Before Sunday night, the White Sox’s biggest moment in 86 years took place Sept. 22, 1959.
The Sox beat Cleveland 4-2 to clinch their first American League pennant since 1919. But instead of celebrating in Chicago, many citizens hid in their closets, thinking something terrible had happened.
The night the sirens went off made Robert Quinn a part of Chicago sports lore.
The game
A crowd of 54,293 at Municipal Stadium hoped the Indians could hold off the Sox. It had come down to a two-team race, as the Yankees slipped from their perennial spot at the top.
The Sox came into the game with a 3 1/2-game lead. They turned to ace Early Wynn to finish the job.
The Sox jumped to a 2-0 lead in the third when Luis Aparicio doubled to drive in Bubba Phillips. Billy Goodman then scored Aparicio with a single.
The Sox opened a 4-1 lead in the sixth as Al Smith and Jim Rivera hit back-to-back homers. But Wynn couldn’t make it through the sixth.
Manager Al Lopez (right) then turned to Bob Shaw, who won 18 games that season. He made Sox fans sweat, giving up six hits in 2 2/3 innings. But the Indians couldn’t get the big hit.
Finally, with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth, Lopez summoned Gerry Staley. He needed one pitch to induce Vic Power to hit a grounder to Aparicio at shortstop, who stepped on second and threw to first for the game-ending double play.
The final outs sparked a wild scene in Cleveland. But it was nothing compared to what soon would happen back in Chicago.
A noise in the night
At 10:30 p.m., the sirens began.
They wailed for five minutes.
Quinn, the fire commissioner, took responsibility, though all of City Hall was caught up in White Sox fever. Mayor Richard J. Daley, Chicago’s top Sox fan, said the sirens had been sounded “in the hilarity and exuberance of the evening. After 40 years of waiting for a pennant in the American League, I assume that everyone who was watching the telecast was happy about the White Sox’s victory.”
Well, not everyone was watching. The sirens sent thousands rushing into the streets. After all, this was 1959, the height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. It didn’t take much to rattle people.
One caller knew it couldn’t be an air raid, though his rationale had nothing to do with the Sox. He said the Soviets wouldn’t attack with Premier Nikita Khrushchev visiting in nearby Iowa.
What they said about the Sox
Tribune baseball writer Edward Prell:
“The long, hard race is done–the Chicago White Sox are American League champions! … The White Sox, who had taken the lead on July 28 and nursed it through spasmodic losing streaks that brought doubts of their ultimate success, beat the team they had to beat.”
What they said about the sire
Quinn: “This was intended as just a tribute to a great little team that brought Chicago a pennant, and there was certainly no intention to frighten people. I feel bad about this. If it inconvenienced any people or upset them, then I am sorry.”
Mrs. Kenneth Morgan of 201 E. Walton:
“Using those sirens as a toy is disgraceful. You wonder about teenagers doing wrong and then find public officials using such poor judgment.”
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In perspective: 1959
– Alaska and Hawaii are admitted as the 49th and 50th states.
– Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper die in a plane crash in Iowa.
– Fidel Castro becomes prime minister of Cuba.
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esherman@tribune.com
