"Played on the 1909 Philadelphia Athletics and participated in the 1919 World Series."
That would be Eddie Collins, Morrie Rath and Shoeless Joe Jackson. Exactly a decade before that famous (Or infamous) Fall Classic, these three players were all under the watchful eye of a legendary dugout figure, Connie Mack.
Mack's team was a bridesmate to the Detroit Tigers in the late 1900s. Ty Cobb, the huge star of the Bengals, had no equal with the stick when he joined Detroit in 1905. Two years later, the Tigers won the first of three straight pennants. It should be noted, however, that Cobb's team got there comeuppance in the World Series all three years. Remarkably enough, Ty would never return to the Fall Classic, despite carrying on in the bigs until 1928.
Joe Jackson actually would drink champagne with Eddie Collins in 1917. It was not, however with the Athletics. Connie Mack's team did win pennants in 1902 (The year before the first-ever Fall Classic), 1905, but had to wait until 1910 to go all the way. Philadelphia beat the Chicago Cubs in just five games in the Fall Classic in '10, then repeated over the New York Giants the next season (This time though, it took the Athletics six contests to prevail over the stubborn Giants). Collins was there for each.
And it's not like Eddie wasn't a major contributor!
Collins hit .429 in his first Fall Classic against Chicago, getting three hits alone in both the second and fifth contest. 1911 was a comedown, alas. After four games, the second basemen was again at the .429 mark, but was 0-7 in the last two contests vs. New York, dropping Eddie's average to just .286.
In the rematch two years later, it took the Athletics just five games to get rid of the New York Giants (And that meant John McGraws' boys had equaled what Detroit had done a few years earlier: Lose three straight World Series). Collins was back to being clutch: .409, 8 hits and 3 RBI!|
Philadelphia was shocked in 1914, falling to the Boston Braves. And it was a sweep. Collins could do nothing, hitting just .214, collecting just three hits and a single RBI.
But Eddie had another World Series against the New York Giants before the decade was over, and he did not disappoint!
As was the case in 1911, it went six games. And there were some negative moments for his new team, the Chicago White Sox. In the regular season, they'd been no-hit back-to-back days by the lowly St. Louis Browns. Then, after taking the first two contests at home vs. the Giants in the October Classic, the Giants clawed back. Game three went to New York at the Polo Grounds via a shutout. So did game four. Collins made sure to stop the bleeding in the fifth contest. By collecting three hits, he helped the Pale Hose to an 8-5 win. Though the Giants hoped to keep the series going with a win in the sixth game back home, it was Chicago that stormed onto the Polo Grounds following a series-clinching 4-2 triumph!|
There was one final Fall Classic for Eddie Collins, and the result was not good from a personal or team standpoint. First, the White Sox lost the Cincinnati Reds five games to three in 1919. Worse still, eight members of the team (Not Eddie Collins) were suspected or proven to have thrown games in the World Series that season. Collins didn't help with his bat, he hit only .226 with one RBI and two errors. Eddie did collect five hits and hit .556 and score twice in games seven and eight (Including a three hit game in the last contest), but it was a little too late.
Collins' teammate on the 1919 Chicago White Sox, Shoeless Joe Jackson, is always one of the central figures in that World Series. Was he in on the fix? Did his teammate Claude "Lefty" Williams merely use his name as a means of strengthening the fixers deal with the gamblers? Did Jackson go along willingly? No one really knows for sure. What is know is that Jackson was promised $20,000 for his participation in the fix, but only ended up getting $5,000 of it. He later swore in a grand jury testimony that he'd tried his best at all times in the 1919 October Showdown.
But what I know for sure is Jackson didn't get a hit in the first game vs. the Reds. The first contest was all Cincinnati, who won it easily, 9-1. Joe did reach on an error by shortstop Larry Koft in the second inning. Ironically, the man who drove Jackson home was none other than Chick Gandil, the ringleader of the fix.
In game two, Jackson did much better. But was he trying when it counted? Well, he doubled to start the top of the second. Happy Felsch, in on the fix, bunted him to third. But that's where Joe Jackson died as Chick Gandil and Swede Risberg (Still another member of the fix) failed to deliver.
Buck Weaver, who attended two meeting with the players and gamblers, but took no money, singled to start the fourth. The contest was still scoreless at this point. Joe came through again as he singled. Amazingly enough, both hits were on the very first pitch. They were seeing 'em to their liking! A promising inning? Felsch got 'em both into scoring position despite being in on the fix. The sacrifice bunt (And yes, it was on the first pitch to Happy) gave Gandil, who had the team's only RBI in the previous contest, a chance to pick up two more. Chick swung on the first pitch, grounding to first. Jake Daubert, the Cincinnati first basemen, saw Weaver going home and got him out by about twelve feet. Gandil, perhaps feeling like he had to "prove" to everyone he was actually trying, stole second as Risberg batted. Swede himself now had runners on second and third. On a full count, Risberg popped towards right. Daubert went back to the outfield and made the catch.
