World Series: Did You Know?

Dickie Kerr's 1.42 earned run average in 1919 was only good enough for third best among hurlers (Min. 9 IP). It seemed like even one of the honest White Sox in '19 only went so far, and even today might not get noticed. There were five solid starters on the Cincinnati Reds that year. And even the very man Kerr beat in game three was no slouch.

Well, a precedent was set by the Cincy hurlers in the first two contests. Playing at home, it seemed the Reds' pitching held up. There fielding wasn't always sharp, alas. Dutch Ruether went out and sort of set the tone, beating Eddie Cicotte 9-1. The only run Ruether gave up was unearned, and the Cincinnati pitcher even went 3-3 at the dish. Let me put it to you in plain and simple terms: It wasn't the Pale Hose' day!

The Reds, with one win in the bag, extended the series lead to 2-0 with a 4-2 win in the second contest. Slim Sallee won it, and like Ruether, did not allow an earned run.

So, the 1919 Fall Classic moved to Comiskey Field in Chicago, and the White Sox had to get a move on. Dickie Kerr would pitch for the home team, while Ray Fisher went for Cincinnati.

The game was close, and Fisher found his wait for run support in vain. Even the fielding continued to be an issue. Kerr maybe needed a little more breathing room, as the game stayed close all the way. However, Dickie sent a message to the Reds: This is my day!

He got the side 1-2-3 in the first,, collecting a K of Heinie Groh. At first the defence was good behind Fisher. The very first batter of the game for the Sox, Nemo Leibold, sent a sinking shot to right. Greasy Neale snagged it at his shoestring!

Cincinnati would get men on, but couldn't get that one key hit. In the second, Pat Duncan singled, only to be stranded. Kerr got all three outs via grounders.

Chicago got two men on in the second, as Shoeless Joe Jackson opened with a single, Oscar "Happy" Felsch following with a bunt. The fielding behind Ray Fisher was bad here. But here's a little secret: It was the pitcher who tried to get the force on Jackson at second...Larry Kopf was there waiting for the ball...It seemed like an easy play as the bunt had been pretty much right to Fisher...But instead, a poor throw led to the ball going into centre field! Jackson actually went down in the process of passing the bag, but Edd Roush's throw from centre was too late. Felsch took advantage and motored into second. What should have been an easy force play was now second and third, nobody out!

Chick Gandil drove both men home with a single against a drawn-in infield. That 2-0 lead would prove huge. Dickie Kerr had all the offence he needed.

Fisher tried to help out his own cause in the top of the third. He sent a slow one towards third with one away. Kerr got over to it, and then smothered it with his whole body, the ball appearing to be headed over the foul line. Dickie taken a tumble! Alas, there was no rumble for Cincinnati. Kerr, getting himself back on top of things, got the next two batters out.

Ray Fisher battled on. He allowed two more hits in the third, but got Joe Jackson to pop up while trying to bunt. Then, he got Happy Felsch to hit into a double play, around the horn (5-4-3).

Kerr got a nice double play himself to get out of the fourth. The Reds had a man on for Pat Duncan. Duncan was having a great World Series so far, his batting average at exactly .500 (3-6). His bid for a second hit this afternoon ended when he lined to shortstop Swede Risberg (The last of the eight "Black Sox" to pass away). Heinie Groh had left second base, and was doubled off.

Chicago scored their third and final run of the afternoon in the fourth via a Risberg tripled and Ray Schalk single. Ray Fisher settled down, and Schalk got caught stealing. Cincinnati got the leadoff man on in the fifth, but again Dickie Kerr was ever the battler. Greasy Neale hit into a force. So did Bill Rariden, on which Eddie Collins made a nice play to stop the grounder. Reds manager Pat Moran allowed Fisher to bat for himself, and the pitcher grounded out.

Dickie Kerr's 3-0 began to look like 100-0 for the Reds. Down they went 1-2-3 in the sixth. Same thing in the seventh, as Kerr fanned Duncan. The eighth inning began with Greasy Neale whiffing. Bill Rariden followed by grounding out. Ray Fisher's day came to an end as Sherry Magee batted for him. Magee flied out to right.

The White Sox were retired in order by reliever Dolph Luque in the eighth, and that set the stage for Dickie Kerr to finish the ballgame. With a shutout?

Morrie Rath went out, Eddie Collins to first basemen Chick Gandil. Jake Daubert then became Kerr's fourth strikeout victim (And third in the last three frames). The game came to an end as Heinie Groh grounded out to third basemen Buck Weaver.

Kerr had been great. He'd finished with a flourish, retiring the last fifteen men to face him. The Reds managed just three hits, total. Dickie Kerr had been a master of control, four strikeouts against just one bases on balls. Ray Fisher had not pitched poorly, but took the loss. One earned run over seven innings. 

It seemed as though Kerr's win might be the only one for Chicago in this Fall Classic. Jimmy Ring went out and tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout for Cincinnati in game four. He was masterful, despite allowing three walks. Still, the game was close, ending only 2-0. Then, Hod Eller won game five with a three-hit shutout of his own. The Reds broke it open with four runs in the top of the sixth.

So Dutch Ruether's earned run average was 0.00, and so was Slim Sallee's, Jimmy Ring's, and now Hod Eller's. Dickie Kerr's was also 0.00, but now he'd be up against Ruether in game six of this best-of-nine affair. Something had to give. As it turns out, both pitcher's ERA's did. So did Ring's.

Still, the focus (From the Chicago standpoint) was on Dickie Kerr. He didn't come away from this empty-handed. In fact, before the game, he got something.

"Just before the game," wrote W.O. McGeehan, "a delegation of Texas oil men presented Kerr with a gold watch."

It seemed, for a while, to be the best moment of the game for the Chicago starting pitcher. 

It was all Cincinnati early. Kerr was not as sharp as he'd been in the third game. Redland Field was ready to celebrate a World Championship. Why not? Given the way that things were going for Cincinnati, the championship seemed a formality.

The big thing seemed to be that not only did the Reds have pitching, they had fielding. The White Sox had their fielding problems, which had undone their pitching. This game continued that trend. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch had a bad game. Risberg had committed two errors in five games coming into action here in the potential clincher, and he added to it. Happy Felsch had made a two terrible plays in game five, though charged with only one error. He'd commit another error in this contest.

Cincinnati had a whole lot of leather. Shano Collins sent one to short centre in the first. It appeared to be a hit, but second basemen Morrie Rath made the catch.

So Dickie Kerr had a tough first, having seen his team go down 1-2-3 in their half. The Reds were hitting his pitches. With two away, Heinie Groh sent one to right. It was good for two bases. Not three, only because Shano Collins scrambled to the ball, stopping it. Edd Roush sent one to short. While Swede Risberg got to it, there appeared to be no play for him. However, Groh went past third. Too far. Risberg pegged to Buck Weaver. Buck slapped the tag on him.

Kerr had managed to escape, and for a while, that was the story of his game. The Reds' gloves were scoring rave reviews from the sports writers of the day. Happy Felsch made a bid for a home run in the top of the second, only to have Greasy Neale, who caught it not to far from the wall.

Then came the errors for Chicago. Swede Risberg couldn't come up with Pat Duncan's grounder in the second. A bases on balls to Larry Kopf put two on. A bunt attempt by Greasy Neale resulted in a force at third. It was a big play. Still, Cincinnati had two men and only one out.

