Former White Sox pitcher Gary Peters dies at 85

Gary Peters

Some sad news to report: Former White Sox pitcher Gary Peters died last week at age 85.

Peters played before my time, but if you talk to people who were around in the 1960s, they'll tell you that Peters is an underappreciated player from an underappreciated era of Sox baseball.

The left-hander pitched for the Sox from 1959-69, going 91-78 with a 2.92 ERA in 359 games, including 286 starts.

Peters only pitched in 12 games from 1959 through 1962, but he broke through to win American League Rookie of the Year award in 1963, going 19-8 with a league-leading 2.33 ERA.

He made the All-Star team in 1964, when he led the league in wins with 20. Peters also led the league in ERA (1.98) in 1966, and he made the All-Star team for a second time in 1967. He ranks eighth among Sox pitchers all-time with 1,098 strikeouts.

Peters was a standout in the starting rotation during what might have been considered a golden era in the overall mediocre history of the Sox. From 1963 to 1965, the Sox won 94, 98 and 95 games, respectively. Unfortunately, they finished second in the American League behind the New York Yankees each season. That said, that three-year span marks the only time in the 122-year history of the team that the Sox have won 90 or more games three seasons in a row.

Also of note, Peters was one of the best-hitting pitchers of his era. His slash line with the Sox was .212/.240/.344, which doesn't seem like much, but it's really good for a pitcher. (Note: These were the days before the designated hitter.)

Peters hit 19 home runs in his career, including 15 in his 11 seasons with the Sox. He hit three homers in 1963 and four more in 1964.

It's too bad we don't hear more about this era of Sox baseball. Obviously, the Sox played in the 1959 World Series. But after that, people tend to fast-forward past the 1960s and talk about the 1972 team, or 1977, or 1983.

A lot of Sox players from the 1960s are either no longer with us, or are nearing the end of their lives. Let's hope their contributions to the history of the franchise are remembered.