May 5

1968 Topps #379 - Gary Peters (All-Star)

On this day in 1968, Gary Peters hit the last grand slam in a MLB game by a White Sox pitcher, in the twentieth century. The likelihood of another White Sox pitcher hitting a grand slam is pretty slim in the age of the designated hitter. Gary hit the slam in the fourth inning of a 5-1 win over the New York Yankees.

The win was the first of only four wins for the 1968 season for Peters. After a stellar 1967, with an All-Star appearance, Gary started his slow decline. His ERA climbed and his strikeouts lessened. After the 1969 season, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox, where he sharply declined, before being released in 1972.

For the five year period between 1963, where Peters won Rookie of the Year, to 1967, there may have been equals, but no better pitcher in the American League. In 1963, he led the AL with a 2.33 ERA and in 1966, he led all American League pitchers with a 1.98 ERA.



White Sox May 5th birthdays:

1882 - Lee Quillin
1884 - Chief Bender