The White Sox have been around since 1901, and in that very long stretch of time have only won three titles, including recently in 2005. The Sox may be considered the red-headed stepchild in Chicago to the Cubs, just like the Mets are to the Yankees at times, but they have mostly been competitive, with a .506 winning percentage overall as I write this in 2009. And the Sox have had some great pitchers, so here we will look at the team’s all-time top 10 in the strikeout category:

Billy Pierce (1796)—Billy Pierce pitched for the White Sox most of his career, from 1949 to 1961, and he ranks first in White Sox history with 1796 strikeouts. Pierce had back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1956 and 1957 and 1956 was also his best season. That year, Pierce went 20-9 with a 3.32 ERA and career high 192 strikeouts.

Ed Walsh (1732)—Ed Walsh pitched for the White Sox most of his career, from 1904 to 1916, and he ranks second in team history with 1732 strikeouts. Walsh had his best season by far in 1908, when he had career highs in wins (40-15) and strikeouts (269), with a 1.42 earned run average.

Red Faber (1471)—Urban Clarence “Red” Faber pitched for Chicago his entire career, from 1914 to 1933, and he ranks third in Sox history with 1471 K’s. Faber had his best overall season in 1915, when he went 24-14 with a 2.55 ERA and career best 182 strikeouts.

Wilbur Wood (1332)—Wilbur Wood began his career in Boston and Pittsburgh but blossomed with the White Sox, pitching in Chicago from 1967 until 1978. Wood ranks fourth in franchise history with 1332 strikeouts, and his best season was probably 1971, when Wood went 22-13 with a 1.91 earned run average and career high 210 K’s.

Mark Buehrle (1167)—Mark Buehrle has pitched for the Sox his entire career so far (since 2000) and he ranks fifth in their history with 1167 strikeouts. Buehrle will likely climb and possibly top this list if he stays in Chicago long enough. He recently pitched a perfect game, which was also the second no-hitter of his career. Buehrle had a career high 165 strikeouts in 2004, but his best overall season was arguably 2002, when he won a career high 19 games against 12 losses with a 3.58 ERA and 134 strikeouts.

Gary Peters (1098)—Gary Peters pitched for the White Sox most of his career, from 1959 to 1969, and he ranks sixth in the team’s history with 1098 strikeouts. Peters struck out a career high 215 batters in 1967, but his best season was 1964, when he went 20-8 (career high in wins) with a 2.50 earned run average and 205 K’s.

Ted Lyons (1073)—Ted Lyons pitched for the Sox his entire career, from 1923 to 1946, and he ranks seventh in franchise history with 1073 strikeouts. Lyons was not a strikeout pitcher per se, so this was based on longevity, as his career high was 74 K’s in 1933. His best overall season was 1930, when Lyons went 22-15 with a 3.78 ERA and 69 strikeouts.

Doc White (1067)—Guy Harris “Doc” White pitched for Chicago most of his career, from 1903 to 1913, and he ranks eighth in Sox history with 1067 strikeouts. White struck out a career high 185 while with Philadelphia in 1902, but his best overall season was in a White Sox uniform, in 1907. That year, White went 27-13 (career high in wins) with a 2.26 earned run average and 141 K’s.

Joe Horlen (1007)—Joe Horlen pitched for the White Sox from 1961 to 1971, and ranks ninth in their history with 1007 strikeouts. Horlen had a career high 138 K’s in 1964, but his best overall season was 1967. That year, Horlen went 19-7 (career best in wins) with a 2.06 ERA and 103 strikeouts, with his winning percentage and ERA leading the American League.

Eddie Cicotte (961)—Eddie Cicotte pitched in Chicago from 1912 to 1920, and ranks tenth in White Sox history with 961 K’s. Cicotte had his best season in 1917, when he went 28-12 with career best numbers in earned run average (1.53) and strikeouts (150).