Did You Know 1968 White Sox Played 10 Home Games In Wisconsin?

In 1968, the Chicago White Sox played ten homes games in Milwaukee.

Learn Something New About The Chicago White Sox

I enjoy learning new things when I can, especially about teams that I am a fan of. Recently, I found out some interesting information about the Chicago White Sox. It was a fact I had never heard before.

A friend of mine and a regular on my show, Dobie Maxwell, shared this bit of trivia with me. He is a comedian but in his spare time, he likes to go thrifting. His latest find was a program from a Major League Baseball Game in Milwaukee during the 1968 season. The only thing is Wisconsin did not a pro team at the time. The Chicago White Sox played ten games there that season.

When Milwaukee Did Not Have A Baseball Team

In 1966, the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta leaving the Wisconsin city without a pro baseball team. In 1970, the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and changed their name to the Brewers. In between, there was not an official team.

Milwaukee hosted an exhibition game in 1967 between the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins. It was a huge success and sold out beyond capacity, 51,144 tickets. They had to figure a way to have some games while waiting for a new team.

Chicago White Sox Had Attendance Issues

At that same time, the Chicago White Sox were having trouble drawing fans to their stadium to watch the team. They averaged less than one million fans for a couple of seasons in a row. Unfortunately, it seems like the Sox has a history of attendance issues.

A Solution To Both Milwaukee and White Sox Baseball Problems

The Chicago White Sox were looking for more fans at their games. Milwaukee was looking for a team to play in their city. Both remember the very successful exhibition game and decided to join forces.

Chicago Play In Milwaukee During 1968 Season

According to jsonline.com, 

"After the 1967 season, White Sox owner Arthur Allyn announced that the team would play 10 games in 1968 — one game against each A.L. team, and a preseason exhibition game against the crosstown Cubs — at County Stadium. The games were "sponsored" by the Brewers, the Milwaukee Sentinel reported on Oct. 31, 1967."

 

How Did The Chicago White Sox Playing In Milwaukee Work Out

"The team drew 265,552 fans in their nine games at County Stadium, vs. 538,323 for 59 dates at Comiskey."

Many fans thought the White Sox would move to Milwaukee but it just did not work out.