Today in White Sox History: May 13

1957
White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce became the first member of the team to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The caption labeled him, “Pride of Chicago.” In 1957, the season the magazine came out, Pierce went 20-12 with an ERA of 3.26. It was his second straight 20-win season.

1975
White Sox pitcher Jim Kaat’s 12-game winning streak ended as he was beaten 3-2 in Baltimore. Kaat had won his first five decisions in 1975 and his final seven decisions in 1974. He’d become a 20-game winner in both seasons, averaging 290 innings pitched. He’d also make the All-Star team in 1975.

1982
SportsVision made its debut. The first pay cable service devoted exclusively to sports began operations with a game at Comiskey Park versus Milwaukee. The service was the brainchild of White Sox co-owner Eddie Einhorn and while brilliant, was ahead of its time. The technology wasn’t there and more importantly, fans weren’t ready to pay for something they had been getting for free all their lives. At best, roughly 20,000 fans subscribed.

The decision to go to a pay service caused popular announcer Harry Caray to leave the team after 11 seasons for the Cubs despite a more lucrative offer from the Sox. SportsVision, in its original version, lasted until the end of 1983, then was sold to Cablevision and turned into SportsChannel-Chicago.