Goin' to Kansas City (Again)

With six games left in the regular season, the White Sox are going to Kansas City for three against the last-place Royals. A very long time ago, the Sox had five games left in the season, with a doubleheader in Kansas City against the last-place A’s. Things did not go well. This Sox team is one game out of first. That 1967 Sox team was 1-1/2 games out. The ‘’67 Sox dropped the first game 5-2 against an A’s lineup that included Rick Monday; Joe Rudi; Sal Bando; and Dave Duncan. Future Oakland A’s Chuck Dobson started and won with Paul Lindblad recording the save. The second game was pretty much a repeat of the first, worse in that the Sox were shut out 4-0. Catfish Hunter picked up a complete game for what would be the last game ever for the Kansas City A’s; the team was on its way to Oakland. And, in what has to be the cruelest of all fates, White Sox great Luke Appling was managing against his old team. These would be the last two wins in Appling’s managerial career (10-30 lifetime), such as it was. Ol’ Aches and Pains was serving as interim manager after the firing of Al Dark. I don’t want history repeating, or rhyming. What I want is the tables turned, ghosts laid to rest.