned, his batting average bottomed out at .226 in mid-June before he slowly found his rhythm.

“It was bad early in the season,” Miñoso told the Associated Press in August. “I didn’t hit, the crowds were booing and I was worried. I even went to the eye doctor to see if something was wrong.”

Miñoso studied film of his swing and got things straightened around as the weather heated up. In August, he put together a 23-game hitting streak that pushed his average to .293. He finished the year batting .288 with 10 homers and 70 RBI – down from his normal totals but still among the better numbers for an AL outfielder. The White Sox rode his late-season hot bat to 91 wins, third in the AL behind the Yankees and Indians.

“This is the hottest I’ve ever been,” Miñoso told the AP in August. “And I’m glad.”

Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum