Good morning!
It was on this date in 1960 that White Sox reliever Gerry Staley recorded two wins on the same day, a doubleheader sweep of the Washington Senators. Those wins were number 10 and 11 for Staley that season; he would ultimately lead American League relievers with 13 wins that season, and actually tied for second-most wins on the 1960 White Sox pitching staff behind Billy Pierce (14).
This, of course, led me down the rabbit hole to see just how many pitcher wins a White Sox reliever has recorded in a season. The answer? 15, set just five years later, in 1965. Heading back to the present, closer Liam Hendriks already has 6 of his own wins this year. Ol' Slydah sits one win above the cut-off for today's Sporcle: of the 74 instances where a White Sox reliever has recorded five or more wins in a single season, how many can you name? Good luck!
Quiz Parameters
- I've allotted 15 minutes for completion attempts.
- For hints, I've ordered the list chronologically, provided the year, and the number of wins.
- To qualify beyond the 5-win mark, the reliever in question must also have worked solely out of the bullpen.
Useless information to amaze, annoy, confuse, and/or confound your friends and family:
- Somewhat surprisingly (given pitcher usage in that era), the first time a White Sox reliever recorded five or more wins was in 1937 (7 wins).
- The highest OPS+ against from the relievers on this list is 124 in 2003, while the lowest is 42, in 2004 and 2008. (Liam Henriks currently sits at 42, as well)
- The major league record for most reliever wins recorded in a season is 18, by Roy Face of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1959.
(Photo Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports)
All data from stathead.com
