[Cusick]

Thanks, Pinson, for posting the Wes Kent cards and providing what turned out to be a lead to his being a "phantom" player with the Chicago White Sox in 1983.

Kent's connection to Carlton Fisk was not during spring training. Instead, it happened during the regular season. An article in the Arizona Daily Star of October 3, 1983 explained the tale. In mid-June, Kent was brought to Chicago by the White Sox and ordered to spend a week with Charlie Lau, the Sox' batting coach. According to the article, the Sox motivation was because they had invested so much in Kent when they made him their #2 draft pick in 1980, they wanted to see if they could give him a better chance to develop. While Kent was with the Sox, his locker was next to Fisk's. The Sox also went on a 7-1 winning streak while he was there.

Kent had been such a good luck charm for the Sox that when his week was up, he thought about pleading with the front office for an extension, but decided that discretion was the better course.

P.S. Given that the above referenced article indicated that the White Sox record stood at 29-33 when Wes Kent came up with the team, his stint as a phantom in the majors must have been for the period of June 19-26, 1983. The White Sox did indeed have a 7-1 record during that period.