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1993 Chicago White Sox

1993 ALCS: The Blue Jays Turn Back The White Sox

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The Toronto Blue Jays were the defending World Series champions. The Chicago White Sox were in the postseason for the first time since the 1983 ALCS. In that regard, perhaps it’s not surprising that their matchup in the 1993 ALCS was defined by the Blue Jays being the team that avoided key mistakes and made the most significant plays, as they survived a competitive series.

You can read more about the season-long paths Toronto and Chicago took to win their respective divisions and about their key players at the links below. This article will focus squarely on the games of the 1993 American League Championship Series.

READ MORE ABOUT THE 1993 TORONTO BLUE JAYS
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1993 CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Homefield advantage for the postseason was done on a rotation basis, so even though Toronto had 95 wins, while Chicago won 94, it was the AL West’s turn to host. So this series opened up on the South Side on a Tuesday night.

Each team had their ace ready, eventual Cy Young winner Jack McDowell for the White Sox and Juan Guzman for the Blue Jays. Chicago had Guzman on the ropes twice in the early innings. But a leadoff double from Ellis Burks was wasted in the second. Guzman then pitched around a pair of walks in the third and the game stayed scoreless.

Toronto broke through in the top of the fourth. With two on and two out, Ed Sprague came to the plate. A utility player whose improbable home run in Game 2 of the 1992 World Series turned momentum in the Blue Jays’ favor, Sprague again came through. This time it was a triple down the rightfield line that picked up both runs.

Guzman did not have his good stuff and Chicago bounced right back. With the help of a walk and an error, the White Sox had runners on second and third with one out. Ozzie Guillen lined a single into right to tie up the game. After Guillen stole second, he scored on a base hit from Tim Raines. Chicago had a 3-2 lead.

The rally continued. MVP first baseman Frank Thomas worked a walk. A wild pitch and an intentional walk loaded the bases with two outs. Burks had a chance to break the game open and he hit a line drive…but at first baseman John Olerud. The Blue Jays escaped trailing by just a run.

And they got to McDowell again in the top of the fifth. With two outs and a man aboard, Joe Carter legged out an infield hit. Olerud ripped a double into the right-center gap to score both runs and put Toronto up 4-3. Paul Molitor went the other way with a single to right and it was 5-3.

Chicago threatened again in the home half of the sixth with two singles and a walk. But in between, Raines was cut down attempting to steal. Burks had another opportunity with two outs, but flew out to end the inning.

With neither ace sharp, no one could get comfortable, so the Toronto bats went to work at taking out some insurance. With two outs in the seventh, Olerud and Molitor delivered again. The former singled and the latter homered. McDowell was gone. And this game was all but over. Duane Ward came out of the Blue Jay bullpen and cleaned up the 7-3 win.

Guzman might have been the Toronto ace, but no one in baseball had a big-game reputation like Dave Stewart. A cornerstone of the great Oakland A’s teams from 1988-92 and one who had bedeviled the Jays in the postseason before, Stewart came north of the border in free agency for 1993. And he had the ball on his hand for Wednesday afternoon’s Game 2.

Toronto quickly got him a run, going to work against Chicago’s Alex Fernandez. An error by Thomas started the game. A base hit by Devon White set up Roberto Alomar to drive home the run with a productive ground ball out.

Stewart, uncharacteristically wild, gave it right back with three walks and a wild pitch. But the White Sox, with an opportunity to get a lot more, couldn’t get a hit of their own and the inning ended in a 1-1 tie. They missed another chance in the second when Lance Johnson hit a leadoff double and was bunted up to third. Guillen and Raines were unable to drive in the lead run.

Toronto worked some two-out magic in the top of the fourth. After Molitor kept the inning alive with a double to right, Tony Fernandez singled him home. A decision to go for the out at the plate let Fernandez move up to second. A throwing error by second baseman Joey Cora let another run in. A game that had seen Chicago with most of the good early opportunities also had them trailing 3-1.

Alex Fernandez gamely kept his team in it, working out of a jam in the sixth and keeping the score 3-1. The White Sox got another big chance in the bottom of the inning.

Thomas and Ventura led off with singles. Burks drew a walk. The bases were loaded with no one out. Stewart dug in. He got Dan Pasqua on a fly ball to center to shallow to score a run. Lance Johnson popped out. Warren Newson bounced back to Stewart. No runs.

