Bud Selig Buys Chicago White Sox

8/15/1969
Bud Selig purchases the Chicago White Sox from the Allyn brothers. The team will move to Milwaukee and play its home games at Milwaukee County Stadium next season. The American League approves the sale and move to Milwaukee.

10/1/1969
The Seattle Pilots finish their first year with a 64-98 record. The team is saddled with playing their home games at Sicks Stadium and attracting very few fans; they file for bankruptcy protection.

12/16/1969
Former White Sox owner Bill Veeck bids for the Seattle Pilots. The bankruptcy trustees accept and the Pilots will move to Chicago for the 1970 season.

4/7/1970
For the first time since the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, baseball returns to Milwaukee. In front of over 37,000 fans, the White Sox lose 12-0 to the California Angels. Things will get worse as the Milwaukee White Sox finish the year at 54-108.

10/16/1970
Bud Selig offers Luis Aparicio a 30% pay raise. He accepts. The Boston Red Sox trade Mike Andrews to the Chicago Pilots for Tommy Harper. The White Sox hire Dave Bristol as their new manager.

10/1/1971
Bill Melton homers in the White Sox final game. He finishes the season with a league leading 35 home runs. The White Sox finish the season at 82-80. The Senators play their final game in Washington and will move to Arlington next year as the Texas Rangers; with this move necessitating a switch to the AL West, Selig agrees to move the White Sox to the AL East.

12/2/1971
Selig turns down a trade of Tommy John to the Dodgers for Dick Allen. Seeing that Allen is available, Veeck trades Johnny Briggs to Los Angeles for Allen. The White Sox trade Jay Johnstone to the Pilots for George Scott; the move allows the White Sox to move Carlos May from first base to the outfield.

4/11/1972
After Commissioner Bowie Kuhn intervenes to prevent Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley from demoting 1971 Cy Young Award winner Vida Blue to the minors, Bud Selig offers to trade several minor leaguers to the A’s for Blue. Finley accepts and trades Mike Epstein to the Yankees for pitcher Stan Bahnsen.

9/28/1972
Despite losing Bill Melton for half of the season, the Milwaukee White Sox clinch the division title with 89 wins. For the first time since the Braves won the National League Pennant in 1958, playoff baseball returns to Milwaukee. In Chicago, Dick Allen hits his 36th home run in a win over Oakland. The A’s will still win the AL West division, but Allen win the AL MVP Award though.

10/11/1972
Oakland’s bats prove superior as they win the American League Pennant in 4 games.

10/22/1972
Gene Tenace hits his fifth home run in Game 7 as the Oakland A’s are the World Champions.

6/17/1973
While Ken Holtzman and Catfish Hunter are on their way to 20-win seasons, Blue Moon Odom has been terrible and the A’s lack a bona fide fourth pitcher. They trail the Kansas City Royals by two games. The A’s trade Ted Kubiak to the Chicago Pilots for pitcher Jim Colborn. Despite the trade, Oakland will fail to repeat as World Champs and the Royals will clinch the division title.

9/30/1973
Vida Blue shuts out the Orioles to finish the year 21-7. The White Sox will finish in second place with 92 wins while the Orioles will sweep the Royals to win the American League Pennant.

10/18/1973
In revenge for 1969, the Orioles defeat the Mets in 6 games to be crowned World Champions.

6/15/1974
While cruising along with a 12-4 record, Tommy John damages the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm. He is lost for the rest of the season as surgery is required for his arm. Dr. Frank Jobe will perform the surgery in an operation, now known as Tommy John surgery by replacing the ligament in the elbow of his pitching arm with a tendon from his right forearm. Although it seems unlikely that he would ever be able to pitch again, Tommy John will spend the entire 1975 season in recovery and return to the White Sox in 1976.

6/16/1974
The Milwaukee White Sox trade Dave May and Billy Mitchell to the San Francisco Giants for Bobby Bonds and pitcher Mike Caldwell.

