White Flag Trade
Encyclopedia
The White Flag Trade was a trade made between two Major League Baseball
teams in 1997
. On July 31, 1997, the Chicago White Sox
traded three major players to the San Francisco Giants
for six minor leaguers. At the time, the trade was maligned by the vast majority of White Sox fans as Jerry Reinsdorf
giving up on the team, as they were only games behind the Cleveland Indians
for the American League
Central Division
lead. In 2000, however, the White Sox won the Central Division title, receiving large contributions from two of the players received in this trade (Keith Foulke and Bob Howry).
The Chicago White Sox received:
Western Division
title with a 90-72 record, two games better than the Los Angeles Dodgers
. The Chicago White Sox finished 80-81, six games behind the American League Central Division champion Cleveland Indians. The Giants were swept by the Florida Marlins
in the National League Division Series
. Incidentally, the Indians also lost to the Marlins in the World Series
.
In 2000, the White Sox won the American League Central with a league-best record of 95-67. They made the playoffs but were swept in the Division Series
by the American League wild card
team, the Seattle Mariners
. Foulke and Howry were a large part of their bullpen
, with Foulke earning 34 saves in his role as closer
. However, the collapse of their offensive production from the middle of their batting order, which went a combined 3-for-40 in the series proved to be their downfall in the series as they were swept in three games. The 2000 San Francisco Giants also won their division, with a league-best record of 97-65. However, none of the players acquired from the 1997 trade were still playing with the team during the 2000 season
. The Giants also lost in the Division Series
, this time to the New York Mets
.
As of the end of the 2010 season
, none of the players acquired in the trade by either team are playing for the team to which they were traded. Only Foulke is an active player but is not currently playing in the Major Leagues. On December 8, 2008, Howry reunited with the Giants, signing a one-year contract. Manning never made it to the major leagues, and Vining only played 8 games with the White Sox during his Major League career. Shortstop Mike Caruso showed signs of being a solid hitter, batting .306 his rookie year, but was a poor fielder.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
teams in 1997
1997 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Florida Marlins over Cleveland Indians ; Liván Hernández, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Marquis Grissom**American League Division Series*National League Championship Series MVP: Liván Hernández...
. On July 31, 1997, the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
traded three major players to the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
for six minor leaguers. At the time, the trade was maligned by the vast majority of White Sox fans as Jerry Reinsdorf
Jerry Reinsdorf
Jerry M. Reinsdorf is a CPA, lawyer and an owner of the MLB's Chicago White Sox and the NBA's Chicago Bulls. He started his professional life as a tax attorney with the Internal Revenue Service. He has been the head of the White Sox and Bulls for over 20 years.He made his initial fortune in real...
giving up on the team, as they were only games behind the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Central Division
American League Central
The American League Central Division is one of six divisions in Major League Baseball. This division was formed in the realignment in 1994, and its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States...
lead. In 2000, however, the White Sox won the Central Division title, receiving large contributions from two of the players received in this trade (Keith Foulke and Bob Howry).
The trade
The San Francisco Giants received:- Wilson AlvarezWilson AlvarezWilson Eduardo Álvarez Fuenmayor is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher...
, left-handed pitcher - Danny DarwinDanny DarwinDaniel Wayne "Danny" Darwin , known as the "Bonham Bullet" and "Dr. Death," is a former pitcher of Major League Baseball. He amassed 171 wins and 182 losses over his career for 8 different Major League teams with a 3.84 earned run average...
, right-handed pitcher - Roberto Hernández, right-handed pitcher
The Chicago White Sox received:
- Keith FoulkeKeith Foulke-Career:After graduating from Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas in 1991, he attended Galveston College and Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho. He began his career in the minor-league system of the San Francisco Giants, but was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1997 with five other prospects...
, right-handed pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the... - Bob HowryBob HowryBobby Dean Howry is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.-Early life:Howry attended Deer Valley High School in Arizona,then he attended McNeese State University and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants...
, right-handed pitcher - Lorenzo BarcelóLorenzo BarcelóLorenzo Barceló is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Chicago White Sox from –.He was one of six prospects traded to the White Sox in the infamous White Flag Trade....
, right-handed pitcher - Ken ViningKen ViningKen Vining is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Vining played for the Chicago White Sox in . In 8 career games, he had a 0-0 record with a 17.55 ERA. He batted and threw left-handed....
, left-handed pitcher - Mike CarusoMike CarusoMichael John Caruso is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals.Caruso was a prospect for the San Francisco Giants...
, shortstopShortstopShortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the... - Brian Manning, outfielderOutfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
The fallout
The San Francisco Giants went on to win the National LeagueNational League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Western Division
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
title with a 90-72 record, two games better than the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. The Chicago White Sox finished 80-81, six games behind the American League Central Division champion Cleveland Indians. The Giants were swept by the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
in the National League Division Series
1997 National League Division Series
-Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves:-San Francisco vs. Florida:The San Francisco Giants made it back to the postseason for the first time since the 1989 World Series. The Florida Marlins were in the postseason for the first time ever.-Game 1, September 30:...
. Incidentally, the Indians also lost to the Marlins in the World Series
1997 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FloridaThe first World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound...
.
In 2000, the White Sox won the American League Central with a league-best record of 95-67. They made the playoffs but were swept in the Division Series
2000 American League Division Series
-Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees:-Chicago vs. Seattle:The Seattle Mariners returned to the postseason to avenge two postseason failures in the 1990s. The Chicago White Sox returned to the postseason for the first time since 1993...
by the American League wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
team, the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
. Foulke and Howry were a large part of their bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
, with Foulke earning 34 saves in his role as closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
. However, the collapse of their offensive production from the middle of their batting order, which went a combined 3-for-40 in the series proved to be their downfall in the series as they were swept in three games. The 2000 San Francisco Giants also won their division, with a league-best record of 97-65. However, none of the players acquired from the 1997 trade were still playing with the team during the 2000 season
2000 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champion - New York Yankees*Postseason - October 3 to October 26Click on any series score to link to that series' page....
. The Giants also lost in the Division Series
2000 National League Division Series
-St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves:-Game 1, October 4:Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco, CaliforniaGiants Pitcher Liván Hernández allowed one run and five hits over a inning effort, backed by a three-run home run by Ellis Burks as the Giants cruised to an easy 5–1 victory.-Game 2, October...
, this time to the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
.
As of the end of the 2010 season
2010 Major League Baseball season
The 2010 Major League Baseball season began Sunday, April 4, when the Boston Red Sox defeated their long-time rivals, the 2009 World Series champion New York Yankees at Fenway Park, 9–7; the regular season ended on October 3. The 2010 All-Star Game was played on July 13 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim...
, none of the players acquired in the trade by either team are playing for the team to which they were traded. Only Foulke is an active player but is not currently playing in the Major Leagues. On December 8, 2008, Howry reunited with the Giants, signing a one-year contract. Manning never made it to the major leagues, and Vining only played 8 games with the White Sox during his Major League career. Shortstop Mike Caruso showed signs of being a solid hitter, batting .306 his rookie year, but was a poor fielder.