Dickie Kerr endued Bill Rariden to force Neale at second. Koft was now on third, however, and the Reds were getting closer and closer to scoring. Dutch Ruether was next, but Kerr got his mound adversary out on a comebacker. No easy task getting Ruether out. He was 3-3 off Eddie Cicotte in game one.

And then there was Dutch Ruether the pitcher, who had seemingly settled down. Dutch held Chicago in check in the White Sox's half of the third, despite walking Ray Schalk. And there was still more great defence from Cincinnati. Eddie Collins was having his troubles hitting in the 1919 World Series. But with Schalk on second and two away, Collins sent one to left,  "...and it looked like a double or better but Pat Duncan, the best late-season find of [Reds' Manager] at Moran, came scooting in and caught it before it fell and produced the ominous thud that seemed imminent," wrote McGeehan.

So the Reds were catching everything. The same could not be said for Swede Risberg. Not that he was to blame for Cincinnati breaking the ice in the last of the third.

Jake Daubert singled with one out. Dickie Kerr bore down and fanned Heinie Groh for his first K of the game. However, Cincinnati wasn't about to go away this inning. Edd Roush was up, and Daubert stole second. When Kerr hit Roush with a pitch, he had to face Pat Duncan. Duncan added to his early game six heroics by stroking a two-run double, plating Daubert and Roush.

Buck Weaver tried to start a rally in the top of the fourth. Duncan made another fine catch! So all Chicago got was Happy Felsch's single. It seemed like there would be little to no run support for Dickie Kerr this afternoon.

And how about these clowns in the field? They weren't helping either. Kerr couldn't be the only one at fault for the tragic events that unfolded for the Pale Hose in the bottom of the fourth. You couldn't blame Chicago manager Kid Gleason had he pulled his starter. 

Greasy Neale started it all with a triple, but the three-bagger had a bit to do with Shano Collins mistiming the shot. Bill Rariden grounded out, Neale holding at third. Dutch Ruether was back at the dish. He made it 4-5 at the dish in the 1919 World Series with a run-scoring ground-rule double. 3-0, Reds.

Cincinnati was not done. Swede Risberg got a hold of a grounder, and tried to make the play at third. Well, all Risberg did was hit Ruether in the back, and the Cincinnati pitcher ended up scoring on the play. The Reds were really playing well.

Morrie Rath, whose grounder should have resulted in the second out, then made Chicago pay even more by swiping third. Jake Daubert was up. Kerr started him off badly. Ball one. Ball two. On the next pitch, Daubert got a hold of one and sent it to left. Joe Jackson made the catch, but Rath tagged...Out at home!

That was a lucky break by Chicago, but they still trailed 4-0. When would these guys wake up? They hadn't scored since the bottom of the fourth inning in Dickie Kerr's last start. A span of twenty-six innings.

But then, the first two men drew free passes of Ruether in the top of the five. Dickie Kerr was next up. He must have felt, "No one else is hitting in the clutch, so I'd better." Kerr got an infield single.

The sacs were full of White Sox. Swede Risberg was on third. Ray Schalk, second. And now their surprising star pitcher was on first. Shano Collins flied out to Edd Roush. Then, Eddie Collins sent one to centre, on which Risberg tagged up and scored. Kerr, though, seemed to be like Risberg: Making mistakes! Accidentally, mind you. Kerr went to second, only to find catcher Ray Schalk there. Edd Roush tossed it in to Morrie Rath, and Kerr was tagged out. A potentially big inning and all Chicago had was one puny run. The scored was still 4-1 for Cincinnati. Were the Pale Hose good at screwing up or what?

Esteemed writer Grantland Rice certainly thought so. "The Sox were not only floundering in the field," he said, "but when their chance arrived on attack, they were even more futile."

Still, any scribe would have had nothing but praise for the White Sox one inning later. They got rid of Dutch Ruether. His mastery of the Pale Hose went south, all at once.

It all started when Buck Weaver led off the sixth with a double, that fell between Larry Koft in short and Pat Duncan in left. Following this game, Heinie Groh pointed out the Weaver double was huge. Did the Reds' third basemen ever get that right! Joe Jackson only singled, but that cashed in Weaver, and the lead was slashed to 4-2. Happy Felsch doubled, and Jackson scored. Chicago was suddenly within a run of Cincinnati. Three big blows in a row off a pitcher that had once owned them.

In a curious decision, Pat Moran brought in Jimmy Ring. Ring had been outstanding in his start vs. Chicago in the fourth contest. Why waste him here? If Ring pitched a long relief outing, and Cincinnati lost, then he might not be available until much later in the 1919 Fall Classic.

Well, Ring came in and retired the first two men to face him. So it looked like a genius move by Moran. Ray Schalk, having a fine afternoon, disrupted any thoughts of champagne sipping, tying the game with a clutch single.

It had been a great inning, and why not have their pitcher redeem himself for giving up four runs? Kerr took ball one, then fouled off the next pitch. With his battery mate running, Ring delivered the third pitch. A poor throw by Bill Rariden helped Ray Schalk beat the throw. The count went to 2-2, and Dickie Kerr hit one to right on the ground. That's where third basemen Heinie Groh made a fine play and whipped the ball to first for the last out.

From there, it seemed like Chicago's bats when cold again. Kerr would have to battle this out with Jimmy Ring, who picked up where he left off in the fourth game. Greasy Neale led off with a bit of a fluke hit in the sixth for Cincinnati. But nothing came of it, and Neale ended up getting caught stealing to end the Reds' half of the frame. The next inning, the Reds put two men on with just one out, but then Edd Roush hit into a inning-ending double play. Roush had swung at Kerr's first offering.

The White Sox appeared to carry the momentum as the game headed to the eighth. Ring's control eluded him as he walked Shoeless Joe (On five pitches) and Chick Gandil (On four offerings). But then, it was Edd Roush taking a hit away from Swede Risberg, and Jackson was doubled off second. The Cincinnati centre fielder was having one awesome day with the glove, starting two double plays!

The bottom of the eighth seemed to be no problem for Dickie Kerr. First, Pat Duncan hit one foul to right, and Chick Gandil caught it near the seats. Larry Kopf was up, and got ahead 2-0. Kerr brought it 2-2, and then grabbed a liner. That seemed to be a bit of a turning point for the Reds, as Kerr called time.

His hand was numbed a bit, as well as bruised. Bill James began to throw in the White Sox bullpen. So the Reds appeared to pounce. First, Greasy Neale singled. And then Bill Rariden singled off Kerr's glove. Two on, two out. Jimmy Ring batted for himself, and forced Rariden for the third out. Kerr had really battled to keep this a 4-4 ballgame.

But could Chicago get a run off Jimmy Ring? He now had a dozen innings pitched and the Pale Hose had not scored a run off him. The game went to extras, and Ring had kept his earned run average in the 1919 World Series at 0.00 through thirteen frames.

But, Buck Weaver opened the top of the tenth with a double. Joe Jackson bunted with the intention of getting Weaver to third. Well, it worked out better than that, as Jackson beat the throw to first. Happy Felsch swung and missed on a 2-2 pitch. One out. However, Chick Gandil sent a 0-1 pitch into centre field. Had the Cincinnati Reds' infielders been positioned further back, they just might have had a play on the ball. In any even, Dickie Kerr would go out to the last of the tenth only with a one-run lead. Swede Risberg lined into an inning-ending double play.

