An August 2–25 winning streak propelled the White Sox into first place and paved the way for the AL pennant and eventual World Series victory over the crosstown Cubs. During the run Chicago defeated Boston six times, Philadelphia five times, New York seven times and Washington once. The Sox moved from 7 1⁄2 games behind Philadelphia to leading by four games over the A's. Hayes appeared in just nine games before August 21, then started and completed his first game; he went 1-for-7 with two strikeouts in a 3-2, 13-inning loss at Washington and finished 1940 with a .195 average and .476 OPS. Fox produced a 5-for-5 game that raised his average to .312, extended a hitting streak to eight consecutive hits across games, and maintained a 98-game streak without a strikeout.
This was the streak that propelled the Sox into a position to take the AL pennant and eventually the World Series crown over the crosstown Cubs. During the run, the White Sox beat Boston six times, Philadelphia five times, New York seven times and Washington once. When the streak started on August 2, the Sox were 7 1⁄2 games behind Philadelphia, and when it ended on August 25 at Washington, Chicago was in first place by four games over the A's.
On this day, Fox struck out, in the first inning of a 7-1 win at Yankee Stadium, vs. Whitey Ford. Now, you may realize that the White Sox second baseman was about as hard to whiff as any player who's ever stepped to the plate. But this, this was something else: Fox had gone 98 games without a strikeout, in the process establishing a major league mark.
Hayes was able to play in just nine games (mostly as a late-game defensive replacement) before August 21, when he started and got through his first complete game of the season. In his next start, on this day, Hayes went 1-for-7 with two strikeouts in Chicago's 3-2 loss in 13 innings at Washington. He played in seven more games in 1940, with six starts, ending the final year of his career with a .195 average and .476 OPS.
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