Founded in 1901 as the Chicago White Stockings, they are one of the original teams of the first American League. In 1903, the club changed its name to the Chicago White Sox, after the Chicago Tribune printed the shortened name that had been used on a scorecard.
In 1917, the White Sox dominated the American League with a record of 100-54, a franchise record for wins and winning percentage. They won the American League pennant by 9 games over the Boston Red Sox, and continued on to win the 1917 World Series against the New York Giants.
After an off-year in the war-shortened season of 1918, the club bounced back to win the pennant in 1919. They entered the 1919 World Series as heavy favorites over the Cincinnati Reds, but ended up losing the series in eight games. From 1901 to 1920, the White Sox were one of the best performing teams, winning five out of a possible 19 pennants. After this period of success, the team entered a poor slump due to personnel losses. With a depleted roster, the White Sox dropped into seventh place in 1921 and would not contend again until 1936.
The White Sox finally became competitive again under popular manager Jimmy Dykes, who led them from 1934 to 1946. However, the White Sox did not completely recover from their malaise until the team was rebuilt in the 1950’s under managers Paul Richards, Marty Marion, and Al Lopez.
On December 10, 1975, Bill Veeck regained ownership of the team. Regardless, 1976 was one of the worst seasons in franchise history. By 1980, the White Sox were looking for new ownership, and Veeck sold the team to an ownership group headed by Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn.
The 80s and 90s
In 1983, the White Sox enjoyed their best success in decades. With the leadership of new, young manager Tony La Russa, the White Sox won the American League Western Division by 20 games and qualified for their first playoff appearance since 1959. La Russa went on to win the 1983 Manager of the Year Award. The club slid back into mediocrity for the rest of the 1980s.
The White Sox reached the American League Championship Series in 1993. The team was led by Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, multi-sport star Bo Jackson, Cy Young Award winner Jack McDowell and All-Star closer Roberto Hernandez. They lost the ALCS to the Toronto Blu Jays, who went on to win the World Series.
A New Millennium
In 2000, the White Sox had one of their best teams since the 1983 club. However, they could not carry its success over into the postseason, getting swept by the wild-card Seattle Mariners in the Division Series.
In 2005, the White Sox defeated the Houston Astros in a four game sweep to win the 2005 World Series.
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