1983 American League Championship Series

Chicago White Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore won the series, 3–1.

Game 1

Wednesday, October 5, 1983, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland

Playing in their first postseason game since the 1959 World Series, the White Sox jumped out to a 1–0 ALCS lead behind a complete-game victory by LaMarr Hoyt, the American League Cy Young Award winner. In the third, Rudy Law singled with two outs and after another single, scored the game's first run on a Tom Paciorek infield single off of Scott McGregor. After a 42-minute rain delay in the fourth inning, the White Sox made it 2–0 when Paciorek walked to lead off the sixth, moved to third when Greg Luzinski reached on an Eddie Murray error and scored when Rookie of the Year Ron Kittle grounded into a double play. In the bottom of the ninth, Tito Landrum doubled with two outs before Cal Ripken Jr. denied Hoyt's shutout with two outs in the bottom of the ninth by driving in Landrum with a single for the Orioles' only run.

Game 2

Thursday, October 6, 1983, at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland

Mike Boddicker evened the series with a dominant performance, striking out fourteen batters while allowing just five singles and three walks in a shutout victory. Gary Roenicke doubled to lead off the second off of Floyd Bannister, then scored on an error on Ken Singleton's groundball. In the fourth, Roenicke walked with one out, then scored on Singleton's double. Roenicke capped the game's scoring with a two-run home run in the sixth to give the Orioles a 4–0 win.

Game 3

Friday, October 7, 1983, at Comiskey Park (I) in Chicago, Illinois

With the series shifting to Chicago, White Sox starter Rich Dotson was rocked for six runs, all earned, over five innings, as the Orioles pushed Chicago to the brink of elimination. Eddie Murray hit a three-run homer in the top of the first to start the scoring. Next inning, Rick Dempsey walked with two outs and scored on Al Bumbry's double. The White Sox scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the second off of Mike Flanagan when Ron Kittle hit a leadoff double and scored on Vance Law's single. In the fifth, a two-out hit-by-pitch and subsequent walk was followed by a two-run double by John Lowenstein. In the eighth, Todd Cruz's RBI single with two on off of Dick Tidrow made it 7–1 Orioles. In the ninth, the Orioles load the bases off of Jerry Koosman on a double and two walks. Dennis Lamp in relief walked Gary Roenicke to force in a run, then left fielder Jerry Hairston's error on Joe Nolan's fly ball allowed two more runs to score before Rich Dauer's sacrifice fly capped the scoring at 11–1 Orioles. Flanagan pitched five innings while Sammy Stewart pitched four shutout innings to close out the win.

Game 4

Saturday, October 8, 1983, at Comiskey Park (I) in Chicago, Illinois

After nine scoreless innings, Baltimore eliminated Chicago with a three-run outburst in the top of the 10th, advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1979. White Sox manager Tony LaRussa decided to save Hoyt for a potential Game 5 start and went with Britt Burns instead. Burns pitched nine shutout innings, but the Sox could not push across a run, with shortstop Jerry Dybzinski making a critical baserunning mistake that cost Chicago the potential winning run. With one out in the 10th, Tito Landrum hit a homer, ending Burns' night. Salome Barojas in relief allowed three straight singles, the last of which scored a run. Benny Ayala's sacrifice fly off of Juan Agosto capped the scoring at 3–0 Orioles.

Chicago scored one run in the final 30 innings of the series, hitting .211 as a team with no homers. Four of the team's starters, Harold Baines, Carlton Fisk, Vance Law and Greg Luzinski, hit below .200. Baltimore hit but .217 and had the same amount of hits (28) as the White Sox did, but outscored them 19-3. The Orioles would go on to win the 1983 World Series, while the White Sox wouldn't make the playoffs again until 1993. This would be the last postseason game in the Old Comiskey Park.