1919 Chicago White Sox | ||
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American League Champions | ||
League | American League | |
Ballpark | Comiskey Park | |
City | Chicago, Illinois | |
Owners | Charles Comiskey | |
Managers | Kid Gleason | |
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The 1919 Chicago White Sox season was their 19th season in the American League. They won 88 games to advance to the World Series but lost to the Cincinnati Reds. More significantly, some of the players were found to have taken money from gamblers in return for throwing the series. The "Black Sox Scandal" had permanent ramifications for baseball, including the establishment of the office of Commissioner of Baseball.
In 1919, Eddie Cicotte led the majors with 29 wins and 30 complete games, going 29–7 for the season with a 1.82 ERA (2nd in AL) and 110 strikeouts (7th in AL). He also led the AL in innings pitched with 240 (shared with Washington Senators pitcher Jim Shaw).
Right fielder Joe Jackson hit .351 (4th in AL) with 7 home runs, 96 RBIs (3rd in AL) and had 181 hits (3rd in AL, only 10 fewer than league leader Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers). Shoeless Joe headed an offense that scored the most runs of any team.
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago White Sox | 88 | 52 | .629 | — | 48–22 | 40–30 |
Cleveland Indians | 84 | 55 | .604 | 3½ | 44–25 | 40–30 |
New York Yankees | 80 | 59 | .576 | 7½ | 46–25 | 34–34 |
Detroit Tigers | 80 | 60 | .571 | 8 | 46–24 | 34–36 |
St. Louis Browns | 67 | 72 | .482 | 20½ | 40–30 | 27–42 |
Boston Red Sox | 66 | 71 | .482 | 20½ | 35–30 | 31–41 |
Washington Senators | 56 | 84 | .400 | 32 | 32–40 | 24–44 |
Philadelphia Athletics | 36 | 104 | .257 | 52 | 21–49 | 15–55 |
Sources: | |||||||||||||
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Team | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | NYY | PHA | SLB | WSH | |||||
Boston | — | 9–11 | 4–15 | 9–11 | 10–9 | 14–6 | 9–10–1 | 11–9 | |||||
Chicago | 11–9 | — | 12–8 | 11–9 | 12–8 | 17–3 | 11–9 | 14–6 | |||||
Cleveland | 15–4 | 8–12 | — | 8–12 | 13–7 | 16–4 | 11–9 | 13–7 | |||||
Detroit | 11–9 | 9–11 | 12–8 | — | 8–12 | 14–6 | 14–6 | 12–8 | |||||
New York | 9–10 | 8–12 | 7–13 | 12–8 | — | 18–2 | 12–8 | 14–6–2 | |||||
Philadelphia | 6–14 | 3–17 | 4–16 | 6–14 | 2–18 | — | 7–13 | 8–12 | |||||
St. Louis | 10–9–1 | 9–11 | 9–11 | 6–14 | 8–12 | 13–7 | — | 12–8 | |||||
Washington | 9–11 | 6–14 | 7–13 | 8–12 | 6–14–2 | 12–8 | 8–12 | — |
1919 Chicago White Sox | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager |
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Ray Schalk | 131 | 394 | 111 | .282 | 0 | 34 |
1B | Chick Gandil | 115 | 441 | 128 | .290 | 1 | 60 |
2B | Eddie Collins | 140 | 518 | 165 | .319 | 4 | 80 |
3B | Buck Weaver | 140 | 571 | 169 | .296 | 3 | 75 |
SS | Swede Risberg | 119 | 414 | 106 | .256 | 2 | 38 |
LF | Joe Jackson | 139 | 516 | 181 | .351 | 7 | 96 |
CF | Happy Felsch | 135 | 502 | 138 | .275 | 7 | 86 |
RF | Nemo Leibold | 122 | 434 | 131 | .302 | 0 | 26 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shano Collins | 63 | 179 | 50 | .279 | 0 | 4 |
Fred McMullin | 60 | 170 | 50 | .294 | 0 | 19 |
Byrd Lynn | 29 | 66 | 15 | .227 | 0 | 4 |
Eddie Murphy | 30 | 35 | 17 | .486 | 0 | 5 |
Joe Jenkins | 11 | 19 | 3 | .158 | 0 | 1 |
Hervey McClellan | 7 | 12 | 4 | .333 | 0 | 1 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eddie Cicotte | 40 | 306.2 | 29 | 7 | 1.82 | 110 |
Lefty Williams | 41 | 297.0 | 23 | 11 | 2.64 | 125 |
Dickey Kerr | 39 | 212.1 | 13 | 7 | 2.88 | 79 |
Red Faber | 25 | 162.1 | 11 | 9 | 3.83 | 45 |
Win Noyes | 1 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 7.50 | 4 |
Charlie Robertson | 1 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 9.00 | 1 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grover Lowdermilk | 20 | 96.2 | 5 | 5 | 2.79 | 43 |
Bill James | 5 | 39.1 | 3 | 2 | 2.52 | 11 |
Frank Shellenback | 8 | 35.0 | 1 | 3 | 5.14 | 10 |
Erskine Mayer | 6 | 23.2 | 1 | 3 | 8.37 | 9 |