Stewart turned matters over the Blue Jay bullpen. Young Al Leiter, along with Ward, finished up the 3-1 win. Toronto had swept both games on the road. There was little reason for anyone to think baseball would return to the South Side before next spring. But these White Sox didn’t roll over when they went on the road.

The Blue Jays came out in Friday night’s Game 3 and immediately put pressure on young Chicago starter Wilson Alvarez, two on and one out in the bottom of the first. But Wilson induced Tony Fernandez to ground into a double play and kill the threat.

In the top of the third, Chicago went to work on Toronto’s reliable Pat Hentgen. Raines and Cora singled to right. Thomas, known for his muscle, beat out an infield hit to bring in the game’s first run. A walk to Robin Ventura loaded the bases. Burks was coming to the plate.

After his numerous missed chances thus far, it had to be a relief for Burks to rip a two-run single. After a walk loaded the bases, Lance Johnson hit another two-run single. It was 5-0.

With Alvarez sharp, this was more than enough. Toronto picked up a run in the third and loaded up the bases with one out in the fourth. But when Alvarez again got Tony Fernandez, this time with a big strikeout, the starting pitcher had been pressured for the last time. He cruised to a complete-game victory, 6-1 and put his team back in the series.

The fourth starters took the mound on Saturday night, Todd Stottlemyre for Toronto and Jason Bere for Chicago. It was a game were both teams would have to lean on their deep lineups and it was the White Sox who struck first. Burks singled to lead off the second, Lance Johnson homered and Chicago had a 2-zip lead.

Toronto countered in the home half of the third. Borders started the inning with a single. Devon White worked a one-out walk. Roberto Alomar doubled to left, Joe Carter singled and the Jays were up 3-2. A hit batsman and a walk loaded up the bases. Chicago manager Gene Lamont, trailing in the series, had no time to waste. He went to the bullpen.

Tim Belcher, normally a starter and a part of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ team that stunned Oakland in the 1988 World Series, came on. Belcher struck out Tony Fernandez, got Sprague to ground to third and kept the White Sox in this game.

Pitching settled in until the top of the sixth when Thomas homered to tie it up 3-3. After two more walks, Lance Johnson came up with two down and delivered again. This time it was a triple that gave the White Sox a 5-3 lead.

There was no room to get comfortable though, not when Henderson walked and moved up on a wild pitch in the bottom of the same inning. Alomar’s two-out double cut the lead to 5-4.

Leiter was on in relief for the seventh. After Guillen beat out an infield hit and Raines singled, there were runners on first and third. Cora was at the plate and he picked up the run with a productive out. It was valuable insurance. Chicago added one more run in the ninth. They got good bullpen work from Belcher, Kirk McCaskill and closer Roberto Hernandez. With the 7-4 win, the White Sox tied the series and ensured they would at least get back home.

Windy City sports fans had reason to be in good spirits for Game 5 on late Sunday afternoon. The Bears started the day off by beating the Eagles. Now McDowell would take the mound and try and give the White Sox control of this ALCS.

But for the second straight outing, the ace was no mystery to the Blue Jay lineup. Henderson greeted him with a double, stole third and then scored on McDowell’s own throwing error. Molitor started a rally in the second with a double, took third on a base hit from Tony Fernandez and scored on Sprague’s sac fly. Alomar led off the third with a walk, stole second, took third on Carter’s grounder to the right side and came in on a base hit from Olerud. After a wild pitch and a walk, McDowell was unceremoniously gone.

Jose DeLeon temporarily kept the score at 3-0, but Toronto kept coming in the fourth. Devon White doubled to right, Alomar singled and now it was 4-zip.

Guzman was back on the mound for Toronto and in control. Burks touched the ace for a home run in the fifth, but that was all Guzman allowed in seven innings of work. The Blue Jays added a run in the seventh and took a 5-1 lead into the ninth.

Ventura hit a two-run homer with two outs against Ward to cut the lead to 5-3. That wasn’t alarming, but a walk to Burks allowed the legendary Bo Jackson to come to the plate as the tying run. The only window of hope Chicago fans had seen all day was quickly slammed shut when Bo struck out.

