Rube Benton was the first lefty starter to throw nine zeros. And his New York Giants needed it, believe me.
It was the 1917 Fall Classic. The New Yorkers of the Senior Circuit were getting beaten by the Chicago White Sox. They couldn't score. 2-1 Chicago in game 1. 7-2 Chicago in game two. Something needed to be done as this thing headed to the Polo Grounds.
Rube went out with a mission: Get the Giants back in it!
The White Sox didn't have a chance!
Eddie Collins singled with two down in the top of the first, bringing up Shoeless Joe Jackson. But Benton won the lefty-lefty matchup, taking his grounded and throwing him out at first.
Benton was awarded for his fine effort in the bottom of the fourth. Dave Robertson got it all going with a triple to right. A double plated him. Benton came up a man on third, and fanned against Eddie Cicotte. George Burns got only a piece of it, sending it to the third base side. Cicotte, who made the play, ended up only making matters worse. A run scored anyways, and Eddie made a bad throw to first. Burns made it to second. 2-0, New York. Cicotte got out of the inning without another run from scoring, but the damage was done.
In the fifth, six, and seventh, the White Sox were retired by the lefty 1-2-3. In the eighth, they got off to a good start as Buck Weaver led off with a double. Ray Schalk hit a ball that Benton grabbed himself and tagged Weaver out before he could get to third. And then, Cicotte grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Chicago had one more chance. In the top of the ninth, with the score still 2-0, Giants, the defiant Sox came up for the last time. The scratched out a hit, Eddie Collins second. But when Jackson popped to short, the game was over. So much for any thoughts of a Chicago sweep.
Benton finished with a fine five-hitter, and walked no one. He fanned only five, compared to Cicotte's eight. But I'm sure Rube didn't mind. His win got his Giants back on track.
New York's Ferdie Schupp went out and blanked the White Sox and Red Faber 5-0 in the fourth contest. The home team had their second consecutive shutout. However, it proved to be their last win. Chicago routed Slim Sallee in the fifth game at home, then came back to the Polo Grounds. They did some scoring in the sixth and final game. They beat Benton 4-2, and had their second World Championship.
Benton, who'd once been a 20-game loser for Cincinnati in 1912, had pitched his last Fall Classic game in the finale. Although he was with the Giants again in 1921 when they made it back to this stage, he'd been released during the season. His old team, the Reds, picked him up, and Rube finished his career in 1925. Although 150-144 (Win one, lose one), Rube Benton will always have a special place in World Series history. For every Whitey Ford, Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson shutout, they joined Benton as shutouts by southpaws in the Fall Classic. Will the great Clayton Kershaw join the list? We will have to wait and see!
References
Frommer, Harvey. Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball. Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub., 1992. 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. 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.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 01 June. 2016.
It was the 1917 Fall Classic. The New Yorkers of the Senior Circuit were getting beaten by the Chicago White Sox. They couldn't score. 2-1 Chicago in game 1. 7-2 Chicago in game two. Something needed to be done as this thing headed to the Polo Grounds.
Rube went out with a mission: Get the Giants back in it!
The White Sox didn't have a chance!
Eddie Collins singled with two down in the top of the first, bringing up Shoeless Joe Jackson. But Benton won the lefty-lefty matchup, taking his grounded and throwing him out at first.
Benton was awarded for his fine effort in the bottom of the fourth. Dave Robertson got it all going with a triple to right. A double plated him. Benton came up a man on third, and fanned against Eddie Cicotte. George Burns got only a piece of it, sending it to the third base side. Cicotte, who made the play, ended up only making matters worse. A run scored anyways, and Eddie made a bad throw to first. Burns made it to second. 2-0, New York. Cicotte got out of the inning without another run from scoring, but the damage was done.
In the fifth, six, and seventh, the White Sox were retired by the lefty 1-2-3. In the eighth, they got off to a good start as Buck Weaver led off with a double. Ray Schalk hit a ball that Benton grabbed himself and tagged Weaver out before he could get to third. And then, Cicotte grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Chicago had one more chance. In the top of the ninth, with the score still 2-0, Giants, the defiant Sox came up for the last time. The scratched out a hit, Eddie Collins second. But when Jackson popped to short, the game was over. So much for any thoughts of a Chicago sweep.
Benton finished with a fine five-hitter, and walked no one. He fanned only five, compared to Cicotte's eight. But I'm sure Rube didn't mind. His win got his Giants back on track.
New York's Ferdie Schupp went out and blanked the White Sox and Red Faber 5-0 in the fourth contest. The home team had their second consecutive shutout. However, it proved to be their last win. Chicago routed Slim Sallee in the fifth game at home, then came back to the Polo Grounds. They did some scoring in the sixth and final game. They beat Benton 4-2, and had their second World Championship.
Benton, who'd once been a 20-game loser for Cincinnati in 1912, had pitched his last Fall Classic game in the finale. Although he was with the Giants again in 1921 when they made it back to this stage, he'd been released during the season. His old team, the Reds, picked him up, and Rube finished his career in 1925. Although 150-144 (Win one, lose one), Rube Benton will always have a special place in World Series history. For every Whitey Ford, Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson shutout, they joined Benton as shutouts by southpaws in the Fall Classic. Will the great Clayton Kershaw join the list? We will have to wait and see!
References
Frommer, Harvey. Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball. Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub., 1992. 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. 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.
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