But Ed Roush grounded out on an 0-1 pitch. Pat Duncan popped up to Ray Schalk. On the second pitch from Kerr, Larry Kopf grounded to second basemen Eddie Cicotte, who pegged it to Chick Gandil at first. Game over! Kerr had survived eleven hits, winning 5-4.

"Like the boxer he once was," wrote Harvey Frommer, "Dickie Kerr was on the ropes throughout the game. He gave up eleven hits, but he stayed the distance."

As for numbers, Kerr had allowed three earned runs. But combine that with his complete-game shutout in game three, and the White Sox pitcher's earned run average was 1.42. Dutch Ruether, on the other hand, had allowed four earned runs over five innings of work (Plus, he'd pitched to three batters in the sixth). So his ERA was up to 2.57. Jimmy Ring's fine relief outing made his earned run average 0.64.

Slim Sallee took the hill in the seventh game for Cincinnati. He brought with him a 0.00 earned run average of his own. Yet, it was Eddie Cicotte (0-2, 4.26 ERA), beat him, 4-1. Sallee lasted just 4 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and two earned runs. That spiked his earned run average up to 1.35. That was still a bit better than Dickie Kerr. Cicotte had dropped his own earned run average to a respectable 2.91, but it seemed like the Fall Classic was a struggle for him. Even in 1917, the lowly New York Giants had given him all he could handle. The win here only upped his lifetime record in the Fall Classic to 2-3.

Hod Eller, who'd pitched a shutout in the fifth game, seemingly putting Cincinnati in the driver's seat, went into game eight with a 0.00 earned run average of his own. He got out of jams in the first and second inning unscathed. Eventually, Eller allowed a solo home run by Shoeless Joe Jackson, but was cruising. Up 10-1 after seven, Hod faltered. Chicago launched a serious barrage in the eighth, aided by some poor Cincinnati fielding. The Pale Hose scored four times that frame, and even got runners to second and third in the ninth, before the final out was recorded. For his efforts, Eller posted a 2.00 ERA in the 1919 World Series.

Dickie Kerr had to take a backseat to Ring and Eller. If you want to throw in relievers / spot starters, than Dolph Luque and Ray Fisher had better earned run averages. Luque's was 0.00 in five innings, while Fisher's was 1.17 in 7 2/3 innings. But among pitchers with at least nine innings, Dickie Kerr, the "third best" pitcher available for the Fall Classic by the Pale Hose, was right up there with any of Cincy's aces.

References

Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.

Fountain, Charles. Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball. OXFORD University Press, 2017. 


Frommer, Harvey. Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball. Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub., 1992. Print.


McGeehan, W O. “White Sox Rally For Ten-Inning Victory Over Reds - Ruether Is Battered Out.” New York Tribute, 8 Oct. 1919, p. 14, https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/79065594/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023. 

Morissey, Scott C. 114 World Series in 1 Book. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020. 

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.

--------------. The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989, St. Martin's Press, 1990.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. 


“Play-by-Play Story of Game.” New-York Tribute, 8 Oct. 1919, p. 14, https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/79065594/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.


Rice, Grantland. “Ruether Batted Out of Box; Sox Win in the 10th.” New-York Tribute, 8 Oct. 1919, pp. 1,14, https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023. 

Ryder, Jack. “Chicago, Outclassed, Loses First Game 9-1.” The Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 1919. (Reprinted in 1919 Cincinnati Reds, Sewell, J. Scott)

----------------“Cicotte Keeps Socks in Series, Trimming Cincinnati 4 to 1.” The Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 Oct. 1919. (Reprinted in 1919 Cincinnati Reds, Sewell, J. Scott)

Sanborn, I E. “Sox Humbled In Fourth Game, 2-0.” Chicago Sunday Tribute, 5 Oct. 1919. (Reprinted in 1919 Cincinnati Reds, Sewell, J. Scott)

Sewell, J. Scott. 1919 Cincinnati Reds. J. Scott Sewell, 2020.


Shoeless Joe Jackson Virtual Hall of Fame, www.blackbetsy.com/shoeless.html. 06 Apr. Mar. 2023.

Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, https://sabr.org/. 06 Apr. Mar. 2023.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 06 Apr. 2023. 

Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. Total Baseball, Creative Multimedia Corp, 1994. CD-Rom edition.

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 06 Apr. 2023.

Common Denominator: Hod Eller

"Threw a no-hitter, nearly had an emaculate inning, fanned six straight batters in one World Series contest."

Cincinnati Reds' pitcher Hod Eller had a very short career, and is seldom remembered today, except when baseball fans talks about the 1919 World Series. Eller twice beat the Chicago White Sox in that Fall Classic, which saw eight members of the beaten team banished for life.

Eller himself had exactly 100 decisions in the regular season (60-40) and was good enough to win 19 of those in the '19 regular season. Eller used the "Shine ball" which meant he applied a foreign substance to the ball. This was forbiddon after the 1920 season. It should be noted, the "Spitball", which meant applying some throat moisturizer to the baseball, was permitted for some pitchers.

Still a teenager in 1913, Hod Eller was a pro baseball pitcher. His first year in organized professional baseball saw him go 15-10 for the Champaign Velvets of the Illinois-Missouri League ("D" level). The 18-year old allowed just 2.49 runs per nine.

The Velvets won the pennant that season, and Eller continued to pitch well in 1914. Eller added another seventeen wins to his name that year with Danville / Moline. The right-handed side-armer had advanced to "B" level with the Plowboys and posted an earned run average of just 2.25. His ERA may have climbed a bit the next season (1915) to 2.39, but so did his win total (19). He was too good for the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. When would major league baseball give him a call?

1916 was a setback for Hod. First, he went to spring training and worked out with the Chicago White Sox. Was Eller finally ready for the bigs. The White Sox didn't think so, and he did not make the team. His year ended on a bad note as, back with Moline, Eller had a disagreement over his contract home August. He left the team and played in the semipros the rest of the campaign.

But as frustrating as 1916 was, 1917 made up for it. Hod had caught the attention of the Cincinnati Reds with his efforts in the semis late in the '16 season. It was their manager, Christy Matthewson, who took notice in Hod Eller and this led to the righty being drafted by the big-league club in September. A contract was signed the next January

It was Eller's misfortune that his soon-to-be prized pitch had a limited shelf line. The American Associating had banned the shiner in 1917 and the big leagues were said to be about to. All Eller did was got 10-5 as a National League rookie with a fine 2.36 earned run average for Cincinnati. Hod proved to be durable, as his 21 complete games topped all hurlers in the Senior Circuit.

From everything I've read, this workload had nothing to do with the fact that Hod, whose given name was actually Horace, was out of organized baseball after the 1924 season. Perhaps, though, Eller ended up relying on his prized pitch too much.

But at this point, Hod was looking like a terrific pitcher. He'd learned the shiner in an August game. Plus, Eller was doing well no matter what Cincinnati asked of him. Relieve? The rookie started the season with sixteen straight appearances out of the Reds' bullpen, finishing thirteen of them. Sure, Hod Eller had some rough outings, but by his sixteenth appearance, his earned run average was very good, (2.97). He'd picked up his first save on June the ninth. And from there, it was time to start. Two days later, Hod went all nine, allowed just four hits, and beat Brooklyn, 3-2. On the nineteen of June, he started both games in a doubleheader vs. Chicago and split 'em.