The Reds broke the deadlock in the bottom of the frame by plating three runners. This, as it turns out, was all the offence they needed. The Sox sure looked like they'd score 101 runs in the contest themselves. When it was over, Chicago had ten hits. Three by Jackson alone. The Reds? They'd have to settle for just four hits.
Weaver doubled with one away in the top of the sixth. Here's where Jackson was needed to deliver. He didn't. It took Cincinnati pitcher Slim Sallee just three pitches to fan Shoeless Joe. It appeared Chicago was going to score anyways as Felsch, not trying to sacrifice with two outs of course, lined one to centre that appeared to be a hit. Edd Roush made a great catch to stop that.
It was only with the score 4-0 that the Pale Hose finally got on the board. Risberg and Ray Schalk singled with one out. The Reds weren't exactly at their best fielding-wise on this day (Had they been watching Chicago? Ironically, Cincinnati had three miscues in this contest to Chicago's one) and Schalk scored behind Risberg as the defence of the National League champs went south. So the lead was sliced in half.
The home team would not score again. But how about the visitors? Our boy came up with two away in the top of the eighth and hit to first. Jake Daubert made the stop, and tossed to pitcher Slim Sallee who was scampering to first. But a tad late. The toss was wide, and went to the screen along the fans in right. Joe didn't stop at first as this Reds' error got Joe Jackson into scoring position. It was scored a hit and an error by Daubert. Felsch ripped into a pitch, but third basemen Heinie Groh managed to get his glove on it, keeping it in the infield. Not cleanly. Groth merely knocked the ball down. His throw to first got Felsch.
The White Sox got two more men on in the top of the ninth before the last out was made. The 4-2 loss sent the series to Chicago.
Back home at Comisky Park, the home team appeared to be trying. But not all the time. Jackson led off the last of the second and singled on...You guessed it, the first pitch. It was time for another Cincinnati error as Felsch bunted again. Only this time, Happy didn't bunt well. On what should have been at least a force at second, it was Cincinnati pitcher Ray Fisher got the ball and tried to force Jackson at second. The ball ended up in centre field. Another RBI opportunity for Chick Gandil. Well, two men were in scoring position again. This time, Chick came through. The visitors moved their infield in. Gandil singled to right. Jackson scored, and so did Felsch. Three RBIs in three games for the ring leader of the fix. The rest of the Chicago White Sox had none so far in the 1919 World Series.
But it was later in the inning that Gandil sort of slowly jogged into third on a force play. Swede Risberg had walked and there two runs in and two more runners on. A potential big inning ended with just two runs. Had Gandil, by getting nailed at third, deliberately stopped the home team from getting more runs.
It didn't actually matter. Chicago picked up a third run in the bottom of the fourth. Swede Risberg tripled and Ray Schalk singled. The inning before had been promising. First and second for Shoeless Joe. Jackson tried to bunt with nobody out but failed to get the runners over. The White Sox failed to score in the third. Same thing in the sixth.
That was a bad inning for Chicago. Jackson had gotten his second hit, and fifth in two games to start the bottom of the frame. But get this: Joe was caught stealing! Happy Felsch walked. And then, he too, was nailed at second trying to swipe the bag.
Jackson didn't bat again that contest. Two hits, but he'd failed twice with the stick. The White Sox won 3-0, but still, you had to wonder.
Jackson continued to hit well in game four. He hit a short flare to centre that no outfielder could get to. Joe didn't stop at first and made it to second. His second double of the World Series. Happy Felsch tried to bunt again, but did so correctly. Joe was now 90 feet away from scoring the first run of the game. And there was just one away.
Gandil failed to deliver, and the Reds needed just another out to get out of this mess. Swede Risberg didn't get a hit, but walked. Swede appeared to then show Joe and Happy how to steal a base when swiped second on a 2-0 pitch to Ray Schalk. Jimmy Ring, the Cincinnati pitcher, was behind 3-0 to Schalk as his control wasn't there. It wasn't on the next pitch as it was ball four to Ray. The bases were now loaded. Pitcher Eddie Cicotte, who apparently pocketed all the money that was promised him as part of the fix, failed to deliver, and Chicago left the bases full.
Jackson came up again in the 0-0 contest in the third. Eddie Collins was on first, having been hit by a pitch. Ring still didn't have it all there. There were two outs and the Reds were trying to get out this inning. The way their pitcher was throwing made you wonder how much longer he'd be out there. Joe hit a grounder to Morrie Rath at second. However, instead of the inning being over, the Reds' second basemen couldn't come up with it. Well, runners on the corner, two out, Happy Felsch at the dish. Felsch grounded out to third.
