Charles Comisky, not one the nicest owners ever, saw the ballpark named after him have at least one Fall Classic game from 1917 to 1919. The Chicago Cubs made it in 1918, but Comisky Park got some action as the Boston Red Sox traveled to the Windy City.
It all started in 1917 as the White Sox, playing to win it seemed, faced the New York Giants. They'd been no-hit in back-to-back games earlier in the season. Here, in the World Series, they'd be shutout in back-to-back games. And it wouldn't be the last time this edition had that happen to them.
But Chicago opened with a strong 2-1 win at home. Eddie Cicotte and Slim Sallee engaged in a pitching duel. The second game was all Chicago, as they departed to New York up 2-0. The final score was 7-2 in the second contest.
But in New York, the Giants regrouped and stopped Shoeless Joe and his teammates cold. Game three was 2-0 behind Rube Benton. Game four was a rout. New York won 5-0. This time, it was Ferdie Schupp doing the shutout honours for the Giants.
But back home Chicago regained it's form. They won game five, a slugfest, 8-5. Red Faber then pitched the White Sox to glory with a Series-clinching 4-2 win at the Polo Grounds in game six.
It was the other Sox, Red Sox, who represented the American League in the 1918 Fall Classic. And they had some chap named Babe Ruth. The Chicago Cubs were past their Tinkers-Evers-Chance days and were the underdogs. They even had Fred Merkle at first. The irony!
So the 1918 started at Comisky, and The Babe was amazing. A fine six-hit shutout made him and the Red Sox 1-0 winners over Hippo Vaughn and the Cubs. But it was Lefty Tyler that not only evened things up in the second contest, but the pitcher drove in two runs himself. The entire Boston club scored only one run. Chicago, 3-1 winners, had one more game at home, before they were off to Fenway.
But they lost it 2-1, as Carl Mays emerged from another pitchers' duel with Vaughn. Now, Chicago needed some magic in Boston. There, they lost 3-2, as Ruth won 3-2. The Babe, batting in the sixth spot as a pitcher, added two RBIs to his magnificent day. He could do it all.
Well, Chicago won game five in shutout fashion. Vaughn threw a five-hit shutout. Boston, however, won game six, a contest that saw Ruth come in as a defensive replacement. The Red Sox had to wait 84 more years to win it all again.
But in 1919, Chicago was back. This time it was the White Sox opposing the Cincinnati Reds. They'd have to wait until game three to play at home. The Reds won game one, 9-1. Game two saw Chicago outhit Cincinnati 10-4, yet somehow lose 4-2. The Reds committed three errors to the Sox's one.
Dickey Kerr won game three in shutout fashion at home as Chicago avoiding falling behind 3-0. That was actually the score in the contest as Kerr pitched the shutout. Joe Jackson led the way with two hits, but failed to collect an RBI. Chick Gandil had two. The National Leaguers collected only three hits.
But the Reds held the White Sox to just three hits and no runs in a shutout of their own in the next contest. The White Sox had a glorious opportunity to break the game wide open as Jackson hit a double to start the bottom of the third. A sac got him to third. Two more walks an Chicago had the bases loaded with two outs. Alas, Eddie Cicotte could only ground out. The White Sox got two more men on the next inning, but again they could not score.
Cicotte then screwed up in the top of the fifth. He was matching zeros on the scoreboard with Jimmy Ring of Cincy. But two errors by Cicotte led to two unearned runs. The 2-0 win put the Reds up 3-1 in the 1919 Fall Classic. However, since it was best-of-nine, Cincinnati needed two more wins.
They got their fourth triumph as Hod Eller beat Lefty Williams 5-0 in game five (Despite Williams' the game two loser, allowing just four hits). So Cincinnati headed home.
They gave it their all in the sixth contest, even building up a quick 4-0 lead on Kerr. There would be no magic from the lefty in this game. However, he settled down and then his teammates woke up with a vengeance.
Eddie Collins hit a sac fly to score Swede Risberg in the top of the fifth. More offence might have occurred had Kerr not committed as base running blunder that led to the end of the inning.
But the comeback continued the next inning. Having scored to twice to close to within a run of the Reds, Jimmy Ring came in to put out the fire. But Ray Schalk tied the game with a single. The game went into extras and Chicago pulled it out for their gutsy pitcher, who won despite surrendering eleven hits in ten innings.