The relief outings earlier in the season saw him have little impact on the fortunes of Cincinnati, but as a starter, Eller really took off. It was during the game vs. New York on August 21st that he'd not only discovered the shineball, but really wowed 'em. Back in the bullpen, fate came calling Hod's name in the last of the fourth. Starter Mike Regan could go no further than 3 2/3. The inning ended with the Giants up on the Reds 5-4. But from here, Eller had seen his advantage up close. The ball had become dirty. Deciding to do a little experimenting, Hod wiped just one side of the mud off...And kept the stuff on the other side.

The result was a 7-5 Cincinnati Reds' win. But more importantly, was Eller's performance. He went 5 1/3 innings, beat a future teammate in Slim Sallee 7-5, and was awesome in the ninth. The ball was doing some dancing. After giving up a hit to the leadoff batter (And with the tying run at the dish), Hod threw nothing but strikes from there. Three pitches later, Hod had a K. Three more pitches, another. Three more, game over. It had been a brilliant outing. Put in perspective, Regan and Sallee had combined for five strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings pitched. Eller, with his prized pitch doing amazing things, ended the day with six.

Well, Slim Sallee and his New York Giants went on to the World Series, where the Chicago White Sox beat 'em in six games. Did Eller feel like he should have been on Chicago? I'm not sure. But soon, Sallee and Eller would be on Cincinnati and quite a combo.

But not in 1918. Hod Eller would have to wait a year before the excellent Giants' pitcher was a Red. Hod won sixteen games in '18 and kept his earned run average at what it'd been the year before, 2.36. Cincinnati finished the year eight games above .500, but it was the Chicago Cubs that went to the Fall Classic. There, they lost to the Boston Red Sox.

Slim Sallee joined Cincinnati in 1919. Now, the Reds were in business. Sallee led the team with 21 victories and was second on the team in ERA (2.06). Second? Barely, believe it or not. Dutch Reuther topped everyone on the team with an earned run average of just 1.82. Dutch won nineteen games and led the National League in winning percentage, .760. He was pretty much a winner from then on until his 1927 retirement.

Eller won 19 games himself, posting an ERA of just 2.39. It was sort of easy to forget about Hod that year. Or maybe not. May 11th of that season saw him allow not one hit in beating the St. Louis Cardinals with a complete game. The no-no was a huge feather in Hod's cap. It was also the very first no-hitter at Redland Field. But the team seemed loaded with pitchers. Jimmy Ring only 10-9 but his earned run average was just 2.26. Ray Fisher was even better: 14-5 with an ERA of just 2.17!

So, in other words, this team had pitching. The Reds were on their way to the World Series. Opposing them in the 1919 October Classic were the Chicago White Sox. The Sox had some pretty good pitching, too. Ed Cicotte won 29 games. Claude "Lefty" Williams won 23. From there, though, the team had a bit of a handicap. Red Faber was hurt and would miss the entire Fall Classic. I'm not sure he would have pitched much, considering his 11-9 record with a 3.83 earned run average. Dickie Kerr was 13-7 with a 2.88 ERA.

The White Sox hitters were pretty good, too. The best was left fielder Shoeless Joe Jackson, who hit .351 that season. Eddie Collins always hit well in the Fall Classic, and had hit .319. Third basemen Buck Weaver and first basemen Chick Gandil nearly hit .300 themselves, while the forgotten man on the team was Nemo Leibold. But Leibold hit .302. Plus, off the bench were subs Fred McMullin (.294) and Eddie Murphy (.486 in just 27 games).

It was Cincinnati that took game one at home in a laugher, 9-1. The second contest, which was also played at Redland Field, was closer. The home team won it 4-2 despite getting outhit 10-4. At this point, though, it would seem unlikely that Hod Eller was going to get used at all in this World Series.

You see, the visitors had scored not a single run. Better still, game three was on the road, but Dickie Kerr would pitch. The series, it should be notes, was best-of-nine, but a win in the next game would pretty much put it out of reach of the American League team.

Ray Fisher went out and held Chicago to just seven hits and two earned runs over seven innings. Dolph Luque had a 1-2-3 bottom of the eight and fanned one. Kerr was better: A three-hit shutout!

Okay, so Jimmy Ring got a crucial road win in the important game four. He shutout the White Sox on just three hits (By Jackson, Gandil and Oscar "Happy" Felsch). The Reds got only five hits themselves off Eddie Cicotte, but came away with a 2-0 win.

Game five would also be paramount for Cincinnati. A win here, and game six would be back home with a chance to clinch. If not, the seventh contest was also at home.

Well, it was time for Hod Eller to shine. Lefty Williams gave up four hits over eight inning. Erskine Mayer relieved him and did not allow a hit in the ninth. The Reds though, got a run off Erskine, and four more off Lefty earlier. 

But how about Eller?

The White Sox went down 1-2-3 in the second frame. Hod fanned Chick Gandil, Swede Risberg and Ray Schalk in succession. The next inning, Eller would whiff his mound adversary, then Nemo Leibold and Eddie Collins in succession. Six strikeouts in a row. A World Series record (Equaled only twice since).

Hod Eller ended the game with a three-hitter of his own. A shutout. And nine K's. The White Sox, though, sort of shot themselves in the foot with a bad sixth inning. Eller himself got it all going with a leadoff double to the gap that neither Jackson nor Felsch could get to. Happy made a bad throw back to the infield and you had the pitcher ninety feet away from the dish. A single by Morrie Rath gave Hod all the offence he needed. A bunt and a walk put two on with one away. Felsch then couldn't get a clean hold on a deep drive to centre by Edd Roush . He did recover it, and fired home quickly enough that catcher Ray Schalk appeared to have gotten Heinie Groh after Rath had scored. The umpire called both runners safe to make it 3-0 for the home team. Pat Duncan flied to Jackson in left. Roush, who'd been credited with a triple on the previous play, tagged and headed to home. I've read two accounts of the play at the dish. Ray Schalk had been mad at the call on Groh and been ejected. So it was Byrd Lynn, catching for Chicago. Either the ball took a bad hop and / or Lynn didn't handle it right. The run scored in any event to make it a 4-0 game.

With the win, it appeared the Fall Classic was over and Hod Eller could rest for the winter. However, back home for game six, Cincinnati lost a heartbreaker, 5-4 in ten innings (Chicago overcame two errors by shortstop Swede Risberg and another by Happy Felsch that enabled Pat Duncan to make it to third in the bottom of the fifth). The home team been up 4-0 after four. In the next contest, it was Eddie Cicotte, posting a road win for the White Sox, who won 4-1. The Reds had fielded poorly in this contest, making four errors. Slim Sallee, who'd overcome ten hits allowed in game two, gave up nine in only 4 1/3 this time out. He'd struggled against the Chicago White Sox in the Fall Classic two years earlier as a member of the New York Giants, and it continued here. The teams would head back to Chicago for game six at Comisky Park.

So Eller got the ball. And by the time Chicago batted in the last of the first, it was 4-0 Cincinnati. Lefty Williams had retired the leadoff batter in the top of the first, but no one else. Early shower for Williams. The White Sox them put the first two men on. Actually, both Nemo Leibold and Shano Collins were in scoring positing. Hod had to bear down. He fanned Buck Weaver. Joe Jackson flied out behind third. The catch itself was a fine one by shortstop Larry Koft nearly in the stands, but the end result should have been the home team getting on the board.