It was in the fifth that Cincinnati scored twice to take a 2-0 lead. Cicotte made an error to put a man on with one away. So with Pat Duncan on first, Larry Koft singled to left. Joe Jackson came up with the ball, and gunned it towards home. Cicotte deflected the throw away from catcher Ray Schalk. The pitcher's second error of the game not only allowed Duncan to score, but made it obvious Eddie wasn't trying. A double by Greasy Neal to left scored Koft.
Jackson didn't get a hit the rest of the contest. It is worth noting that Chicago got three hits in the game. Jackson, Felsch and Gandil came up with them.
But neither Shoeless Joe, Happy Felsch or Chick Gandil got a hit in the fifth contest, which Cincinnati won, 5-0. Chicago was again limited to just three hits. The series was best-of-nine, so the National League pennant winners of 1919 needed just one more win.
And they took a 4-0 lead at home in the sixth game. And looking at this contest, it seemed like a repeat of the previous two. Chicago made errors (Two by Swede Risberg, alone). And perhaps move obvious, there were plenty of errors with the bat and on the bases by the White Sox, too.
Buck Weaver got on via a single with two away in the top of the first, but all Joe Jackson could do was pop to third. In the fourth, he popped one back behind the dish that didn't quite make it into the bleachers. Instead, it settled into catcher Bill Rariden's mitt.
Well, the home team wanted to wrap it up, and they gave a grand effort to. Morrie Rath only got one hit in five times up, but the rest of the team got ten themselves. It was quite a day against game three winner, Dickie Kerr. The lefty had shut 'em out in that contest. Here, Cincinnati pushed across two runners in the third, and a pair more in the last of the fourth.
Swede Risberg had made two errors. The Reds looked to keep the rally going as Jake Daubert flied to Joe Jackson in left. Our boy not only made a fine catch, but he picked up a 7-2 assist as Rath tried to test Jackson's arm.
It was still 4-0 as the inning ended. The fifth inning was better for Chicago. They finally got a run. An inning later, the Pale Hose scored three more times! Jackson did drive in the run to make it 4-2. Joe singled home Buck Weaver, who'd gotten the rally started with a leadoff double. A doubled by Happy Felsch scored Shoeless Joe.
But from there, Joe had his problems helping. He drew a walk in the top of the eighth, and moved to second on a one-out free pass by Chick Gandil. The rally died as Edd Roush not only robbed Swede Risberg of a hit with a great catch in centre, but nailed Jackson at centre.
The visiting team broke the deadlock in extras. In the top of the tenth, Joe Jackson came up with Buck Weaver on second and bunted him to third. The bunt actually was a single. Chick Gandil came through with a bouncer that made it into centre field. This hit though, was made possible by the fact that the Cincinnati infield wasn't playing back. Weaver scored, of course, and Jackson was on second. A liner by Risberg was caught and then Jackson was caught leaving the bag too soon.
In any event, Chicago had a 5-4 lead. Cincinnati went down 1-2-3 in the last of the tenth as the visitors lived to fight another day. The White Sox actually looked even better in game seven. They had Cincinnati all the way in a 4-1 win. Jackson picked up two RBIs. In fact, Shoeless Joe picked up an RBI in each of his first two trips to the dish. Now...Can this be explained? Remember his 3-4 performances in game two vs. Slim Sallee? Well, Slim was on the hill again in this seventh contest. And...He'd had a history against Chicago.
Before pitching for the Reds, Sallee was on that ill-fated 1917 New York Giants team which lost to the Chicago White Sox in the World Series that year. Ah. Sallee, furthermore, started two games in that Fall Classic, losing both and posting a 5.28 ERA. Two years later, his World Series ERA was much better, 1.35. Shoeless Joe Jackson had been 0-3 in the first game October Classic game that Slim Sallee started in '17. That was actually the very first contest. The next time Sallee took the hill in the World Series that year was game five, and Jackson collected three hits in five at bats.
Okay. So Joe Jackson was 0-3, followed by 3-5, 3-4 and started game seven 2-2 vs Slim Sallee. Joe reached on an error in the fifth to drop his day to 2-3. Happy Felsch singled and scored a run right after, and Sallee was done for the day.
The new pitcher was Cuban Dolph Luque. Dolph retired Jackson the only time he faced him, and had a terrific outing. In 4 1/3 innings pitched, Luque allowed Chicago just one hit, no runs and fanned five. So Joe Jackson liked to face Slim Sallee in the World Series. Remove Sallee and things might not go as bad. Was Dolph a good pitcher? Dolph Luque was quite a relief pitcher at this time. So good, that he'd soon be a starter. Still, fourteen years later, Luque would help the New York Giants win the Fall Classic. With some superb relief pitching!
