Monday, August 4, 2014

World Series: Did You Know?

Shoeless Joe Jackson scored the first run in the 1919 World Series. He was also the last out!

The person who is synonymous with "fixed", "thrown", and tainted Fall Classic of 1919 is quite a story. I can't honestly say I believe he wasn't giving it his all. Even in the games the White Sox lost, he seemed to perform very well.

So in game one of the 1919 World Series, it was the favoured Chicago White Sox getting crushed, 9-1 by the underdog Cincinnati Reds. Chicago did not seem to give much of an effort. Joe reached on an error in the top of the second inning, going all the way to second. It was a routine infield grounder. When Happy Felsch got a sac bunt, Jackson was on third with less than two outs! Chick Gandil's single scored Joe. The White Sox, with this run, tied the game at one. But the Reds scored eight more times to win a laugher!

In game two, Jackson batted in the second again. Again, he was leading off. This time he hit a double. Felsch hit another sac bunt. So here again, was Jackson on third with less than two outs. But this time, Chicago did not get him home.

In the top of the second, Jackson singled Buck Weaver to second. There wasn't a man out yet, and another Felsch bunt, saw Weaver make it to third and Jackson to second. Weaver was out at home trying to score on an infield out. Shoeless Joe was on third. But he stayed there as the third out was made.

After fanning in his next plate appearance, Jackson got his third hit of the game. It was the eighth inning, but two were out when Joe got a single. Jackson actually made it to scoring position for the third time in the game as a throwing error moved him up a bag. However, that's where he was when the inning ended. The White Sox, despite ten hits, lost the game 4-2.

In game three at home, Jackson singled to lead off the second inning. This time, he scored on a Chick Gandil single. But in his next plate appearance, Jackson was out on an attempted bunt.

The White Sox added another run and led  2-0 as Jackson got a single to lead off the sixth inning. But he was caught stealing. The last batter of the game was Buck Weaver, who batted in front of Joe. Weaver grounded out. Jackson had gone 5-7 in the last two games.

Shoeless Joe Jackson hit a double in the bottom of the second. Another sac by Felsch and two more walks loaded the bases. But again, the inning would end with Jackson but a single away from immortality!

In the next inning, Jackson batted with a runner on second and two outs. Joe should have been the third out of the inning, but he reached on another throwing error by the Reds. But Felsch grounded out, leaving runners on the corners.

In the bottom of the sixth, Jackson grounded out. In the bottom of the eighth, he fanned. The White Sox lost the game, 2-0. Chicago now trailed the best-of-nine, 3-1.

Shoeless Joe came up in the bottom of the first with two runners on and popped out. In the fourth inning, he grounded out. He grounded out again in the bottom of the seventh. Finally, he grounded out for a third time in the bottom of the ninth.

Jackson ended the game 0-4. But, to be honest with you, it was the Reds' pitcher Hod Eller who finished with a fine three-hitter. One of the more forgotten pitchers of his time, he was a tough nut to crack on the mound. Given how good of stuff he had on this day, it seems like Joe and his mates were doomed!

Now down four games to one, Shoeless Joe and his mates seemed doomed. Games six and seven (if necessary) would be in Cincinnati.

Jackson was retired in the top of the first. He went down again on a foul pop to the catcher in the fourth. The Reds charged in front 4-0 by the bottom of the frame. Chicago was looking down and out.

After the White Sox finally tallied a run in the top of the fifth, Jackson cashed in Buck Weaver with a single in the sixth. Jackson scored Chicago's third run himself. By the end of the inning, it was all tied at four!

Jackson walked in the top of the eighth, and another walk to Gandil moved him into scoring position. Chicago could not get it done here, however.

A single by Jackson on a bunt moved Buck Weaver to third in the top of the ninth. With one out, Chick Gandil cashed in Weaver with a single. Jackson took second, but was erased as Swede Risberg lined into a double-play. Chicago held on for the win, however, 5-4. Game seven was necessary, after all!

Shoeless Joe Jackson got and RBI single in the top of the first inning, and a single by Felsch moved him to second. Two on with two outs. Felsch was then forced at second. Jackson got another RBI on a single when he connected in the third to score Shano Collins. Happy Felsch then forced Jackson at second. But Chicago was up 2-0.

