Wisconsin Rapids White Sox

Wisconsin State League (1940-1953)

Background

The Wisconsin Rapids White Sox were a Class D farm club of the Chicago White Sox in the 1940’s and early 1950’s. The team went dark for three years from 1943 through 1945 at the peak of World War II along with the rest of the Wisconsin State League.

Key Figures

Only a handful of Wisconsin Rapids players from this era ever advanced to the Major Leagues. The two players who enjoyed the longest big league careers were pitcher Bill Fischer (Wisconsin Rapids ’48) and slick-fielding outfielder Jim Landis (Wisconsin Rapids ’52).

Fischer won 45 games in the Majors between 1956 and 1964. He later became a respected pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Fischer helped to develop Roger Clemens into a Cy Young Award winner in Boston in the mid-1980’s.

Jim Landis won 5 consecutive Gold Glove Awards for the Chicago White Sox between 1960 and 1964. He was the last active player from the Wisconsin Rapids White Sox when his career ended in 1967.

Pitcher Bert Shepard appeared in 9 games for Wisconsin Rapids during the 1940 season. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in March 1943 and trained as a fighter pilot. In May 1944, Shepard survived the crash of his P38 Lightning fighter jet after being shot down over Germany. He spent the next nine months in a Nazi P.O.W. camp and had the lower portion of his right leg amputated due to his crash injuries. Shepard was repatriated in a prisoner exchange in February 1945. That August, he pitched five-and-a-third innings of mop-up relief for the Washington Senators against the Boston Red Sox and allowed just one run. He became the first player with an artificial leg to play in Major League Baseball. It was his only Major League Baseball game.

In 1941, 21-year old Max Patkin won 10 games for Wisconsin Rapids. He returned for part of the season in 1942. As a ballplayer, Patkin never made it past Class A ball. But in retirement, Patkin became “The Clown Prince of Baseball”, touring the U.S. as a ballpark entertainment act for the next half century. Patkin even appeared as himself in Bull Durham in 1988.

The End

After years of declining attendance, the Wisconsin State League voted to suspend operations in November 1953. The various league cities spent the next couple of years unsuccesfully attempting to re-organize.

After a ten-year absence, Wisconsin Rapids returned to the professional baseball scene in 1963 with a Washington Senators farm club in the Class A Midwest League. The Wisconsin Rapids Senators (later Twins) remained in the Midwest League until 1983.

Wisconsin State League Shop

Wisconsin Rapids White Sox Video

1990 interview with White Sox alum Max Patkin, the “Clown Prince of Baseball”, with our friend Kenn Tomasch.

In Memoriam

First baseman Ken Landenberger (Wisconsin Rapids ’48-’49), who appeared in 2 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1952, died of leukemia at age 31 on July 28, 1960.

Pitcher Max Patkin (Wisconsin Rapids ’41-’42) passed away on October 30, 1999 at age 79. New York Times obituary.

Pitcher Bert Shepard died on June 16, 2008 at age 87. New York Times obituary.

Outfielder Jim Landis passed away following a battle with lung cancer on October 7, 2017 at age 83. New York Times obituary.

Pitcher and Wisconsin native Bill Fischer (Wisconsin Rapids ’48) died on October 30, 2018. Fischer was 88.

Links

Wisconsin State League Programs

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