6/17/1974
Bobby Bonds hits a grand slam in his White Sox debut. Also making his major league debut is a shortstop who will become a fan favorite in Milwaukee; his name is Robin Yount.

9/30/1974
The Milwaukee White Sox clinch their second division title in 3 years. They will win the American League Pennant in 4 games over the Texas Rangers. The White Sox will play in their first World Series since 1959 when they played in Chicago.

10/17/1974
Ken Henderson, Bill Melton, Bobby Bonds and Jorge Orta hit home runs as the White Sox win their first World Championship in 57 years when they played in Chicago. Bobby Bonds is named MVP of the series.

10/31/1974
The Yankees will have to play their home games next year in Shea Stadium in Flushing while Yankee Stadium undergoes a renovation. After considering the Yankees offer, Bonds decides to stay in Milwaukee.

12/13/1974
Hank Aaron returns to the city where he began his career and signs a deal to finish his career with the Milwaukee White Sox.

11/19/1976
Tommy John wins the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award after finishing the season with a 12-8 record for the 84 win White Sox. The Boston Red Sox sign Don Baylor after George Scott decides to stay in Milwaukee.

9/27/1977
Bobby Bonds hits a 3 run homer as the White Sox defeat the Yankees. Bonds will finish the year with 40 home runs and the White Sox will finish the year with 92 wins and finish in third place behind the eventual World Champion Yankees. The Chicago Pilots finish in second, 10 games behind the Royals.

10/1/1978
The Milwaukee White Sox pass the Boston Red Sox into second place. It is too late as the Yankees win the division by 2 games after trailing Boston by as much as 15 games. The Yankees will go on to repeat as World Series champs.

11/22/1978
After considering offers from the Yankees and Dodgers, Tommy John decides to stay in Milwaukee and signs a contract that doubles his salary.

7/9/1979
Thanks to the pitching of Tommy John and Mike Caldwell, the White Sox trail the Orioles by a game. With George Scott and Larry Hisle plagued by injuries and nearing the end of their careers, Selig trades Don Money and Buck Martinez to the Seattle Mariners for Willie Horton.

9/26/1979
Milwaukee White Sox DH Willie Horton’s 4 hits lead the team to a 7-4 win over the Red Sox and clinch the AL East division. Horton will finish the season with 32 home runs. Milwaukee will finish with a 99-63 record.

10/7/1979
The Milwaukee White Sox sweep the California Angels to win their first American League pennant in 5 years.

10/18/1979
The White Sox pitching staff dominates the Pittsburgh Pirates veteran bats as they win the World Series in 6 games. Tommy John is voted MVP of the World Series.

11/15/1979
Desiring to play in his native Texas and stay in the National League, Nolan Ryan signs with the Houston Astros.

11/20/1979
After finishing the year in fifth place, the Chicago Pilots hire Tony La Russa as their new manager.

9/30/1980
Tommy John shuts out the Toronto Blue Jays to finish the year 24-8 and will win the Cy Young Award this year. The Yankees 98 wins and Baltimore Orioles 102 wins exceed the White Sox’s 96.

10/19/1980
In a classic pitchers duel between Jim Palmer and Steve Carlton, the Orioles win Game 7 of the World Series to win their first world championship in 10 years.

9/28/1981
Despite Dave Winfield’s two home runs, the Milwaukee White Sox defeat the Yankees 9-7 to clinch the second half. Because the White Sox also won the first half division before the players strike, they clinch the AL East and get a bye in the Divisional Series. They will the pennant in 4 games over the Oakland A’s.

10/17/1981
Home runs by Ted Simmons, Ben Oglivie and Gorman Thomas lead the White Sox to a 10-5 win in Game 6 over the Dodgers and the team’s third World Championship since Bud Selig purchased the team.