Nemo Leibold, for reasons that have never been explained, held. This was crucial as it allowed Hod Eller (Who then fanned Happy Felsch on his second K of the frame and eleventh overall in the World Series) to get outta there. The Reds tacked on another run the next frame, only to see the home team appear to have still another rally going. A walk and a single (After catcher Bill Rariden made an error on Ray Schalk's pop-up behind the plate) put two on with one away. Hod Eller had to dig deep again. He got new pitcher Bill James to pop out to third. He then fanned Leibold for his third strikeout on the afternoon.

The home team got on a the board in the next inning as Shoeless Joe Jackson took Hod out of the park. There was no one on so the scored was still 5-1 for Cincy. Still, it seemed like Chicago was doing much better than the fifth contest which they'd been baffled by Eller. They were up to four hits (Plus a walk) in just three innings.

Hod took one for the team as he was hit by a Bill James pitch in the top of the fourth. He did not score and Cincinnati put a "0" on the scoreboard for the second straight frame. Hod continued to rack up the K's, getting his fourth in the bottom of the frame (A 1-2-3 one at that!) by fanning Swede Risberg.

And, offence was on the way. Cincinnati scored a run in the fifth to regain their five-run lead. With two away, Larry Koft tripled. Greasy Neale followed with a  single.

Better still for Hod Eller, he was settlin' down as he retired Chicago in order in the last of the fifth. His mound opponent, Bill James, fanned.

Hod's leadoff single in the top of the sixth eventually led to three more runs. Now, the contest looked not only over, but like a repeat of game one. The 9-1 lead would widen, however. The White Sox got their fifth hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth as Buck Weaver singled to start it. But Shoeless Joe flied to centre. So did Happy Felsch. The inning ended as Chick Gandil also flied out, but to right.

The bottom of the inning was uneventful as Eller was pitching well. Through seven, he was working a fine five-hitter and up to six strikeouts. Fifteen K's in all in only sixteen frames.

And his team reached double figures in the top of the eighth as his battery mate Bill Rairden singled home a tenth Cincinnati run. The game was really looking over. But Hod started to falter in his part of that inning.

It started innocently enough. Nemo Leibold was retired, but it was a long fly to right that Greasy Neal caught. Eddie Collins singled, his second hit of the game. Buck Weaver doubled. So did Shoeless Joe Jackson. Jackson's double made it 10-3, but Cincinnati was still in control. However, the White Sox now were up to eight hits in just 7 1/3 innings of Eller. Had the game been played today, there would be no way Hod would still be pitching. Still, it looked like that'd be all Chicago would get.

Happy Felsch was retired on a pop-up to first basemen Jake Daubert. Now, the Reds' pitcher seemed to be home-free. Chick Gandil was next. He'd gotten his share of RBIs in the series (Four at this point), but they'd sort of been not legit. He'd singled home the only Chicago tally of game one. Did that matter? It tied the score early, but it was Cincinnati that scored eight runs. Gandil's two runs knocked home in game three should not have happened. A sac bunt attempt by Happy Felsch had been poorly fielded by Ray Fisher, who'd tried to nail Shoeless Joe at second for a force. Instead, the ball went into centre field. Both runners advanced into scoring position. Gandil scored them both with a single. Chick had also gotten an RBI in game six on a bouncer that made it through to centre, only because the infield wasn't playing back.

So here Gandil was, without a single extra-base hit and four runs driven home. This was also his last major league game. In what turned out to be his last big-league plate appearance, he lofted one to centre. The sun blinded right fielder Greasy Neal. So Chick ended up on third with an RBI triple. The White Sox added another, and again it should not have scored. Swede Risberg got under it and sent it to centre, where Edd Roush couldn't come up with it. The error allowed Gandil to score. The home team had four runs in an inning where they should have had only two. The good news for Eller and the Reds was it was still 10-5 for them. But the Cincinnati pitched had now allowed nine runs in just 7 2/3 innings. The inning finally ended as Ray Schalk grounded out to second.

The Reds tried to get a run or two back in the top of the ninth. Morrie Rath singled off Roy Wilkinson, the third White Sox pitcher of game eight. But Roy got Jake Daubert out on a sac bunt. Heinie Groh flied out to Felsch in centre. Edd Roush grounded out to Buck Weaver at third.

Eller needed just three more outs to open the champagne. But his stuff hadn't been his stuff from innings four to seven. It was more like innings one to three plus eight. He actually hit pinch hitter Eddie Murphy, who was batting for Roy Wilkinson to start the bottom of the ninth. Nemo Leibold gave it a ride to centre, but that's where Edd Roush redeemed himself from last inning with a dive...And a catch!

But Eddie Collins then collected his third hit to push Chicago's total to ten. Buck Weaver hit it well to right. Neale made the catch this time, but the ball was hit deep enough to get Murphy to third. With Jackson back up (2-4, 2 runs scored and 3 more driven in), Collins decided to make it easier for him by stealing second. Two more runners in scoring position for Shoeless Joe. However, Eller finally ended this game by getting Jackson to ground out to second basemen Morrie Rath.

Hod Eller ended up topping every hurler with fifteen strikeouts in the 1919 World Series. He joined White Sox Dickie Kerr with a 2-0 record. His earned run average was just 2.00, but that was third on the Reds to Jimmy Ring's incredible 0.64, and Slim Sallee's excellent 1.35. However, judging from Sallee's performance in this and the 1917 Fall Classic vs. Chicago, I'm sure the White Sox would much rather have faced him than Hod Eller. Another pitcher with a better ERA than Eller was Kerr, 1.42.

All this, plus Hod's 19 regular season wins seemed to bode well for a long career by the Cincinnati. Although only 24 years old, Eller was 45-26 with a 2.37 earned run average in just three not-quite full major league seasons. He'd started off real well.

But Hod's 1920 season was a bit of a disappointment. Sure, he'd thirteen. Sure'd Eller posted a 2.95 earned run average. But the the powers to be had banned use of the shineball prior to the star of the season. So this effected his performance. The kid from Muncie was a win one, lose one pitcher that in '20 as he was beaten a dozen times against those thirteen wins. His ERA had risen, as you can see. Plus, he went from seven shutouts in 1919 to just one the next year.

And things didn't get any better come 1921. Hod Eller was out of shape. Not long after the season got underway, Cincinnati suspended their once-great pitcher for that. Eller's season with Cincinnati didn't start until May 30th, and it wasn't good. The St. Louis Cardinals touched him up for three earned runs in only 3 1/3 innings of a relief stint. Sure, he'd start some games (Not until late June), but things just weren't the same for Hod without the shiner.

In winning back-to-back starts in July, our boy was hit hard. And with that, Eller was back where it had begun this season, or just like it had begun back in 1917 with the Reds: Bullpen duty!

And there, Hod actually pitched well. The problem was, just like in '17, he was basically used for mopping up after the starter had been knocked out. It must have been frustrating for Eller, as he did an admirable job of keeping Cincy in games. From August 21st to his sole appearance in September (On the 15th), Hod Eller pitched 7 2/3 innings of stellar relief. His earned run average during this span was 0.00 (Two unearned runs allowed, however). The opposition hit .148 against him. There appeared to be hope that his career could be saved.