Even allowing the disappointing performance from McDowell, the White Sox couldn’t be all that disappointed. They were still going home with a chance and that’s not something too many people would have dared predict back on Friday night. But Dave Stewart was waiting.

Alex Fernandez again had the task of facing off with Stewart on Tuesday evening. The young pitcher hurt himself early on, issuing a walk and hitting a batter to give Toronto a second-inning opportunity. The Blue Jays cashed it in, with a sac bunt from Tony Fernandez and a base hit from Borders that scored both runs.

Guillen touched Stewart in the third with a one-out double. After Raines singled to left and Stewart hit a batter of his own, the bases were loaded. Thomas was at the plate. Stewart walked the soon-to-be American League MVP and future Hall of Famer. Ventura’s RBI groundball tied up the game.

But what Ventura had earned with his bat, he immediately gave back with his glove—an error that opened the top of the fourth. Sprague singled. There were runners on the corners. Alex Fernandez got what looked an inning-ending double play groundball off the bat of Borders. But on the relay, Cora threw the ball away and the go-ahead run came in.

Toronto threatened to break it open in the fifth when two singles and a double steal brought Olerud to the plate with one out. He popped it up and Chicago was still within a run.

Stewart was settled in and the 3-2 lead held to the bottom of the seventh. After a leadoff walk, Guillen bunted the tying run into scoring position. Raines came to the plate. He hit the ball on the screws to second base. But it ended up a line drive double play. Sometimes, it’s just not your night.

Alex Fernandez had again kept his team in the game though, and it was still 3-2 in the ninth. But Toronto opened it up against the bullpen. Devon White homered for a huge insurance run. Then with two outs, Carter singled, Olerud reached on an error, and Molitor lashed a triple. It was 6-2, and all but over.

The White Sox picked up a run in the ninth, but Ward closed it out. When Raines hit a fly ball to right and Carter gloved it, Toronto had won their second straight America League pennant.

Stewart was named ALCS MVP, the second time in his career he had won the honor. But there were other good candidates. Guzman also won twice. The fact Toronto’s aces pitched well, getting all four Blue Jays wins, while McDowell struggled, was the defining difference in this series.

Stewart and Guzman’s composite pitching lines were almost identical. Each gave up three earned runs. Stewart went 13.1 innings, while Guzman went an even 13. I guess that extra out, along with the fact Stewart pitched the clincher, is enough to make him the right MVP choice in a close call.

Offensively, Devon White had collected twelve hits, including the home run that all but sealed the pennant. Molitor, Alomar, Olerud and Tony Fernandez were all consistent at the plate throughout the six games.

On the White Sox’ side, Raines had twelve hits of his own. If his line drive in the latter stages of Game 6 meets a better fate, perhaps he ends up MVP of this series. Burks went 7-for-23. Thomas was 6-for-17, but Toronto made a conscious decision not to let “The Big Hurt” beat them and Thomas walked ten times. Alex Fernandez had the hardest luck—15 innings pitched, a 1.80 series ERA…and two losses to show for it.

Toronto wasn’t done. They went on the World Series to meet the Philadelphia Phillies. The Blue Jays won another six-game series that was again defined by their ability to get the biggest hits at the biggest times—including the walk off home run that won it all.

1993 Chicago White Sox: An MVP, A Cy Young & A Division Title

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The decade of the 1990s had seen some good baseball on Chicago’s South Side. The White Sox averaged nearly 90 wins a year in the decade’s first three seasons. But what the South Side had not seen since 1983 was playoff baseball. The old divisional alignment and playoff format, coupled with the excellence of the Oakland A’s and Minnesota Twins in their division, was a stumbling block. The 1993 Chicago White Sox broke through the barrier, won the old AL West and produced an MVP and Cy Young winner to go with it.

Frank Thomas was the focal point of the White Sox lineup and the first baseman was spectacular in 1993. Thomas hit 41 home runs and drove in 128 runs. His stat line was .426 on-base percentage/.607 slugging percentage. Thomas won the American League MVP award in a unanimous vote.

On the pitching side, Jack McDowell was dominant. The ace of the staff won 22 games with a 3.37 ERA. McDowell wasn’t unanimous for the American League Cy Young Award, but he was still a landslide winner.