10/21/1981
After letting Reggie Jackson sign with the Angels, George Steinbrenner concludes that it would be better to develop the farm system in the long run instead of trading his way to a World Series title. Therefore, he decides to keep Willie McGee in the Yankees organization.

6/17/1982
Dave Collins has proven to be an ineffective leadoff hitter after signing with the Yankees last December. Steinbrenner calls up Willie McGee from the minors. The move pays off as McGee will finish runner up to Cal Ripken in the Rookie of the Year voting.

9/29/1982
In the opening game of its final regular season series, Tommy John pitches a complete game against the Orioles as the White Sox clinch the AL East. They will face the Angels for the pennant.

10/8/1982
The White Sox defeat the Angels in 4 games to win the American League Pennant. They face the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

10/18/1982
The White Sox defeat the Cardinals in 7 to become back to back World Champions. Paul Molitor became the first player to have two 4 hit games and is named World Series MVP.

9/25/1983
Richard Dotson joins his teammate Lamarr Hoyt as 20-game winners as the Chicago Pilots clinch their first division title in the 15 year history of the franchise. Their 98 wins are 13 games better than the Kansas City Royals.

10/7/1983
The Baltimore Orioles win the pennant in 4 games over the Chicago Pilots. They will go on to win the World Series.

8/1/1984
Two years after winning the AL East, the Milwaukee White Sox are now battling the Cleveland Indians for last place. Cooper, Oglivie and Thomas are in decline and near the end of their careers. Today, the White Sox trade Tommy John and Rollie Fingers to the Chicago Cubs. With their pitching rotation set, the Cubs decide not to trade Joe Carter to Cleveland for Rick Sutcliffe. The Indians trade Sutcliffe to the San Diego Padres, where he will go 13-3. The moves help the Cubs and Padres clinch the division titles.

10/9/1984
Tommy John pitches a three hitter as the Cubs sweep the Padres to clinch the National League Pennant. They will lose to Detroit in 5 games of the World Series though.

12/6/1984
With Willie McGee established as a leadoff hitter, the Yankees decide not to pursue Rickey Henderson. Instead, the A’s trade Henderson to St. Louis for minor league outfielder Vince Coleman, who will steal 108 bases and win the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

9/27/1985
Willie McGee’s 5 hits lead the Yankees to a win and clinch their first division title since 1978. He also wins his first batting title.

10/11/1985
The St. Louis Cardinals offense was led by Jack Clark, Tommy Herr and Rickey Henderson while John Tudor and Joaquin Andujar carried the pitching. Today, they defeat the NL West division champion Dodgers for the National League pennant.

10/12/1985
Home runs by Dave Winfield, Don Mattingly and Fred McGriff (who was not traded to Toronto in 1982) help the Yankees win Game 6 of the ALCS and the pennant against a tired and veteran heavy Kansas City Royals team.

10/20/1985
Don Mattingly hits his third home run of the World Series as the Yankees win Game 5 and their first World Series title since 1978. Mattingly easily wins the series MVP. Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog, “It was a team effort that brought us to the World Series in 1982 and this year. I wonder what would happen if we had McGee and Coleman on our team.”

6/29/1986
The terrible Chicago Pilots trade Tom Seaver to the Yankees for Bobby Meacham. He will win 7 and lose 3 in Yankee pinstripes. But the Red Sox will still win the division title and AL Pennant.

10/8/1986
The Mets are the NL Champions and will go on to win the World Series.

11/22/1986
Tom Seaver signs a one year contract to play his final season in Yankee pinstripes.

2/12/1987
World Series MVP Ray Knight signs as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. The Mets trade Kevin Mitchell to the Milwaukee White Sox for Mark Clear. The move will enable the Mets to play Mookie Wilson and Len Dykstra in the lineup at the same time instead of platooning them.

7/5/1987
In need of power, the San Francisco Giants trade Chris Brown to the San Diego Padres for Kevin McReynolds, Craig Lefferts and Dave Dravecky.

