These 13 Chicago White Sox rookie managers won on Opening Day
By Joe Santoro
Clark Griffith, 1901
Clarke Griffith started out the Chicago White Sox franchise with a win.
The 31-year-old Griffith beat the Cleveland Blues, 8-2, on Opening Day (April 24, 1901) at South Side Park in front of 9,000 fans.
The games was the first for the White Stockings in the first American League season in the major leagues. Chicago finished first in the American League in 1900 (the championship pennant was raised on Opening Day in 1901) but the league was considered a minor league.
Third baseman Fred Hartman drove in the first two runs with a single in the first inning as the White Stockings jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings. First baseman Frank Isbell went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Roy Patterson went the distance to pick up the victory, allowing seven hits and one earned run despite not striking out a hitter. The game lasted just 90 minutes.
Griffith, who also coached third base, would go 24-7 on the mound that season in 35 games (30 starts) on a 2.67 ERA.