Roy Wilkinson | 4 | 22.0 | 1 | 1 | 2.05 | 5 |
John Sullivan | 4 | 15.0 | 0 | 1 | 4.20 | 9 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dave Danforth | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7.78 | 17 |
Joe Benz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
Tom McGuire | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 |
Pat Ragan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
Reb Russell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
NL Cincinnati Reds (5) vs. AL Chicago White Sox (3)
Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chicago White Sox – 1, Cincinnati Reds – 9 | October 1 | Redland Field | 30,511 |
2 | Chicago White Sox – 2, Cincinnati Reds – 4 | October 2 | Redland Field | 29,690 |
3 | Cincinnati Reds – 0, Chicago White Sox – 3 | October 3 | Comiskey Park | 29,126 |
4 | Cincinnati Reds – 2, Chicago White Sox – 0 | October 4 | Comiskey Park | 34,363 |
5 | Cincinnati Reds – 5, Chicago White Sox – 0 | October 6 | Comiskey Park | 34,379 |
6 | Chicago White Sox – 5, Cincinnati Reds – 4 (10 innings) | October 7 | Redland Field | 32,006 |
7 | Chicago White Sox – 4, Cincinnati Reds – 1 | October 8 | Redland Field | 13,923 |
8 | Cincinnati Reds – 10, Chicago White Sox – 5 | October 9 | Comiskey Park | 32,930 |
The Black Sox Scandal refers to a number of events that took place around and during the play of the 1919 World Series. The name "Black Sox" also refers to the Chicago White Sox team from that era. Eight members of the Chicago franchise were banned from baseball for throwing (intentionally losing) games.
The conspiracy was the brainchild of White Sox first baseman Arnold "Chick" Gandil and Joseph "Sport" Sullivan, who was a professional gambler of Gandil's acquaintance. New York gangster Arnold Rothstein supplied the major connections needed. The money was supplied by Abe Attell, former featherweight boxing champion, who accepted the offer even though he didn't have the $80,000 that the White Sox wanted.
Gandil enlisted seven of his teammates, motivated by a mixture of greed and a dislike of penurious club owner Charles Comiskey, to implement the fix. Starting pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams, outfielders "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Oscar "Happy" Felsch, and infielder Charles "Swede" Risberg were all involved. Buck Weaver was also asked to participate, but refused; he was later banned with the others for knowing of the fix but not reporting it. Utility infielder Fred McMullin was not initially approached but got word of the fix and threatened to report the others unless he was in on the payoff. Sullivan and his two associates, Sleepy Bill Burns and Billy Maharg, somewhat out of their depth, approached Rothstein to provide the money for the players, who were promised a total of $100,000.
Stories of the "Black Sox" scandal have usually included Comiskey in its gallery of subsidiary villains, focusing in particular on his intentions regarding a clause in Cicotte's contract that would have paid Cicotte an additional $10,000 bonus for winning 30 games. According to Eliot Asinof's account of the events, Eight Men Out , Cicotte was "rested" for the season's final two weeks after reaching his 29th win, presumably to deny him the bonus. In reality, however, Cicotte started the White Sox's last game of the season, September 28th against the Tigers. But, with a 1-0 Chicago lead, Chicago manager Kid Gleason took Cicotte out of the game following the second inning, which assured Cicotte could not get his 30th win.
Edward Victor Cicotte, nicknamed "Knuckles", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball best known for his time with the Chicago White Sox. He was one of eight players permanently ineligible for professional baseball for his alleged participation in the Black Sox scandal in the 1919 World Series, in which the favored White Sox lost to the Cincinnati Reds in eight games. The "fixing" of the 1919 World Series is the only recognized gambling scandal to tarnish a World Series.
