Today in White Sox History: November 9

On November 9, a number of notable events occurred in White Sox history. In 1908, Roy Schalk was born in Chicago and went on to have a distinctive playing career with the team 36 years later. Schalk's career was marked by an unusually long gap between his MLB debut and return, with no other player having been out of the majors for a decade or more and then returning to play at least 100 games.

Schalk's return in 1944 was not successful, as he struggled with a -1.4 WAR and only missed eight games all year. His career ended at 37, but he continued to play in the minors for four more seasons. In 2005, Ozzie Guillén was named Manager of the Year after leading the White Sox to a 99-63 record and a World Series title. In 2009, Norge Luis Vera, a Cuban National Series veteran, suffered serious facial injuries while trying to break up a fight in Santiago, Cuba.

Despite needing facial reconstruction and potentially ending his career, Vera returned in two months and played for Cuba's starting rotation in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. In 2016, Toledo defeated Northern Illinois, 31-24, in the "Chi-Town Showdown," marking the first football game ever played at the new Sox Park. In 2020, rookie Gold Glove winner Luis Robert Jr. received no first-place votes for Rookie of the Year, while Kyle Lewis won unanimously.

Robert had a better WAR than Lewis, but the voting highlighted the difference in their performances. In 2023, play-by-play broadcaster Jason Benetti left the White Sox to take the same role for division rival Detroit. Benetti's departure was likely due to his jovial style and disrespectful behavior towards marketing head Brooks Boyer, who reportedly viewed Benetti as a diva.