Furthermore, Hod Eller was only 26, and had upped his career win total to sixty, against just forty losses. But Hod's September 15th appearance for the Reds was his last in the majors. That December, Cincinnati traded him to the Pacific Coast League's Oakland Oaks ("AA" level).

Just like in 1921, Hod's earned run average was not good (It had been 4.98 with Cincinnati, and now 4.67 with Oakland). And with a 6-10 record, there'd be no return to the bigs. Instead, Hod found himself for sale to the Mobile Bears. So now, three years after being a World Series star, Hod Eller was stuck in the Southern Association.

It was with Mobile that his form did not improve. So, four games later, the Bears released him. Hod then got a dream job. He signed on with Mount Sterling. Not only would he be pitching, but Hod would be calling the shots. He was also the team's manager. The former Red went 3-2, allowing just 2.57 runs per nine in thirteen appearances with his new team of the Blue Grass League ("D" level). For some reason, no one appeared to take any interest in Eller at this point for a potential return to the majors. He was still only 28.

Eller carried on the player-manager role with the Mount Sterling Essex for two more seasons. In 1924, he was a bit of a hard-luck (That symbolized his career, right?) pitcher. Although only 3-6, his earned run average was 3.33 in 31 appearances with . Again, Hod Eller still had it. Now in his 30s, the former Cincinnati Red was ready for a career change. Being in charge from the dugout was one thing, being in charge of the law, was another.

So Hod retired from baseball. But when one door closed, another opened. Eller became a police officer that November. Fitting since he hadn't exactly been happy with the rule changes on his great pitch, but now would be enforcing fair rules out there. Twenty-two years later, Eller was ready for more challenges. In his his mid-fifties, the former Cincy righty became a security guard and truck driver. It seemed like he could make a smooth transition from one job to the next. Alas, in 1961 (The year the Cincinnati Reds lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series), he passed away from cancer, aged 67 years.


References

Anderson, Dave. Pennant Races: Baseball at It's Best. Doubleday, 1994. 

Cook, William A. The 1919 World Series: What Really Happened? McFarland, 2001. (Kindle edition)

Enders, Eric. 100 Years of the World Series: 1903-2004. Sterling Publishing c/o Canadian Manda Group, 2005. 

Foutain, Charles. Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball. OXFORD University Press, 2017.

Freedman, Lew. Knuckleball: The History of the Unhittable Pitch. Sports Publishing, 2015. 

Frommer, Harvey. Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball. Taylor Publishing Company, 1992. 

Gropman, Donald. Say It Ain't So, Joe! Canadian Manda Group, 1992. 

Halfon, Mark S. Tales From the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History. Potomac Books, 2014.

Hornbaker, Tim. Fall From Grace: The Truth and Tragedy of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson. Sports Publishing, 2016. 

Kepner, Tyler. K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches. Anchor Books, 2020.

Mallon, Douglas. The World Series. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018. 

Morissey, Scott. 114 World Series in 1 Book. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020. 

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball. 12th ed., St. Martin's Press, 1992. 

--- The World Series: Complete Play-by-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 5th ed., St. Martin's Press, 1990. 

Nemec, David, et al. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-Year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's ed., Publications International, Ltd., 1993.

Rice, Steven V. “Hod Eller.” Society for American Baseball Research, Society for American Baseball Research, 5 Sept. 2014, sabr.org/bioproj/person/hod-eller/. 25 Jan. 2021.

Society for American Baseball Research, Society for American Baseball Research, sabr.org. 25 Jan. 2021.

Shoeless Joe Jackson Virtual Hall of Fame, www.blackbetsy.com/shoeless.html. 25 Jan. 2021.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com. 25 Jan. 2021.

Steinberg, Steve. “Baseball History (Article Reproduced From THE LITERARY DIGEST, September 18, 1920).” SteveSteinberg.net, Steve Steinberg, www.stevesteinberg.net/baseball_history/ the_spitball/ articles_on_the_spitter/HodEller.asp. 25 Jan. 2021.

World Series: Did You Know?

Pitchers Dutch Ruether and Hod Eller had quite a Fall Classic at the dish in 1919. And it wasn't just because the White Sox weren't trying. Ruether hit .667 and Eller hit .286. The had to earn most of their hits.

Ruether got Cincinnati off on the right foot in the opening tilt. Before, no doubt, an approving audience at Redland Field, he won 9-1 over Chicago, holding the mighty Sox to just six hits and one (unearned) run. The great Shoeless Joe Jackson had no hits. The Red pitcher had three in three at bats.

In the bottom of the fourth, it was 2-1 Cincinnati, when Dutch hit a two-run triple. Breathing room! And then Ruether scored the fifth Red tally moments later. Old Dutch wasn't through. He added a single in the bottom of the sixth and another triple in the last of the eighth. The ninth and final Cincy run as a result.

Hod Eller got his chance in game five in Chicago. But he didn't look like he or any of his teammates could do much with Claude, "Lefty" Williams. Yes, Williams was in on the fix, but he'd given Cincinnati all of four hits over eight innings in game two, which Lefty loss 4-2. Here, he'd give the Reds just four more hits over eight innings, again.

Eller could only pop out in the top of the third. Williams retired the side in order for the second straight inning, making it look easy. Eller was doing a bit of that himself: He fanned six batters in a row over the course of the third and fourth frames!

Then in the top of the sixth, with the crucial contest still scoreless, Eller delivered. He doubled to leadoff the inning. When he trotted around to score on a single, Hod had all the offence he needed. The Reds scored three more times of Williams that inning, although Ray Schalk behind the White Sox play didn't think one of them beat a throw from the outfield. He got ejected as a result. The next batter, Pat Duncan, hit a sacrifice to Shoeless Joe in left. That was the last run Williams would allow.

Eller batted again in the top of the seventh, and Williams fanned him. 1-2-3 went the Reds that inning and the next. While the Reds scored a fifth run off reliever Erskine Mayer, it was Eller who finished with a shutout!

So back home for game six (This series was best-of-nine), it looked all over. Dutch Ruether was back. He hit a double to left in the fourth to score the third Red run of the game. 3-0, to be exact. Ruether then scored the fourth run when Swede Risberg, the shortstop, made an error. Deliberate? I guess so.

But down 4-0, the White Sox rallied. Can you believe they knocked Dutch out of the game? Yep. Chicago came back to win in extras. But game seven was also at home, and Dutch actually became a part of it.

However, once again Chicago won, sending it back to the Windy City. Actually, it was all Chicago in this game. 4-1 was the final score. Ruether came in with the hot bat to hit for pitcher Ray Fisher. Ray had relieved Slim Sallee. Slim had been routed by the White Sox.

It was 4-0 when Ruether got to the dish in the bottom of the fifth. Two on, one down. All Dutch could do was pop to Weaver in foul territory at third. Weaver then grabbed Morrie Rath's grounder to end that threat.

So it was up to Hod Eller to finish off the White Sox. This time, they nailed Williams for four runs in the top of the first, as the visitors went for the quick kill. Eller ended the onslaught by flying out. Joe Jackson hit a home run off him in the bottom of the third, but the Reds made sure to score another run before Shoeless could do that. So it was 5-1. Would Eller do more?

