The 1997

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

season was the White Sox's 98th season. They finished with a record of 80-81, good enough for 2nd place in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

, 6 games behind the 1st place

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Offseason

* November 19, 1996: Albert Belle signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox. * January 14, 1997: Doug Drabek was signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox. * February 7, 1997: Danny Darwin signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox.

Regular season

* June 16 – The first

interleague Interleague play in Major League Baseball refers to regular-season baseball games played between an American League (AL) team and a National League (NL) team. Interleague play was first introduced during the 1997 Major League Baseball season. Pr ...

game between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox took place at

Comiskey Park II Guaranteed Rate Field is a baseball stadium located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It serves as the home stadium of the Chicago White Sox, one of the city's two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, and is owned by the state ...

. The Cubs won the game by a score of 8-3. * September 14 – Chicago White Sox retire catcher Carlton Fisk's No. 72 in a ceremony before the Sept. 14 game against Cleveland Indians.

Albert Belle

In the winter of 1996, Belle signed a 5-year, $55 million deal with the

as a free agent. This contract made him the highest paid player in baseball for a brief period. Belle enjoyed two great seasons in Chicago, including a career-high 27-game hitting streak in May 1997. Belle came close to having another 50/50 season in 1998, with 49 home runs and 48 doubles. Additionally, when

Cal Ripken Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...

ended his record consecutive game streak in September 1998, it was Belle who took over as the major leagues' active leader in the category. Belle's White Sox contract had an unusual clause allowing him to demand that he would remain one of the three highest paid players in baseball.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

1997 Opening Day lineup

* Tony Phillips, RF * Dave Martinez, CF * Frank Thomas, 1B *

Albert Belle Albert Jojuan Belle (born August 25, 1966), known until 1990 as Joey Belle, is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1989 to 2000, most notably for the Cleveland Indians. Known for his fierce, competitive temperament ...

, LF * Harold Baines, DH *

Chris Snopek Christopher Charles Snopek (born September 20, 1970) is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He is an alumnus of the University of Mississippi. Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 6th round of the MLB amateur draft, Snopek would ...

, 3B *

Ray Durham Ray Durham (born November 30, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He is a 14-year major league veteran owning a .277 lifetime batting average with 1,249 runs scored, 2,054 hits, 440 doubles, 79 triples, 192 home runs, 875 r ...

, 2B * Ron Karkovice, C * Ozzie Guillén, SS * Jaime Navarro, P

Notable Transactions

May 18, 1997: Tony Phillips was traded by the Chicago White Sox with Chad Kreuter to the Anaheim Angels for Chuck McElroy and Jorge Fábregas.

The White Flag Trade

The White Flag Trade was a trade made in 1997. On July 31, 1997, the

traded three major players to the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

for six minor leaguers. At the time, the trade was maligned by the vast majority of White Sox fans as Jerry Reinsdorf giving up on the team, as they were only 3.5 games behind the

for the

Central Division lead. In 2000, however, the White Sox won the Central Division title, receiving large contributions from two of the players received in this trade. * The Chicago White Sox received: ** Keith Foulke, right-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

** Bob Howry, right-handed pitcher **

Lorenzo Barceló Lorenzo Barceló (born August 10, 1977) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He played for the Chicago White Sox from –. Career MLB career San Francisco Giants Barceló was originally signed by the San Francisco Gia ...

, right-handed pitcher **

Ken Vining Kenneth Edward Vining (born December 5, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Vining played for the Chicago White Sox during the 2001 MLB season, 2001 season. In 8 career games, he posted an 0–0 record and an earned run average ...

, left-handed pitcher ** Mike Caruso,

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

** Brian Manning * The San Francisco Giants received: **

Wilson Álvarez Wilson Eduardo Álvarez Fuenmayor (born March 24, 1970) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher. During a thirteen-year baseball career, he pitched for the Texas Rangers, ...

, left-handed pitcher ** Danny Darwin, right-handed pitcher ** Roberto Hernández, right-handed pitcher

Roster

Player stats

Batting

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Base on balls; SO = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases''

Pitching

''Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts''

Farm system

Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007

References

External links

1997 Chicago White Sox at Baseball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1997 Chicago White Sox Season Chicago White Sox seasons Chicago White Sox season

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...