And the two stars did not have to carry the load alone. Robin Ventura played third base, posted a .379 OBP and hit 22 home runs. Ellis Burks was in right field and his final stat line was a respectable .352/.441.

Manager Gene Lamont liked to run and he had three players who could do it. Lance Johnson played centerfield, had a .354 OBP and stole 35 bases. Joey Cora was at second base and swiped 20 bags. And veteran left fielder Tim Raines finished with a dazzling .401 OBP and stole 21 more bases.

There was another outfielder who didn’t have the numbers, but was a fantastic story. Three years earlier, Bo Jackson’s efforts to successfully play both major league baseball and pro football had taken a big step back with a serious hip injury in the NFL playoffs. Bo’s football career was done, but he was still giving baseball a go. And in 1993 he hit 16 home runs in part-time duty. The lineup was rounded out by feisty Ozzie Guillen at short and Ron Karkovice behind the plate.

Even with this talent, the White Sox still finished a mediocre seventh in the American League in runs scored. But the pitching was more than enough to make up for it.

Three young arms—Alex Fernandez, Wilson Alvarez and Jason Bere—held down the rotation behind McDowell. All of the three were 22-23 years old. And all three were terrific in 1993. Fernandez won 18 games with a 3.13 ERA. Alvarez posted 15 wins and a 2.95 ERA. Bere picked up 12 victories and his final ERA was 3.47.

This rotation led into a bullpen that had Roberto Hernandez at the back end. Hernandez closed out 38 saves with a 2.29 ERA. And the Chicago staff ERA was the best in the American League.

Major league baseball’s alignment, going back to 1969, was to split each league into just two divisions, an East and a West, with only the first-place team advancing to the postseason. That meant Chicago—along with Kansas City and Minnesota—took up residence in the AL West. They joined that division’s current teams in Oakland, Texas, Seattle and the California Angels.

Over the past six years, the division had been won by either the A’s or the Twins. In five of those cases, Oakland or Minnesota went on to the World Series and three times they won it all. But both teams were rebuilding, everyone in baseball knew it up front and the door was open for a new contender. Chicago, with its recent success and their big stars, was as good a choice as any.

Even though the White Sox set a good early tone by scoring 20 runs in a three-game series in Minnesota and picking up a couple wins, they were still 8-9 in late April. A stretch of games against the AL East proved to be a tonic. Chicago won 10 of 12, including a series victory over defending World Series champion Toronto. The White Sox nudged into first place by 2 ½ games in mid-May.

But losing two of three at home to the Angels, including a hard-luck 2-0 defeat where McDowell pitched exceptionally well, started a stretch that undid it all, with ten losses in twelve games. By Memorial Day, Chicago was 24-23. California had emerged as the leader and was three games up on the White Sox and Royals. The division’s top five teams were within four games—ironically the only two clubs not contending were the A’s and Twins.

The early part of the summer saw more of the same. Chicago lost a series in California, but turned around and swept Texas, won a series in Seattle and then delivered a sweep at Cleveland. It was enough to nudge the White Sox’ record to 45-41 by the All-Star break.

Even though that was just the 11th-best record in the major leagues, it was enough to lead the AL West. Chicago was plus-one game on Texas and Kansas City and two up on Seattle and California. This race would go to anyone who could catch fire in the second half.

The White Sox made their case to be that team when they went north on I-94 to mediocre Milwaukee (an American League city until 1998) and won four straight games to start the second half. After losing a series to AL East frontrunner Toronto, Chicago promptly ripped off six straight wins. The burst got them a five-game lead in the division.

Then, to the White Sox’ great credit, they settled into playing baseball with grinding consistency in the heat of August. Two out of three here, two out of three there. That set up another burst, nine wins in eleven games going into Labor Day. Chicago reached the stretch drive in firm command—the record was 78-58 and the lead was 6 ½ games on Kansas City, 7 games on Texas.

But the White Sox would let this race get interesting. Facing mediocre teams in Boston and fading Detroit, Chicago dropped four of six. Texas heated up and in the span of a week, sliced the lead to 3 ½ games.