He was hit by a pitch in the fourth, but stranded despite two singles by Cincinnati. Eller settled down after the Jackson home run and got the side out 1-2-3 in the fourth and fifth. And Hod got 'em going against the Sox bullpen with a single to start the top of the sixth. Not only did Eller score, but it was the Reds who tacked on three more. 9-1. Just like the final score in game one.

Eller fanned in the top of the seventh, although the Reds continued to get men on. The White Sox didn't that inning. They went down 1-2-3. Eller made the final out of the eighth, but the Reds were making this one a real rout as they scored again.

But Eller faltered himself in the bottom of the frame. A singled by Eddie Collins was followed by doubles by Weaver and Jackson. Okay, 10-3. What's the big deal. Then, some sloppy fielding by the Reds, which consisted of a misjudged fly and a dropped gimmie catch. Two more runs scored. 10-5. Amazingly enough, the carnage was caused by four fixers (Although Oscar Felsch was retired for the second out). Ray Schalk finally made the last out.

Hod didn't get to the dish in the top of the ninth. Rath started it with the sixteenth and final Cincinnati hit. He made it to second on a bunt, but no further. Eller needed just three more outs. The White Sox got two men on themselves before Weaver and Jackson were retired to end it.

The White Sox weren't giving it their all in some of the games. But the Reds certainly did their share of damage to earn some of their offence. Everyone has to get in on the act in the Fall Classic. The Cincinnati Reds had two pitchers who didn't shy away on the hill or at the dish.


References


Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. 91. Print.

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. 76-81 Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 6 May 2016.

World Series: Did You Know?

Three pitchers have struck out six batters in a row. Many years apart.

The first such occurrence was by Hod Eller in the infamous 1919 World Series. Pitching for the Cincinnati Reds in game five of this tainted Fall Classic, it was more Eller's pitching then Chicago's bad play that made the difference. In the bottom of the second inning of a scoreless tie, Eller fanned Chick Gandil, a proven fixer. Swede Risberg, another fixer, followed that by going down on strikes. The inning ended with Ray Schalk striking out. Schalk was not part of the fix. In the sequence of six K's, though, he was one of two Hall Of Famers!

Eller's mound opponent was in on the fix, but pitching well in this game. Lefty Williams had a K of his own in the top of the frame as part of a 1-2-3 inning (The whole inning was, of course). In the top of the third, he did it again, with Eller himself making the second out. But Lefty got no strikeouts.

Eller sure did in the bottom of the inning. He fanned Williams to start, then added Nemo Leibold. Eddie Collins, another Hall Of Famer, went down on strikes to end another 1-2-3 inning of all strikeouts.

Williams' teammates made an error behind him, preventing him from a 1-2-3 fourth. He got out of that inning without any of baserunner reaching. Eller, then made two plays on grounders from Buck Weaver and Shoeless Joe Jacksons. His throws to first made the two outs. Then he fanned Happy Felsch for another 1-2-3 innings. Cincy went on to win the game, 5-0.

When the Los Angeles Dodgers loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning against Baltimore's Dave McNally in game one of 1966, it ended his day. Moe Drabowsky came in, and soon issued the fourth walk of the inning, scoring a run to cut Baltimore's lead to 4-2. The Dodgers had no way of knowing it then, but they would not touch home again.

The bottom of the fourth saw some reality set in for Los Angeles. The Orioles relief ace was not about to make things easy for the Dodgers. Jim Barbieri, batting for Joe Moeller (Who'd relieved a battered Don Drysdale earlier), fanned. As to, did Maury Wills and Willie Davis. The gave Moe four strikeouts in just 1 2/3 innings.

Drabowsky fanned Lou Johnson, Tommy Davis and Jim Lefebvre in the bottom of the fifth to make it six straight.

Drawbosky finished the game with a masterful performance. The Dodger managed just one hit and two walks of him in 6 2/3 innings pitched. The K's continued all game long, and when it was over, he'd fanned 11. The Orioles went on to sweep the Dodgers.

The 1985 St. Louis Cardinals looked ready to beat the Kansas City Royals in game five at home. However, it was Kansas ahead 4-1 in the top of the sixth as Todd Worrell came in to pitch. He got Buddy Biancalana out on strikes. Danny Jackson, the pitcher for the Royals, also fanned. As did Lonnie Smith for the third out. All swung and missed at strike three.

The next inning saw Willie Wilson miss on a 1-2 pitch. George Brett fouled off a 2-2 pitch. But the next pitch, he swung and missed. Frank White lasted just three pitches, as he swung and missed with two strikes.

Jackson got two K's of his own as the Cardinals batted in the bottom of the seventh. Then, Brian Harper batted for Worrell. Getting into the 1-2-3 on strikeouts act, Jackson got his third straight. Jeff Lahti came in to pitch the top of the eighth for St. Louis. KC scored a run before he ending the uprising with a K of his own. Jackson went on to win the game 6-1 for Kansas, and got his final punch out in the bottom of the inning as he fanned Willie McGee.


References


Brenner, Richard J. The World Series: The Great Contests. East End Publishing, 1989. Print.

Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Frommer, Harvey. Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball. Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub., 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print.

Nemec, David, and Scott Flatow. Great Baseball Feats, Facts & Firsts. Toronto: Signet (Penguin Group), 2010. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Retrosheet. Web. 4 Jul 2015. <www.retrosheet.org>.

Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 4 Jul. 2015.

World Series: Did You Know?

The Chicago White Sox were blanked twice in the 1919 World Series, just like they had been two years earlier. But their efforts here were not up to par with 1917.

With 8 suspected fixers, two of them pitchers, Chicago was at at disadvantage. Trailing 2 games to 1 to the Cincinnati Reds, The Chicago bats went into quit mode.

Game four matched Eddie Cicotte (one of the 8 suspected or proven fixers) against Cincinnati Reds' pitcher Jimmy Ring. Ironically, Cicotte, who was routed from the mound in the opener pitched well. But as you will see, he lost the game for the White Sox. Intentionally. Oh, some of his teammates chipped in to. With their, lack of efforts!

Cicotte started the game looking like someone who was willing to do any and all things to win. He ended up retiring the first 9 batters he faced. Ring got through the first inning 1-2-3, but then came the second. It appeared as if Chicago was going to tie the 1919 Fall Classic and maybe even deny Jimmy Ring a World Series ring.

Shoeless Joe Jackson lashed a tremendous double to lead off the White Sox's bottom of the second. Happy Felsch then got Joe to third with a sacrifice bunt. But Chick Gandil popped out. Jackson was still on third, but there was now two outs in this scoreless deadlock!

Swede Risberg walked, however, to keep the inning alive. Then he stole second. When Ray Schalk also walked, the bases were loaded. Up came Cicotte. Ed grounded out to second. It would prove to be Chicago's best chance to win the game.

Cicotte then got through the third, giving up just one hit. Ring had an inning where the Sox got no hits, but did make some noise. With one out, Jimmy hit Eddie Collins. After Buck Weaver's groundball moved Collins to second, Jackson reached on an error. Felsch grounded out.

Cicotte had his third 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fourth. This sure didn't look like someone who was trying to lose. Ring though, also got 'em in order in the bottom of the frame.

And then in the top of the 5th, the wheels came off the White Sox chariot. Cicotte got the leadoff man Edd Roush out, but then Pat Duncan made it all the way to second on what was probably an intentional throwing error by Cicotte. Eddie then upped the ante!

