Good morning!
Tis the offseason to be celebrating birthdays of former Sox past, and this week is no exception. On December 20, 1949 one of the leaders of the 1977 South Side Hit Men --Oscar Gamble-- was born in Ramer, Alabama.
Drafted by the Cubs in 1968 on the recommendation of baseball luminary Buck O'Neil, Gamble didn't really hit (no pun intended) his stride until he was with Cleveland in 1973, knocking 20 home runs while primarily serving as a DH. From 1973 through his career-best 1977 season with the Sox, Gamble slashed .272/.353/.836 with 102 home runs, top-25 in baseball over that period.
Of the 31 dingers hit in 1977, 20 of them came from the DH spot which still ranks firmly in the top-15 among White Sox designated hitters in franchise history. And that's your task for today: of the players to hit home runs as a DH, how many hit 10 or more in a single season? Good luck!
Quiz Parameters
- I've allotted 7 minutes for completion attempts. There are several repeat names.
- For hints, I've provided the season, number of games in which they appeared as a DH, and the number of home runs hit.
- Just to reiterate, the home run must have been hit when the player was in the DH spot of the lineup.
Useless information to amaze, annoy, confuse, and/or confound your friends and family:
- The average triple-slash from this list is: .257/.347/.476
- 213 players in Sox history have hit at least 1 home run as a DH.
- 2025 set a record for most home runs out of the DH spot, with Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber each socking 55 as a designated hitter.
All data from stathead.com
