Claudell Washington, a former outfielder for the White Sox from 1978 to 1980, died on Wednesday morning at the age of 65.
Washington played for seven teams over 17 years in the majors, originally making his debut on July 5, 1974 with the Oakland Athletics. In the following season, he went on to become one of the youngest players to ever be named to an All-Star team at just 20. By the end of the 1975 season, he slashed .308/.345/.424 with 10 home runs and 77 RBI to cap off arguably the best campaign of his career.
Following a trade that brought Washington to the Texas Rangers during the 1976-77 offseason, he was involved in another deal just a year later. Claudell was sent to Chicago along with fellow outfielder Rusty Torres in exchange for slugger Bobby Bonds on May 16, 1978. Over the course of his three seasons with the White Sox, Washington would hit .275/.312/.432 with 20 home runs, 53 doubles, 12 triples, 109 RBI, and 28 stolen bases. Some fans might remember one of his more notable games on July 14, 1979, where the versatile Washington belted three home runs in a game against the Detroit Tigers.
During the 1980 season, the Berkeley High School grad was once again traded, this time from the South Side to the New York Mets in exchange for a minor leaguer. He would only spend a year there before bouncing between the Atlanta Braves (1981-1986), New York Yankees (1986-1988), California Angels (1989-1990), and again the Yankees (1990) to finish out his career.
Aside from his time at Comiskey, Washington also had another Chicago connection. He appeared in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and was the player who hit a foul ball into the stands at a Cubs game.
The original footage was from a game played on June 5, 1985.
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Featured Photo: @Super70sSports/Twtter
Famous sign seen at Comiskey Park: Claudell Washington slept here.