Larry Koft singled to left. Joe Jackson got to the ball and fired a perfect throw home. Gandil would later say he told Cicotte to misplay the throw. Eddie did just that. Not only did Duncan score, but Koft was now on second. It was 1-0 for the Reds. When Greasy Neal hit a double to left, it scored Koft. 2-0, Cincy!

The next two batters grounded out, so there was no further damage. But Cicotte's two errors would prove costly.

With one out in the bottom of the frame, it was time for Cincinatti's second error of the game. But there was not two in one inning. With one out, Morrie Rath, the Reds' second basemen, did about what Cicotte did in the top of the frame. Roth threw wild to first on Nemo Leibold's grounder. The result was the same, man on second with only one out. But Collins hit into a fielder's choice and Buck Weaver grounded out.

It was Cicotte that got all three batters he faced in the top of the 6th to ground out to third, second and short. Ring though, was in fine tune in the bottom of the inning, as only Gandil managed to reach first. And it was a harmless single.

Cicotte did it again in the top of the 7th. All three men again grounded out. Jimmy hit Ray Schalk to start the bottom of the frame. Once again, he settled down and retired the other three batters. Once again, the baserunner was stranded at first.

Cincy looked liked they might get more in the top of the 8th, but with a man on and one out, it was Ring that grounded back to Eddie. Cicotte must have been trying, as Chicago did turn two to get out of there.

Amazingly enough, all four batters in the bottom of the frame were suspected or proven fixers. Weaver popped out, Jackson fanned. Felsch singled for the White Sox's third and last hit. Gandil made sure Chicago stayed off the scoreboard as he struck out.

Cicotte again got 'em 1-2-3 in the top of the 9th to finish with a 5-hitter. Despite his dishonesty, he actually gave the Sox a pretty good chance to win the game by allowing only two runs over 9. Ring walked Schalk again, but again that was the only baserunner. Cincinnati took a 3 games to 1 lead in the 1919 World Series with a 2-0 win.

Game four was also in Chicago. But it was Lefty Williams, a proven fixer starting. But for a while, it looked like he and Chicago were going for the win.

Williams walked the leadoff man in the top of the first, and a sac bunt put him in scoring position. But Williams got the next two men. In the top of the second, Williams went into Walter Johnson mode as he had a 1-2-3 inning. 2 K's and a popup to the catcher.

Hod Eller, Cincinatti's starter looked shakey. He got out of the first inning, but not before Chicago got runners on the corners with only one out. In the second, Hod looked like Johnson, too. He fanned all three batters!

For the second straight inning, the Reds failed to get the ball out of the infield against Williams in the top of the third. Williams had another 1-2-3 inning. But Hod Eller was amazing at this point. Can you believe he got the White Sox 1-2-3, and all on strikeouts for the second straight inning. Now, he was like Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax. Or maybe Roger Clemens or Randy Johnson!

Swede Risberg made an error in the top of the 4th, and then a stolen base followed. But Lefty had retired the first two batters on flyballs. The fourth batter of the inning was also retired on a fly. Williams, the dishonest White Sox, was working on a no-hitter through four. The error by Risberg was probably intentional. But the game was still scoreless.

The White Sox did a little better in the bottom of the frame. Weaver and Jackson (who probably were the only two suspected fixers who actually tried in the eight games) both were retired on comebackers. Eller then fanned Felsch. Hod was hot with a 1-hitter and 7 K's through 4!

Larry Koft finally got the first hit off Williams to lead off the top of the 5th. But then he was forced at second by Greasy Neale then tried to steal second but Ray Schalk, the catcher, nailed him. Williams then got Bill Rariden to fly out.

Schalk then stoked the White Sox second hit of the game with two outs in the bottom of the inning. Williams then became Eller's 8th strikeout of the game.

The Cincinnati Reds then blew the game wide open in the top of the sixth. Eller, who was doing it all, doubled to get things started. Felsch, playing center next to Jackson, made an error (again, probably intentionally) on the throe to second. Eller took third. When Morrie Rath followed with a single to right, Cincy had drawn first blood. Rath then made it to second on a sac bunt. Williams then walked Heinie Groh to put runners on first and second and only one out. The White Sox needed a double play here. It never came. Edd Roush lashed a triple to center and two more runs scored. 3-0, Reds. Duncan flied out to Jackson in left for the second out, but Edd tagged and scored the fourth run of the inning. Koft hit a fly to Felsch to end the inning.

The bottom of the inning was another 1-2-3 inning for Eller. Williams hardly looked like a pitcher who had just had a rough inning in the top of the 7th, however. He had another 1-2-3 inning of his own. He even got his third strikeout of the game when his mound adversary whiffed.

The White Sox could do nothing in their half of the frame. Jackson grounded out. Felsch popped up to the catcher. Gandil flied to center.

Williams started the 8th by getting Rath to fly to Jackson in right. Daubert and Groh both flied out to Felsch. Williams had tossed 8 innings and given up just 4 hits. But it was not enough. Even without his best efforts, he had given the Sox a great chance to win.

When the first two Chicago batters were retired in the bottom of the 8th, Williams was replaced by pinch hitter Eddie Murphy (not to be confused with this blogger's favourite comedian actor). Murphy didn't get a laugh out of any Chicago fan when he ended the inning by fanning. Hod Eller had 9 strikeouts through 8 innings.

Erskine Mayer came in to pitch for Chicago in the top of the 9th. But he failed to stop the Reds. It was not exactly all his own undoing, however. Edd Roush sent a grounder to second. Eddie Collins (not one of the fixers) did something many of the dishonest White Sox would do: make an error at a key moment!

A walk to Pat Duncan put runners on first and second with nobody out. Koft hit a sac bunt. Greasy Neale grounded out, but it scored Roush to make it 5-0 Cincinatti. Billy Rariden ended the inning by hitting a grounder to Collins, who fielded this one without any problem and tossed to first for out number three.

Leibold and Collins were retired on grounders to start the night. Chicago just was not getting the bat on the ball the right way this day. Either that, or they were missing entirely. Just when things looked hopeless, however, Buck Weaver hit a tremendous triple to the gap in right-center. Shoeless Joe was next. He sent a ground ball to Larry Koft, who fired to first. It got Jackson out. The White Sox had been blanked for the second straight game.

But the efforts of their hitters could at this point hardly go unnoticed. Even some of the players not involved were in a bad slump. Leibold had yet to get a hit, Collins was at .111. Of the honest Sox, only Schalk was hitting well, .308. Dickey Kerr, who won game three for Chicago, had been 0 for 3 at the plate.

The White Sox players allegedly involved, Jackson and Weaver were hitting .316 and .300, respectively. Gandil, involved for sure, was at .278 after five games. But even that was not enough to stop the embarrassment of being shutout back-to-back!


References


“The Faith Of Fifty Million People.” Burns, Ken, director. Baseball: A Film By Ken Burns, season 1, episode 3, PBS, 20 Sept. 1994. Television.

Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Frommer, Harvey. Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball. Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub., 1992. Print.

Gropman, Donald. Say It Ain't So, Joe!: The True Story Of Shoeless Joe Jackson. Revised ed. Secaucus, NJ: Carol Pub. Group, 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Sports Reference LLC.  Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 12 May. 2014.