Chicago then had Cincinnati from the get-go of game seven. Cicotte didn't make any mistakes this time around. The only mistake he made was allowing the Reds to score in the bottom of the sixth. But by then it was 4-1, Chicago. Amazingly, enough, Cincinnati got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. However, they did not score. With the 4-1 win. Chic,go was heading back home. Down just 4-3. Games eight would be back at home.
The Reds, seeking to end the game before it began, rushed out at Williams and build up a quick 4-0 lead in their first time up. The White Sox got two runners into scoring position in the bottom of the frame. But Hod Eller retired Joe Jackson and Happy Felsch (Felsch fanning) to end that. The Reds added another run in the top of the second.
Chicago got another two runners on with only one out. But for some reason, no one pinch hit for new pitcher Bill James. Eller retired both James and Nemo Leibold to end the inning without a score.
The White Sox finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third as Jackson hit a home run. Eller was undaunted by that setback. He got the other three batters that came to the dish that inning out, then followed up with a pair of 1-2-3 innings.
Cincinnati turned the game into a laugher with a run in the top of the fifth, then three more the next inning. Eller allowed just one hit in the bottom of the frame and had another 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. The Reds, having everything go their way, tacked on still another run in the top of the eighth to make it double digits. 10-1.
But Chicago then woke up. With one out, Collins singled. Doubles by Buck Weaver and Joe Jackson scored two runs. With two outs, Jackson scored on a triple by Chick Gandil, which outfielder Greasy Neale couldn't track in the sunny sky in right. Swede Risberg appeared to be an easy out as he hit one to Edd Roush in centre. But Roush made and error and Gandil scored. It was 10-5. Finally, Eller got out of that by getting Ray Schalk to ground out to second.
The Reds did not score in the top of the ninth. The White Sox kept coming at Eller in the bottom of the frame. Pinch hitter Eddie Murphy (No relation to the actor), was hit by Eller to start it. With one out, Eddie Collins singled Murphy to second. Buck Weaver flew out, but that got Murphy to third. There were two outs and runners on the corners for Shoeless Joe. Collins then stole second. Eller got Jackson to ground out, ending the 1919 Fall Classic.
References
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. 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.
Reidenbaugh, Lowell, Amadee, and Craig Carter. The Sporting News Take Me Out To The Ball Park. 4th ed. St. Louis, MO: Sporting News Pub., 1986. 70. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
It all started in 1917 as the White Sox, playing to win it seemed, faced the New York Giants. They'd been no-hit in back-to-back games earlier in the season. Here, in the World Series, they'd be shutout in back-to-back games. And it wouldn't be the last time this edition had that happen to them.
But Chicago opened with a strong 2-1 win at home. Eddie Cicotte and Slim Sallee engaged in a pitching duel. The second game was all Chicago, as they departed to New York up 2-0. The final score was 7-2 in the second contest.
But in New York, the Giants regrouped and stopped Shoeless Joe and his teammates cold. Game three was 2-0 behind Rube Benton. Game four was a rout. New York won 5-0. This time, it was Ferdie Schupp doing the shutout honours for the Giants.
But back home Chicago regained it's form. They won game five, a slugfest, 8-5. Red Faber then pitched the White Sox to glory with a Series-clinching 4-2 win at the Polo Grounds in game six.
It was the other Sox, Red Sox, who represented the American League in the 1918 Fall Classic. And they had some chap named Babe Ruth. The Chicago Cubs were past their Tinkers-Evers-Chance days and were the underdogs. They even had Fred Merkle at first. The irony!
So the 1918 started at Comisky, and The Babe was amazing. A fine six-hit shutout made him and the Red Sox 1-0 winners over Hippo Vaughn and the Cubs. But it was Lefty Tyler that not only evened things up in the second contest, but the pitcher drove in two runs himself. The entire Boston club scored only one run. Chicago, 3-1 winners, had one more game at home, before they were off to Fenway.
But they lost it 2-1, as Carl Mays emerged from another pitchers' duel with Vaughn. Now, Chicago needed some magic in Boston. There, they lost 3-2, as Ruth won 3-2. The Babe, batting in the sixth spot as a pitcher, added two RBIs to his magnificent day. He could do it all.
Well, Chicago won game five in shutout fashion. Vaughn threw a five-hit shutout. Boston, however, won game six, a contest that saw Ruth come in as a defensive replacement. The Red Sox had to wait 84 more years to win it all again.