The Black Sox Scandal was a game-fixing scandal in Major League Baseball (MLB) in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally losing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for payment from a gambling syndicate, possibly led by organized crime figure Arnold Rothstein. There is strong evidence both for and against Rothstein's involvement; however, there is no conclusive indication that the gambling syndicate's actions were directed by organized crime. In response, the National Baseball Commission was dissolved and Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis was appointed to be the first Commissioner of Baseball, given absolute control over the sport to restore its integrity.
The 1919 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 1919 season. The 16th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. Although most World Series have been of the best-of-seven format, the 1919 World Series was a best-of-nine series. MLB decided to try the best-of-nine format partly to increase popularity of the sport and partly to generate more revenue.
The 1917 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1917 season. The 14th edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion New York Giants. The White Sox won the Series four games to two. The Series was played against the backdrop of World War I, which dominated the American newspapers that year and next.
Eight Men Out is a 1988 American historical sports drama film based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. It was written and directed by John Sayles. The film is a dramatization of Major League Baseball's Black Sox Scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series. Most of the film was filmed at the old Bush Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The 1962 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 81st season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 71st season in the National League. The Cardinals went 84–78 during the season and finished sixth in the National League, 17+1⁄2 games behind the San Francisco Giants. Also in 1962, the Cardinals became the first NL club to wear names on the backs of their uniforms that season.
The 1958 Washington Senators won 61 games, lost 93, and finished in eighth place in the American League, 31 games behind the New York Yankees. They were managed by Cookie Lavagetto and played home games at Griffith Stadium.
The 1909 Boston Red Sox season was the ninth season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished third in the American League (AL) with a record of 88 wins and 63 losses, 9+1⁄2 games behind the Detroit Tigers. The team played its home games at Huntington Avenue Grounds.
The 1919 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The Reds won the National League pennant, then went on to win the 1919 World Series. The team's accomplishments were overshadowed by the subsequent Black Sox Scandal, when it was discovered that their American League opponents, the Chicago White Sox had conspired to throw the series.
The 1959 Cleveland Indians season was the 59th season in franchise history. The Indians finished in second place in the American League with a record of 89 wins and 65 losses, 5 games behind the American League Champion Chicago White Sox.
The 1917 New York Giants season was the franchise's 35th season. It involved the Giants winning the National League pennant for the first time in four years. The team went on to lose to the Chicago White Sox in the World Series, four games to two.
The 1959 Detroit Tigers season was the 59th season for the American League franchise in Detroit. Although the Tigers lost 15 of their first 17 games in 1959—resulting in the May 2 firing of manager Bill Norman—they recovered under his successor, Jimmy Dykes, to finish in fourth place with a record of 76–78, eighteen games behind the AL Champion Chicago White Sox.
The 1960 Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Indians' fourth-place finish in the American League with a record of 76 wins and 78 losses, 21 games behind the AL Champion New York Yankees. This season was notable for the infamous trade of Rocky Colavito.
The 1917 Chicago White Sox dominated the American League with a record of 100–54. The 100 wins is a club record that still stands. Their offense was first in runs scored while their pitching staff led the league with a 2.16 ERA.
The 1908 season was the eighth in Chicago White Sox history and its eighth as a major league team. Owner Charles Comiskey optioned land in the summer of 1908 for what would become Comiskey Park. Despite ace pitcher Ed Walsh going an incredible 40–15 in 1908, the Sox could only muster a third-place finish in the American League standings, behind Detroit and Cleveland, ultimately finishing 88–64. The White Sox hit only three home runs for the entire season, the lowest total for a major league team in the modern era.
The 1915 Chicago White Sox season involved the White Sox finishing third in the American League.
The 1916 Chicago White Sox finished second in the American League, just two games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox. By this time, the nucleus of the 1917–19 dynasty was in place. Chicago would win the World Series the following season.
Depleted of most of their stars due to World War I, the Chicago White Sox had a relatively bad year in 1918, going 57–67 and finishing in the second place. They had won the American League pennant in 1917 and would win another in 1919.
The 1920 Chicago White Sox season was a season in American baseball.
The 1921 Chicago White Sox season involved the White Sox attempting to win the American League pennant. However, with the core of the team banned after the Black Sox Scandal broke, they fell back to seventh place.