Retired Numbers: Chicago White Sox

Baseball Names & Numbers by Thomas Holmes

8 min readApr 19, 2022

The Chicago White Sox predate the American League. In 1894, Charles Comisky purchased a team from Sioux City, Iowa from the Western League. The Western League was known to have an elite level of talent and produced multiple baseball hall of famers such as Sam Crawford and Rude Waddell. Prior to 1901, there was only one “major” league and that was the National League. Everything else was considered minor league baseball.

Comisky moved the team in 1895 to St Paul and then to Chicago in 1899. One year later in 1900, the Chicago White Stockings joined the newly formed American League. Initially the National League refused to officially acknowledge the league and reconsidered in the following year. The 1901 season was the first official season for the American League, and it was the same season newspapers shortened the White Stockings to White Sox.

The White Sox franchise has retired 11 jersey numbers. Not all the players have reached baseball immortality with an induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame; however, they all had remarkable careers playing in Chicago. Let us explore these fine players.

2 — Nellie Fox — Born on Christmas Day, Jacob Nelson Fox was known as Nellie. Nellie spent 14 of his 19 seasons in the big leagues playing for the White Sox. During these seasons he was known to be a tough out at the plate. He rarely struck out and led the league with hits in 1952, 1954, 1957, and 1958. His consistency at the plate resulted in 11 straight all-star selections while in a White Sox uniform. The 1959 season was his best season. Fox was named American League MVP and had his only World Series appearance. He is second in franchise history with hits (2,470) and third with games played (2,115). Fox’s number two was retired on 1 May 1976 and selected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.

3 — Harold Baines — Harold Baines played 14 of 22 seasons for the White Sox. His jersey number, number three, was retired after a trade in 1989. Then he returned to the White Sox in 1996 for two seasons and traded again. Baines returned for a third time for 2000 and 2001 seasons. Baines used his own number three with all tours in Chicago. Usually, a number is retired after a player’s career has ended to prevent this unusual situation. The six-time all-star posted a respectable batting average of .288, 221 HRs, 981 RBIs, and 1,773 hits while playing for the White Sox. Baines was selected to the Hall of Fame in 2019.

4 — Luke Appling — Better known as “Old Aches and Pains”, Luke Appling was a fixture of the White Sox infield for 20 years (1930–1950). He played through nagging injuries throughout his career yet averaged 127 games per season. Back then, seasons were 155 games versus today’s 162 games schedule. In addition, Appling lost a season and a half due to military service (1944–1945). His endurance paid off in the batter’s box and generated a career batting average of .310. In his career, he hit more extra base hits (587) than strike outs (528). Additionally, Appling still holds the record for the highest single-season batting average for a shortstop in the modern-era with .388 in 1936. The seven-time all-star was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964. White Sox retired his number four on 7 June 1975.

9 — Minnie Minoso — Cuban- born Saturnino Orestes Armas Minoso was best known as Minnie. Minnie had a baseball career that stretched over four decades. He played 20 seasons in the United States and continued in Mexico. In the 12 seasons with the White Sox, Minoso played third base and the outfield, earning three Golden Glove awards. In addition, Minoso knew what to do in the batter’s box too. He hit .304 for the White Sox and his speed on the basepaths allowed him to stretch out doubles into triples. The long-awaited induction into the Hall of Fame finally occurred in 2022.

11 — Luis Aparicio — Little Louie was selective at the plate and quick on the basepaths. During his decade with the White Sox, Aparicio coaxed pitchers to give up 439 walks which overshadowed his 410 strike outs. In addition, he stole 318 bases with a success rate of 75%. He led the American League in stolen bases from 1956 to 1964. His speed and keen batting eye contributed to his 13 all-star games selections, nine with the White Sox. In 1984, he became the first Venezuela-born player to be selected to the Hall of Fame. Later that summer, the White Sox retired Luis’s number 11.

14 — Paul Konerko — By hitting 86 RBIs, 24 HRs with a batting average of .294 in his first season, Paul Konerko made an instant impact for his team upon his arrival in 1999. For the next 16 seasons Konerko averaged 143 hits, 27 HRs, and batting .281. His consistency propelled him to team captain and fan favorite. As a six-time all-star, Paul led the White Sox to a championship in 2005. He was named MVP for his play in the league championship series for knocking in seven RBIs in five games.

16 — Ted Lyons — Ted Lyons pitched for the Sox for 21 years (1923–42 & 1946) and managed the team for two more years. His only All-Star appearance was in 1939, the same year Sox manager decided to schedule Lyons on Sundays. Sundays were known as Ted Lyons Sundays in Chicago during the 1940s. Do not let the 260–230, 53% winning percentage fool you. Lyons had three seasons with 20+ wins (21 in 1925, 22 in 1927, & 22 in 1930). Lyons had unfortunate timing and the Sox never finished over fourth place during his playing time. Ted was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. White Sox retired Lyons’s number 16 in 1987, one year after his death.

19 — Billy Pierce — Seven-time All-Star Billy Pierce pitched for 13 years (1949–1961) for the Sox. He has two 20-game winning seasons, 1956 and 1957. Pierce had a record of 186–152 with a 55% winning percentage while wearing a Sox uniform. His number 19 was retired by the White Sox in 1987.

35 — Frank Thomas — Nicknamed the “Big Hurt” Frank Thomas hit baseballs hard and often. Thomas destroyed baseballs for the White Sox for his first 16 seasons (1990–2005) in the big leagues. He dominated in the batter’s box for the 1990s. Earning five All Star game selections and two league MVPs awards. The 521-HR hitter hit 448 of them in a Sox uniform. In addition, Thomas racked up 1146 RBIs while batting .307 in Chicago. Upon his retirement, he remains on top of nine offensive categories for the White Sox franchise. In August 2010, his number 35 was retired by the White Sox. Four years later, 2014, he was inducted as a first ballot Hall of Famer.

56 — Mark Buehrle — Southpaw Mark Buehrle was a consistent and dependable pitcher for the Sox in the 2000s. In 12 seasons with the Sox, Buehrle had a winning record for ten of those seasons. In 2004 and 2005, he led the American League in Innings Pitched; 2004 and 2008 Games Started and he also appeared in four all-star games. The 2005 World Series champion reached the pinnacle of his career in 2009 when he pitched a perfect game. It was the 18th perfect game in MLB history. First by a White Sox pitcher since Charlie Robertson in 1922. Buehrle’s number 56 was retired by the White Sox on April 30, 2017.

72 — Carlton Fisk — Fisk spent 13 of his 24-year career playing for the White Sox. From 1981 to 1993, Fisk continued to bring a presence at and behind the plate. In 1983 he was an intricate part of the Sox team which brought the end of a 24-year playoff drought. His best season was in 1985 when he reached a career-high 37 home runs and 107 RBIs. He added four more all-star game appearances and two more silver slugger awards to his resume while in a White Sox uniform. Another notable moment in his career was catching Tom Seaver’s 300 victory. White Sox retired Fisk’s number 72 on September 14, 1997. The highest number of all retired numbers in baseball. Three years later, 2000, Fisk was inducted into the Hall of Fame.