Ranking Tim Anderson's most iconic White Sox moments as retirement ceremony day arrives

The White Sox will take a break from the stress of the season’s final few games on Thursday to honor Tim Anderson, a two-time All-Star with the White Sox who recently announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. The 33-year-old had an accomplished career as a homegrown White Sox player, with many moments that White Sox fans will clearly remember. Here are a few of his most iconic.

3) Walk-off home-run en route to batting title 

The 2019 White Sox didn’t make the Postseason, but that was the team that saw the window starting to open, and Anderson was a big part of the reason why. Despite full big league seasons in 2017 and 2018, Anderson had yet to establish himself as a key piece of the White Sox core. That all changed in 2019. Anderson got off to a red hot start in April, and his performance on April 26th against the Tigers set him on track for the rest of the season. After starting the game 0-for-2, Anderson notched hits in his next three at bats, including a single in the fifth, an RBI double in the sixth, and another single in the seventh. With the game tied 11-11 in the bottom of the ninth, Anderson came up with nobody on and two outs against Tigers flamethrower Joe Jimenez. Jimenez tried to throw Anderson off with a first pitch slider, but Tim drilled it over the left-field wall for a walk-off home run. This 4-for-6 game put Anderson’s season average over .400, and he stayed hot all year, leading the American League with a .335 mark and setting the White Sox up to take a big step forward in 2020. 

2) Bat flip against Brad Keller 

Anderson’s walk-off homer wasn’t even his best moment of 2019. Just a week earlier, he made headlines for his bat flip against Royals righty Brad Keller that resulted in a one-game suspension for both him and manager Ricky Renteria. Anderson’s fourth-inning home run broke a tie in the White Sox-Royals game, and Keller was ejected and suspended for five games after intentionally hitting Anderson with a pitch in his next at bat. The incident sparked a debate across baseball about showmanship after home runs, and it was a big part of endearing Anderson to White Sox fans and establishing him as one of the center pieces of the team moving forward. 

1) Field of Dreams game walk-off home run

There is, of course, no other moment that could occupy this top spot. The White Sox and Yankees met in Iowa in 2021 for the first ever Field of Dreams game, and the atmosphere was electric. The White Sox got home runs from Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, and Seby Zavala and were staked to a 7-4 lead in the ninth. Closer Liam Hendriks gave up a pair of home runs to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, giving the Yankees the lead. With one out in the ninth, White Sox catcher Seby Zavala drew a walk, and Tim Anderson launched a game-winning home run to the opposite field against Yankees closer Zach Britton to give the White Sox the 9-8 victory. The Sox, of course, would go on to win the AL Central for the first time since 2008 in the team’s most exciting season in recent memory.

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