White Sox manager Will Venable and some of his players learned a few things about a colorful and inventive former owner Saturday.
On Bill Veeck Night, the Sox were schooled that the late former owner came up with many crazy ideas, including the one for the exploding center-field scoreboard, which sets off fireworks after White Sox home runs.
“Before I got to this organization, I didn’t know that story either,” Venaable said of the scoreboard. “It’s so cool to learn a little bit about him.”
The Sox set the scoreboard off only once on a Michael A. Taylor solo shot in the second inning. That’s all the offense they would get in a 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in front of a Rate Field crowd of 17,893.
Since winning 10 of their first 14 after the All-Star break, the Sox (42-75) have dropped six straight to match their low-water mark of the season at 33 games under .500.
It was Taylor’s eighth home run of the season and third in the last four games for the Sox. He had two of the team’s four hits.
Sox starter Sean Burke (4-9) lasted just 3 1/3 inning because of a high pitch count. He allowed two runs on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts and is still looking for his first win since June 25.
“I’m just frustrated by it,” Burke said of Saturday’s 88-pitch outing. “I still felt good with everything. A couple hits I’ll live with in the first inning, and then from there just too many pitches.
“They did a pretty good job of fouling off some stuff, just got into some deep counts. I didn’t execute some pitches when I needed to. So I’m more just frustrated with it than anything else.”
The Guardians (61-55) have won five straight and 21 of their last 28 games to move into the AL wild-card picture. Kyle Manzardo, Brayan Rocchio and rookie C.J. Kayfus drove in runs, with Kayfus hitting his first career home run in the sixth.
Rocchio also made a backhand diving stop of a Mike Tauchman shot in the eighth with runners at first and second to start an inning-ending double play.
“It is a game of inches,” Venable said. “We just came up short there. We had a couple of opportunities where we didn’t come through, didn’t put the ball in play situationally. We had a tough couple bounces here and there, but we’ve got to do a better job in those situations.”
A 50-foot hot dog is paraded around the field before a White Sox-Guardians game on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, at Rate Field. (Paul Beaty/AP)
As for Veeck night, the celebration included such entertaining oddities as a 50-foot hot dog paraded around the field, a petting zoo, roving circus performers, free haircuts, a one-minute marriage ceremony with Sox great Ron Kittle presiding and other merriment.
Veeck’s son Mike, who convinced his father to host what turned out to be the infamous Disco Demolition Night in 1979, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
Sox players and Venable wore shorts during batting practice as a tribute to Veeck, who as a gimmick had the Sox wear shorts during three games in 1976.
“These are really short,” Venable said. “It’s been cool coming to this organization and learning about him and what he meant to baseball and Chicago.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Originally Published: August 9, 2025 at 6:34 PM CDT