The White Sox put two men on for Jackson in the top of the fifth on a single and an error. Joe himself reached on an error, loading the bases for Felsch. Felsch singled to score two more and make it 4-0, Chicago. Jackson made it to third but was stranded for the third time in the game. Joe had one more at-bat and grouned out. Chicago won 4-1.

The White Sox faced Hod Eller again in game eight, but were only down four games to three. But Joe popped out to short in the bottom of the first. There were runners on second and third and only one out at the time. Neither runner would score. Chicago was behind 4-0 already.

Another run by the Reds in the top of the second made it 5-0. Again Chicago put two men on in the bottom of the frame. Again there was only one out. Again, the White Sox would strand them. This time, it was Bill James (pitching in relief of starter / thrower Lefty Williams) that was the second out and Nemo Leibold who were the last two outs of the inning. Neither of them were in on the fix. But Chicago's chances of winning this thing had begun to slip away.

Finally, Chicago had a scoreless pitching performance in an inning, the third. In the bottom of the inning, Shoeless Joe Jackson hit a home run. It was his first and only longball in the 1919 World Series. It was his only postseason home run. It was also the only home run of the 1919 Fall Classic by either team. The problem for the Sox was, it came with the bases empty. So it was still Cincy sitting pretty, 5-1.

But the Reds had no intention of letting Chicago get any closer. They got that run back in the top of the fifth and touched home three more times the next frame. It was 9-1, Cincinnati. That happened to be the final score of game one, by the way.

Buck Weaver singled to begin the bottom of the frame. Shoeless gave it quite a ride, but it was only a long, loud out. Felsch also flied out, but it was not as far as Joe hit it. Gandil then also flied out.

With runners on first and second and two outs in the top of the seventh, Bill Rariden singled to left. The Reds runner scored when Jackson's throw from left was too late. But because both runners were off on the crack of the bat, it must have been a tough play for Jackson. Not helping matters was that the runner on second, Edd Roush, was hardly slow. In 1919, Edd was third in the National League in triples. Then, in 1924, he hit 21 to lead the NL. The year before, he cracked out 41 doubles to pace the senior circuit. He was no slow-poke.

But, in any event, it was 10-1 Cincinnati. Chicago tried to come back in the bottom of the frame. Leibold flied out, but it was also a long, loud out. Eddie Collins had better luck and got a single. Buck Weaver then hit a double to right, but Collins only made it to third.

It was Jackson's time to hit a double of his own. But it was hit a little better than Weaver's, so both runners scored. 10-3. But Happy Felsch, as usual with Jackson on base, popped out. That was the second out. Chick Gandil then must have surprised everyone, including himself, by hitting a triple to score Jackson.

The inning then appeared to be over as Swede Risberg hit a fly ball to short centre. But Edd Roush, the speedster, made a crucial mistake and dropped it. Gandil scored and it was 10-5, Cincinnati. Ray Schalk then grounded out to end the inning. Chicago had scored four times but now were just three outs away from losing the 1919 World Series!

Roy Wilkinson, who had allowed two runs to score in three innings, stopped the Reds cold in the top of the ninth. Chicago came up one last time in the bottom of the frame.

Eddie Murphy (not the actor) batter for Wilkinson and was hit by Hod Eller. Leibold was retired on a long fly to centre. But Eddie Collins hit a single to move Murphy to second. Weaver also hit the ball well like Leibold, but again, it was a long, loud out. Murphy took third. Shoeless Joe batted. Collins stole second. Two men in scoring position, two outs.

Jackson grounded to second. Morrie Rath scooped it up and threw to first for the out. The Reds had the game 10-5, and the Fall Classic, five games to three.

Shoeless Joe Jackson ended the 1919 World Series 12-32, with five runs scored (tops on Chicago), six runs driven in (tops on Chicago, who had only seventeen RBIs total), three doubles (second on Chicago behind Buck Weaver) and a walk.

It is hard to say for sure what Jackson's intentions were. While he did fail in several clutch situation in the 1919 World Series, he also came through in many as well. His two best games, in terms of hard hits, were games' two, four and eight, all of which Chicago lost intentionally. He had three hits in game two, for good measure. And there, he was stranded in scoring position three times! Granted, he didn't start getting the RBIs until game six. But if you go 5-7 over two games (two and three) and end up with no RBIs, then it's more your teammates fault then yours. Also, getting one of the three hits in game four and again being stranded on second, you really have to wonder.

Wonder, many baseball fans have, for nearly 100 years!

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