The Royals were also lurking, still six back and Chicago visited Kansas City to open the week of September 12. Tim Belcher, a veteran of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 1988 World Series champion, had been acquired in July. Belcher didn’t add a lot to the White Sox and he lost the opener of this key series in KC by a 9-0 count. Texas won and cut the lead to 2 ½ games. Then Chicago trailed on Tuesday, 3-2 going into the seventh inning.

With tensions rising, the White Sox’ bats stepped up. A three-run double by Ivan Calderon keyed a big rally that led to an 8-3 win. Wednesday night’s finale was an offensive display that was tied 6-6 and went into extra innings. Chicago got clutch relief work from Hernandez, who pitched 2 2/3 innings. In a 6-6 tie, Lance Johnson and Raines each had two-RBI hits in the 11th inning. A 10-6 win effectively knocked out KC and nudged the lead over Texas back to 4 ½ games.

There were still two and a half weeks to go and the Rangers would visit Comiskey Park for three games on the season’s penultimate weekend. Chicago had to go west, but they finished the road trip strong, winning five of seven in Oakland and Anaheim. The lead was back to six games when the Texas series began. As long as Chicago didn’t get swept, they were probably home free.

Belcher pitched Friday night’s opener and redeemed himself by handing a 4-2 lead over to the bullpen. But Hernandez coughed up a couple runs and the Rangers tied it up. Lance Johnson responded by leading off the ninth with a bunt single. Karkovice sacrificed him up. And reserve Warren Newson was the hero, driving in Johnson with a base hit. The lead was seven games and there were just nine days left.

Rain came on Saturday and set up a doubleheader on Sunday. If the White Sox swept, they would clinch. Bere took the ball in the opener and tossed six good innings. Bo homered and Chicago led 2-1 in the seventh. Three more runs provided insurance for the 5-3 win. Even though the White Sox lost the nightcap 3-2, they had at least a tie clinched and needed just one more win in the final week.

Seattle came to town on Monday. Alvarez was on the mound and pitching well, in a scoreless duel in the sixth inning. Enter Bo—in a magical moment, the fallen star ripped a three-run homer. Alvarez worked into the eighth inning. The final was 4-2. Chicago was the champion of the AL West.

This was the final year of the old alignment—the major leagues would shift to the current three-divisional format for the 1994 season and move the White Sox into the Central. But for now, this division title meant Chicago would go directly into the American League Championship Series where Toronto was waiting.

Going further just wasn’t meant to be. The White Sox matched up well with the Blue Jays and had more than their share of opportunities. But Toronto was battle-tested and didn’t make mistakes. That was the ultimate difference in a series that Chicago dropped in six games, losing all three times they played at home.

What’s more disappointing in retrospect is that this was the only time this cast of White Sox players reached the postseason. In fairness, they were leading the AL Central at the time of the strike in 1994, an August work stoppage that canceled the season. But the franchise faded at the end of the 1990s. They won a division title again in 2000, but faded back to irrelevance quickly. The real revival didn’t come until Guillen was the manager and led Chicago to their long-sought World Series title in 2005.  

Windy City Run: 1993 Chicago Bulls, White Sox & Notre Dame Football

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1993 was a good sports year for Chicago. The early 1990s, like the latter part of the decade was defined by watching Michael Jordan’s Bulls win title after title. 1993 saw the Chicago Bulls pull off a three-peat, something that hadn’t happened since the Red Auerbach era Boston Celtics.

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But this year saw the Windy City have more than Michael to cheer on. The White Sox had stars of their own, with MVP first baseman Frank Thomas and Cy Young pitcher Jack McDowell and they won the AL West to return to the postseason for the first time in ten years.
Furthermore, large elements of the Chicago fan base pull for Notre Dame in college football. The period of the late 1980s/early 1990s was the last glory era for the Irish, under Lou Holtz and 1993 saw Notre Dame produce a season that deserved a national title, even if they were robbed at the voting booth.
Therefore, we should probably be very specific about the best fan base. It can’t just be Chicago in general—it has to be the South Side of Chicago, since the North Side gives its loyalties to the Cubs. And then we have to go specifically into the Irish Catholic neighborhoods, be it literally or figuratively, to get to our demographic that has the Bulls, White Sox and Notre Dame football atop their rooting lists. That was your place to be in 1993.
Read more about the 1993 Chicago Bulls
Read more about 1993 Notre Dame football
Read more about the 1993 Chicago White Sox

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