Number 40 was a little bit harder to decide on. Britt Burns came this close to representing this number. There are also two players to wear number 40 that threw no-hitters for the White Sox. Those players are Joe Cowley and Wilson Alvarez. I chose Wilson Alvarez to represent this number.He came to the White Sox in 1989 as part of the Harold Baines trade. Wilson pitched for the White Sox from 1991 until 1997, when he left as part of the White Flag trade to the Giants.
Wilson had pitched one game with the Rangers in 1989. In that game, he gave up three runs, two home runs and two walks without retiring a single batter. One trade and a few seasons later, he makes his White Sox debut on August 11, 1991. In only his second major league start, Wilson throws a no-hitter against the Orioles at Memorial Stadium. After two games, his ERA is infinity. How cool is that to see in the paper the next morning. My teenage brain could barely grasp such a concept at the time.
Wilson had really great years and really lousy years. His best years with the White Sox were in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997. In all of those years, he reached double digits in wins. Although in 1997, he split his time between the White Sox and the Giants. In 1994, Wilson made his lone All-Star appearance, pitching one scoreless inning.
When Wilson was "on", he was brilliant. When he was "off", it was maddening. Considering, most of his "on" performances were with the White Sox, including his no-hitter, Wilson grabs this number from Britt Burns.
1 comment:
I remember that Ranger game in 1989, he was only 19 and even though he did poorly, I remembered his name and watched with enthusiasm as he pitched that 1991 season in Chicago. To this day, he still remains one of my favorite pitchers.
Thanks for the bad wax add, the favor was returned :)
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