1983 American League Championship Series

Baltimore won the series, 3–1.

Wednesday, October 5, 1983, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland

Playing in their first postseason game since the 1959 World Series, the White Sox jumped out to a 1–0 ALCS lead behind a complete-game victory by LaMarr Hoyt, the American League Cy Young Award winner. In the third, Rudy Law singled with two outs and after another single, scored the game's first run on a Tom Paciorek infield single off of Scott McGregor. After a 42-minute rain delay in the fourth inning, the White Sox made it 2–0 when Paciorek walked to lead off the sixth, moved to third when Greg Luzinski reached on an Eddie Murray error and scored when Rookie of the Year Ron Kittle grounded into a double play. In the bottom of the ninth, Tito Landrum doubled with two outs before Cal Ripken Jr. denied Hoyt's shutout with two outs in the bottom of the ninth by driving in Landrum with a single for the Orioles' only run.

Thursday, October 6, 1983, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland

Mike Boddicker evened the series with a dominant performance, striking out 14 batters while allowing just five singles and three walks in a shutout victory. Gary Roenicke doubled to lead off the second off of Floyd Bannister, then scored on an error on Ken Singleton's groundball. In the fourth, Roenicke walked with one out, then scored on Singleton's double. Roenicke capped the game's scoring with a two-run home run in the sixth to give the Orioles a 4–0 win.

Friday, October 7, 1983, at Comiskey Park (I) in Chicago, Illinois

With the series shifting to Chicago, White Sox starter Rich Dotson was rocked for six runs, all earned, over five innings, as the Orioles pushed Chicago to the brink of elimination. Eddie Murray hit a three-run homer in the top of the first to start the scoring. Next inning, Rick Dempsey walked with two outs and scored on Al Bumbry's double. The White Sox scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the second off of Mike Flanagan when Ron Kittle hit a leadoff double and scored on Vance Law's single. In the fifth, a two-out hit-by-pitch and subsequent walk was followed by a two-run double by John Lowenstein. In the eighth, Todd Cruz's RBI single with two on off of Dick Tidrow made it 7–1 Orioles. In the ninth, the Orioles load the bases off of Jerry Koosman on a double and two walks. Dennis Lamp in relief walked Gary Roenicke to force in a run, then left fielder Jerry Hairston's error on Joe Nolan's fly ball allowed two more runs to score before Rich Dauer's sacrifice fly capped the scoring at 11–1 Orioles. Flanagan pitched five innings while Sammy Stewart pitched four shutout innings to close out the win.

Saturday, October 8, 1983, at Comiskey Park (I) in Chicago, Illinois

After nine scoreless innings, Baltimore eliminated Chicago with a three-run outburst in the top of the 10th, advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1979. White Sox manager Tony LaRussa decided to save Hoyt for a potential Game 5 start and went with Britt Burns instead. Burns pitched nine shutout innings, but the Sox could not push across a run, with shortstop Jerry Dybzinski making a critical baserunning mistake that cost Chicago the potential winning run. With one out in the 10th, Tito Landrum hit a homer, ending Burns' night. Salome Barojas in relief allowed three straight singles, the last of which scored a run. Benny Ayala's sacrifice fly off of Juan Agosto capped the scoring at 3–0 Orioles.

Chicago scored one run in the final 30 innings of the series, hitting .211 as a team with no homers. Four of the team's starters, Harold Baines, Carlton Fisk, Vance Law and Greg Luzinski, hit below .200. Baltimore hit but .217 and had the same number of hits (28) as the White Sox did, but outscored them 19-3. The Orioles would go on to win the 1983 World Series, while the White Sox would not make the playoffs again until 1993. This would be the last postseason game in the Old Comiskey Park.

The 1983 ALCS was the first post-season series in the Orioles' history in which they lost the first game--in their 11 post-season series going back to 1966 the team had always won Game 1. Similarly the O's would lose Game 1 of the 1983 World Series before coming back to sweep the remaining four games.

This is the Orioles' most recent pennant to date.

In the early 1980s, the sports scene in Chicago was not pretty. The White Sox had not been to the post-season since losing the 1959 World Series, the Cubs had not been to a World Series since losing in 1945, the Blackhawks had not won a Stanley Cup since 1961, the Bears had not won a championship since 1963, and the Bulls had moderate success with a defensive first approach under Dick Motta but they could never get over the hump against the more talented Lakers or Warriors -- they had also never won a championship.

By 1983, the city was starved for a winner of any kind. The 1983 White Sox AL West division crown was the city of Chicago's first baseball championship of any kind (division, league, or world), since the White Sox themselves reached the World Series twenty-four years earlier. Their win ugly nickname was given to them by Texas Rangers manager Doug Rader. The club rattled off a modest win streak around the All-Star break, but according to Rader their success would be short lived. "They're not playing that well. They're winning ugly." Behind manager Tony La Russa, catcher Carlton Fisk, outfielder Harold Baines, and designated hitter Ron Kittle, the "Winning Ugly" Sox finished the season 60-25.[5]

However, the 1983 team's success was short lived. The team did not win 90 games again until 1990. By that time, Tony La Russa was winning pennants and managing the Oakland Athletics, Carlton Fisk was 42 years old still playing at a high level with the team, Harold Baines was in Texas playing for the Rangers, and Ron Kittle finished the season in Baltimore. 1990 was also the team's last year playing at Comiskey Park. The White Sox success in 1983, coupled with their lack of success in the seasons preceding and following it, put them in the conversation of one of baseball's best one-season wonders.

34 years after being let go by the White Sox, Tony La Russa was hired by the team again in 2020 at the age 76 years old. In between those 34 years, La Russa won three World Series with the Oakland Athletics in 1989 and St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 and 2011. He was also inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, so his return made him the first manager in baseball history to return to managing after being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[6]