Baseball Way Back: There are many stories behind White Sox no-hitters

An audience of cardboard cutouts. Simulated crowd noise. A power surge that temporarily knocked the broadcast off the air. Teammates wearing masks during the on-the-field celebration. One teammate twisting his ankle during the celebration. And, not surprisingly, a winning pitcher whose uncle co-created "Twin Peaks."

Such were the trappings of the 19th no-hitter in White Sox history, pitched coincidentally in the era of COVID-19.

Such unusual circumstances fit snugly into the quirky pattern of White Sox no-hitters since James "Nixey" Callahan pitched the first one in 1902.

The number 19 figured in another Sox no-hitter. On Sept. 19, 1986, Joe Cowley allowed zero hits. However, the California Angels drew seven walks against Cowley and scored a run in the 7-1 contest. Cowley barely made it to the 27th out, escaping in the ninth when shortstop Ozzie Guillen started a double-play on a grounder by Doug DeCinces.

Cowley was one of three Sox pitchers to pitch non-shutout no-hitters. The first of those was hurled by Joe Benz, who beat Cleveland 6-1 on May 31, 1914.

Cowley's feat also belonged to a category of White Sox no-hitters I like to call swan songs or near swan songs.

It would be Cowley's last victory in the majors. By 1988, he was out of major league baseball. The Sox had acquired Cowley near the end of 1985 from the Yankees in exchange for ace Britt Burns. Burns, coming off an 18-win season, would never pitch an inning for the Yankees or anyone else.

Another Sox no-hitter in the swan song - as well as the non-shutout - category was won by John "Blue Moon" Odom, who had seen his best years with the Oakland A's, going 15-6 for the 1972 world champs.

On July 28, 1976, Odom took the bump against his erstwhile Oakland mates, throwing five innings of no-hit ball.

Odom, however, walked nine A's batters and then surrendered a run in the fourth, when catcher Jim Essian threw errantly into center field in an attempt to catch Claudell Washington stealing second, allowing Cubs legend Billy Williams to score from third.

With the Sox ahead 2-1, manager Paul Richards lifted Odom in the sixth after he walked Williams and brought in reliever Francisco Barrios. Barrios pitched four scoreless innings to record his second save. Odom's second victory of the season would be the last of his 84 career victories.

Barrios would pitch until 1981, dying of a sudden heart attack in 1982.

If Cowley's and Odom's no-hitters marked their farewells to the win column, it was nearly the end of the road for Philip Humber when he tossed a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners on April 21, 2012. He would post only four more career victories.

Only one win remained in Callahan's arm after his triumph on Sept. 20, 1902 against Detroit, which also happened to be the first no-hitter in American League history.

Callahan went on to manage the White Sox in 1903 and 1904 and from 1912 to 1914. His remaining playing career, which ended in 1913, was spent playing both infield and outfield positions.

White Sox no-hitters have marked the beginning of careers as well. The first of 102 victories in Wilson Alvarez' career was notched in his first game with the Sox, a 7-0 win on Aug. 11, 1991 against the Baltimore Orioles.

Of the 19 Sox no-hitters, two were thrown by Hall of Famers, by Ed Walsh on Aug. 27, 1911 against the Boston Red Sox, and by Ted Lyons on Aug. 21, 1926, also against the Red Sox.

Two Sox pitchers have duplicated the feat, Mark Buehrle and Frank Smith. Smith's no-hitter on Sept. 6, 1905 against Detroit was the largest margin of victory in a White Sox no-hitter, 15-0. Smith's no-hitter on the sixth anniversary of Callahan's no-hitter, Sept. 20, 1908, a 1-0 victory over Philadelphia, is tied for the smallest margin of victory.

Smith, the master of the "drop" ball, is less known than Buehrle, but he twice won 20 games for the Sox, 23 in 1907 and 25 in 1909.

In a tragic side note, the home-plate umpire for Smith's 1905 no-hitter, as well as Eddie Cicotte's on April 14, 1917 against St. Louis, was Silk O'Loughlin. O'Loughlin would fall victim to the influenza pandemic in 1918.

Ray Schalk caught three White Sox no-hitters, including Charlie Robertson's perfect game in 1922.

Ron "Officer" Karkovice was behind the plate for Cowley's and Alvarez' no-hitters.

The White Sox were on the other end of strange and unique no-hitters. Most notable was the game on July 1, 1990 against the Yankees at Comiskey Park. Despite pitching no-hit ball, Andy Hawkins suffered a 4-0 loss when his fielders committed three errors in the eighth inning.

I suspect that Lucas Giolito will pitch another no-hitter. I can't wait to enjoy the storyline on that one. Perhaps the Log Lady will get in on the act.