But in 1919, Chicago was back. This time it was the White Sox opposing the Cincinnati Reds. They'd have to wait until game three to play at home. The Reds won game one, 9-1. Game two saw Chicago outhit Cincinnati 10-4, yet somehow lose 4-2. The Reds committed three errors to the Sox's one.
Dickey Kerr won game three in shutout fashion at home as Chicago avoiding falling behind 3-0. That was actually the score in the contest as Kerr pitched the shutout. Joe Jackson led the way with two hits, but failed to collect an RBI. Chick Gandil had two. The National Leaguers collected only three hits.
But the Reds held the White Sox to just three hits and no runs in a shutout of their own in the next contest. The White Sox had a glorious opportunity to break the game wide open as Jackson hit a double to start the bottom of the third. A sac got him to third. Two more walks an Chicago had the bases loaded with two outs. Alas, Eddie Cicotte could only ground out. The White Sox got two more men on the next inning, but again they could not score.
Cicotte then screwed up in the top of the fifth. He was matching zeros on the scoreboard with Jimmy Ring of Cincy. But two errors by Cicotte led to two unearned runs. The 2-0 win put the Reds up 3-1 in the 1919 Fall Classic. However, since it was best-of-nine, Cincinnati needed two more wins.
They got their fourth triumph as Hod Eller beat Lefty Williams 5-0 in game five (Despite Williams' the game two loser, allowing just four hits). So Cincinnati headed home.
They gave it their all in the sixth contest, even building up a quick 4-0 lead on Kerr. There would be no magic from the lefty in this game. However, he settled down and then his teammates woke up with a vengeance.
Eddie Collins hit a sac fly to score Swede Risberg in the top of the fifth. More offence might have occurred had Kerr not committed as base running blunder that led to the end of the inning.
But the comeback continued the next inning. Having scored to twice to close to within a run of the Reds, Jimmy Ring came in to put out the fire. But Ray Schalk tied the game with a single. The game went into extras and Chicago pulled it out for their gutsy pitcher, who won despite surrendering eleven hits in ten innings.
Chicago then had Cincinnati from the get-go of game seven. Cicotte didn't make any mistakes this time around. The only mistake he made was allowing the Reds to score in the bottom of the sixth. But by then it was 4-1, Chicago. Amazingly, enough, Cincinnati got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. However, they did not score. With the 4-1 win. Chic,go was heading back home. Down just 4-3. Games eight would be back at home.
The Reds, seeking to end the game before it began, rushed out at Williams and build up a quick 4-0 lead in their first time up. The White Sox got two runners into scoring position in the bottom of the frame. But Hod Eller retired Joe Jackson and Happy Felsch (Felsch fanning) to end that. The Reds added another run in the top of the second.
Chicago got another two runners on with only one out. But for some reason, no one pinch hit for new pitcher Bill James. Eller retired both James and Nemo Leibold to end the inning without a score.
The White Sox finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third as Jackson hit a home run. Eller was undaunted by that setback. He got the other three batters that came to the dish that inning out, then followed up with a pair of 1-2-3 innings.
Cincinnati turned the game into a laugher with a run in the top of the fifth, then three more the next inning. Eller allowed just one hit in the bottom of the frame and had another 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. The Reds, having everything go their way, tacked on still another run in the top of the eighth to make it double digits. 10-1.
But Chicago then woke up. With one out, Collins singled. Doubles by Buck Weaver and Joe Jackson scored two runs. With two outs, Jackson scored on a triple by Chick Gandil, which outfielder Greasy Neale couldn't track in the sunny sky in right. Swede Risberg appeared to be an easy out as he hit one to Edd Roush in centre. But Roush made and error and Gandil scored. It was 10-5. Finally, Eller got out of that by getting Ray Schalk to ground out to second.
The Reds did not score in the top of the ninth. The White Sox kept coming at Eller in the bottom of the frame. Pinch hitter Eddie Murphy (No relation to the actor), was hit by Eller to start it. With one out, Eddie Collins singled Murphy to second. Buck Weaver flew out, but that got Murphy to third. There were two outs and runners on the corners for Shoeless Joe. Collins then stole second. Eller got Jackson to ground out, ending the 1919 Fall Classic.
References
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. 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.
Reidenbaugh, Lowell, Amadee, and Craig Carter. The Sporting News Take Me Out To The Ball Park. 4th ed. St. Louis, MO: Sporting News Pub., 1986. 70. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment