From the Chicago White Sox Media Guide - 1987 Edition Personal Biography - Harold Baines: Quiet, soft spoken personality ... first pick of June 1977 free agent draft ... 'discovered' as a 12-year-old little leaguer by former White Sox owner Bill Veeck when both lived on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Minor League Highlights: Spent just three seasons in the minor leagues ... in his only AAA season, 1979, Baines hit .298 with 22 homers and 87 RBI ... etched his name in the record books by belting two home runs in the same inning on August 4 while playing for Iowa at Oklahoma City. 1980:Twenty years old during his impressive rookie season ... regular from the beginning ... appeared in 141 games, hitting 13 homers and driving in 49 runs while tying for the club lead in triples with six. 1981: Ignored the sophomore jinx ... added 31 points to his rookie batting average ... tied for second in the A.L. in triples with seven ... hit .354 in August. 1982: Drove in a career high 105 runs ... at 23, became the youngest player in White Sox history to crack the 100-RBI barrier. Enjoyed an incredible week in early July by hitting .500 (11-for-22), slamming five home runs; including a pair of grand slams, and driving in 13 runs in just six games. The high point of his tear came July 7 when he blasted three home runs in one game, including an 8th inning grand slam, to drive in six runs. 1983: Set a major league record with 22 game-winning RBI. his most significant GWRBI came September 17 at Comiskey Park when his ninth-inning sacrifice fly drove in the winning run that clinched the White Sox' A.L West Division championship, the franchise first since 1959... led the Pale Hose in outfield assists (10) for the second straight season. 1984: Turned in an outstanding season by hitting .304, the White Sox only .300 hitter ... besides batting average, Baines led the Chi-Sox in nearly every offensive category -hits (171) RBI (94) Runs (72), doubles (28) extra base hits (67) and total bases (308) ... total base figure was third best in White Sox history behind Joe Jackson (336 in 1920) and Carl Reynolds (329 in 1930). 1985: Established himself as a legitimate star, hitting over .300 for the second consecutive season, finishing sixth in the American League in hitting, fourth in RBI and ninth in total bases... made his first appearance in baseball's All-Star Game, lacing a pinch single in his only at bat ... named to the 'Sporting News' and 'UPI' A.L. all-star teams at the conclusion of season ... .309 batting and 113 RBI were career highs as was his total of 198 hits... led all A.L. hitters on the road with a .335 mark away from Comiskey Park. 1986: Maintained his status as one of the game's best hitters with another fine year ... narrowly missed his third consecutive .300-plus season with a .296 batting average. Denied the chance to top the .300 plateau when a knee injury forced him to miss the final nine games of the season... underwent arthroscopic surgery on the right knee at the conclusion of the season. Harold Baines led the White Sox in four key offensive categories: hits (169), runs (72), home runs (21), and RBI (88), topped the 20-homer mark for the fifth consecutive year, a White Sox record ... notched 1000th career hit July 7, 1986... the Chicago White Sox lone representative on the All-Star team ... notched five hits in one game for the second time in his seven-year career ... also posted three four-hit games ... managed hits in six consecutive at bats May 16-17... all four of his homers from May 12-June 12 came in the ninth inning. Major League Highlights: Passed Minnie Minoso and moved into second place on the Sox home run list ... now boasts 140 and trails only Bill Melton (154) for most round-trippers in a White Sox uniform ... only Sox player to homer three times in one game on two separate occasions... 499 RBI in his last five seasons, an average of 99.9 per year. |