10/1/1987
Vince Coleman steals his 100th base this year to reach the century mark in his first three seasons. His speeds and the home run hitting of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire enable the A’s to defeat the Twins for the AL West. After defeating the Tigers in 5 games to win the pennant, they will lose to the Cardinals in 6 games. Rickey Henderson is named World Series MVP.

10/11/1988
The Oakland A’s win the AL pennant for the second straight year. They will defeat the Dodgers in 6 games to win the World Series.

10/1/1989
The Milwaukee White Sox 88-74 record wins the American League East by 1 game over Toronto and 2 games over Baltimore. Kevin Mitchell’s 48 home runs give him the American League MVP Award. But the A’s will win the World Series again for the second straight year.

10/16/1990
The third time is not the charm as the A’s are swept by the Reds in the World Series.

12/15/1990
In the biggest free agent signings of the Winter Meetings, the Mets sign Rickey Henderson.

6/14/1991
Vince Coleman goes on the 60 day disabled list. The Mets are relieved that they almost signed the guy. However, they will finish the year with 86 wins as the Pirates win their first division title in 12 years.

11/30/1991
Bronx native Bobby Bonilla had considered playing in New York next year but with no vacancy in the Mets outfield spots and the Yankees in decline, he decides to resign with Pittsburgh. It is uncertain if the team will be able to sign Barry Bonds after the 1992 season.

10/8/1992
Bobby Bonilla’s grand slam gives the Pirates a Game 6 win and the National League Pennant. The Pirates will lose the World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays however.

9/27/1993
Frank Thomas leads the Chicago Pilots to a division title. But the Blue Jays will win the pennant and repeat as World Series champions.

7/28/1995
Tired of Bobby Bonilla’s whining, the Pirates trade him to the Colorado Rockies for Mike Kingery.

9/30/1995
Since being traded to Colorado, Bobby Bonilla has hit .365 and hit in 32 straight games. The Colorado Rockies win the National League Central division in only their third season in baseball.

10/8/1995
Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga, Larry Walker and Bobby Bonilla hit home runs as the Rockies trounce the Reds in Game 5. But with a lack of quality pitching, the Rockies will go on to lose to the Braves in the National League Championship series.

10/15/2000
The Yankees advance to their third straight World Series after advancing past the Chicago Pilots and Oakland A’s. They will defeat the Mets in 6 games.

10/14/2001
The Atlanta Braves defeat the San Francisco Giants to win the National League Pennant.

10/21/2001
The Seattle Mariners win their first World Series Championship after sweeping the Braves.

10/17/2005
The Chicago Pilots win their first World Championship in franchise history after sweeping the Astros.
 

Xen

Banned
I think the new Milwaukee team will get the Senators/Twins arrangement, the old White Sox will be renamed the Brewers, while the Pilots will take on the old White Sox name. However the team history will go to Milwaukee, just as the team history went with the Twins on their move to Minnesota.
 
I think the new Milwaukee team will get the Senators/Twins arrangement, the old White Sox will be renamed the Brewers, while the Pilots will take on the old White Sox name. However the team history will go to Milwaukee, just as the team history went with the Twins on their move to Minnesota.

It may not. The Braves, Dodgers and Giants kept their team names after moving from their original cities.
 

Xen

Banned
It may not. The Braves, Dodgers and Giants kept their team names after moving from their original cities.

Aye but they wasn't replaced with another team either, the Dodgers and Giants left New York after 1957, and the Mets didnt begin play until 1962.

Now in OTL this very incident came close to happening, however the AL was reluctant to give up the Chicago market, Glenn67 corrected this by turning the Pilots over to Chicago (ironically enough the White Sox also came close to moving to Seattle in the 1970s). And knowing of Bud Selig's mentality I see him changing the name for a more "Milwaukee" name, for the same reason we talk about the Milwaukee Brewers instead of the Milwaukee Pilots.
 
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