Paul Konerko

Lore & Background

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, to Henry ("Hank") and Elena Konerko, Konerko is of Polish and Italian descent. At Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, he was named the Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette Player of the Year as a senior, after leading his team to a Class 4-A state championship. He hit .558 in 1994, the school season record until Ike Davis hit .559 in 2003. Konerko also held the school season record in doubles (18) and the school career record in doubles (44), until Davis passed him. As of 2014, he was the school's all-time leader in home runs and RBI. He was ranked the #1 catcher in the nation during his senior year. He signed a letter of intent to play college baseball at Arizona State. Konerko was drafted in the first round (13th overall) of the 1994 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made his MLB debut on September 8, 1997, with the Dodgers. On July 4, 1998, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, and on November 11, 1998, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. He played for the White Sox from 1999 through 2014, winning the World Series in 2005 and being named ALCS MVP that year.

In Their Own Story

The stadium is empty except for the sound of the wind off the lake and the creak of the warning track. It's late October, 2005, and the lights buzz overhead like a hive. Konerko stands in the on-deck circle, bat resting on his shoulder, watching the Twins' pitcher wind up. He can feel the South Side behind him—thousands of people packed into the bleachers, breathing as one. He steps in. The pitch is a fastball, high and outside. He swings. The ball leaves the bat with a sound like a car door slamming, and it climbs, climbs, climbs, over the right-field wall and into the dark October sky. For a second, nobody moves. Then the whole stadium detonates. Konerko drops the bat, starts his trot, and doesn't look back. He doesn't need to. He can feel the roar in his chest, in his teeth, in the soles of his cleats. He will carry that sound for the rest of his life.

Reader's Guide

Konerko was a six-time All-Star (years not all specified in source, but source mentions 2002 as his first All-Star appearance and states he was a six-time All-Star overall). He hit 40 or more home runs in 2004 and 2005, and had 100 or more RBI in multiple seasons. He was the team captain for the 2005 World Series champion White Sox. He caught the final out for every series-clinching game in the 2005 playoffs. He hit the first grand slam in White Sox World Series history in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series.

Did You Know?

• Konerko was drafted 13th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994, not by the White Sox.
• He was a catcher in high school, not a pitcher.
• Konerko hit the first grand slam in White Sox World Series history in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series.
• He was named the 2005 ALCS MVP, the only White Sox player to receive that award as of 2025.
• Konerko held Chaparral High School's all-time records in home runs and RBI as of 2014.