Now, could that be a reason Jackson and company struggled the rest of the way? They'd gotten nine hits off Slim Sallee in less than five innings. Dolph Luque was no fluke.
Things got off to a great start for Cincinnati in game eight at Comisky Park. They touched home four times in the top of the first. Joe Jackson came up with two on and one out in the last of the frame. Joe did pop out in foul territory. However, the catch itself was made by shortstop Larry Koft far enough behind third that Nemo Leibold, who was 90 feet away from the dish for Chicago, could have scored after. Leibold held for some odd reason, and the rally died as Happy Felsch fanned.
Jackson did hit a home run next time up. But by then it was the third inning and it was 5-0 for Cincinnati. The game was far from over at this point, but the Chicago team seemed unable to stop the Cincinnati Reds from scoring. The round-tripper by Joe was with the bases empty, too. Buck Weaver appeared to have a hit in front of Jackson but was robbed on a great catch by Morrie Rath. Jackson hit the ball well next time up, too. Joe was only able to fly out to Edd Roush in centre.
The Reds pounded out the White Sox pitchers, alas. It was 10-1 by the bottom of the eighth. However, Chicago got some of those runs back as Cincinnati made some mistakes. Eddie Collins singled with one away. Buck Weaver doubled. Jackson was back up. He doubled, too. 10-3. The inning really should have ended not long after. Felsch popped out, and the rally appeared to be over. Chick Gandil hit a fly ball that might have been the third out, but a blazing sun blocked the view of right fielder Greasy Neal. So, out number three instead turned into a three-bagger. Jackson scored, of course. The score was 10-4 but Chicago was ready to put across more.
But not by doing anything that should have resulted in touching home again.
Out number three appeared to be certain again as Swede Risberg hit a short pop-up to centre. Edd Roush hadn't been at his best with the bat, but he'd proven to be a pretty good fielder in this 1919 Fall Classic. Actually, Edd went 3-5 in this game, scoring twice and driving in four. That upped his RBI total to seven.
But here, Roush was no help to the Reds. He couldn't make the catch. The error not only extended the bottom of the eighth, but it scored Chick Gandil. 10-5. The inning should have been over with either of the last two batters. The point I'm trying to make here is, this wasn't the case of the Pale Hose just trying extra hard here and being rewarded. That reward was just two runs. The last two tallies were clearly the product of poor fielding by Cincinnati. Which can happen at any time. It's ironic that with Roush's error, Cincinnati now had committed thirteen errors to the Chicago's twelve. And the White Sox had now scored seven unearned runs in the 1919 World Series. This Fall Classic was now becoming a give-and-take (Opportunities) for both clubs.
In any event, mercifully, the top of the eighth came to an end as Ray Schalk grounded out. Schalk was not involved in the fix. However, it was his counterpart behind the dish on Cincinnati, Ivey Wingo, who led both teams in batting average in the '19 October Classic. Wingo did not play in this eighth contest.
Roy Wilkinson, who was the best Chicago pitcher on the afternoon (4 IP, 2 R), got through the top of the ninth without Cincy scoring. Roy had a tough day. Cincinnati put at least one man on against him every inning he pitched. In the ninth, they managed to get just a leadoff single. In Roy's four innings of work, the Reds had four hits and four walks.
Now, it was the ninth, and Roy Wilkinson was the first batter. There was no way he was going to hit. Eddie Murphy (Not the actor, of course) batted for the pitcher and was hit by Hod Eller. Eller was still in the contest despite allowing nine hits through eight innings. He'd walked just one batter, but now had a hit batter to his afternoon.
Remember how I said Edd Roush had been pretty good in the field? He was just about to prove that again as Edd robbed Nemo Leibold of extra bases with a great catch. But Eddie Collins singled. Eddie had been hot the last two games, as I mentioned earlier.
The White Sox were now in double figures in hits themselves. Eddie Collins had three of those. Buck Weaver and Joe Jackson were each 2-4 so far. However, the single by Collins proved to be Chicago's last hit of the 1919 World Series.
Eller got Weaver to fly out to right fielder Greasy Neal, who made the catch this time. Murphy made it to third in any event. That brought Shoeless Joe Jackson back up to the dish. Collins stole second. But Jackson grounded out to Morrie Rath, who'd collected two hits and two walks on the day for Cincinnati.
Speaking of Rath, the 1919 World Series wasn't great for him. Morrie had been out of the majors from 1914 to 1918. He'd been off fighting in World War One. He'd been in the minors. But now, Rath was back in the bigs and in the Fall Classic.
But Morrie had been a very good hitter in the minor leagues. Rath had hit .338 with Kansas City in the American Association at the "AA" level. The next season, for Toronto of the International League, he'd hit .332. Morrie was still at the "AA" level, and had started the season by hitting a respectable .296 for Kansas City. He spent the next two seasons with the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League (Still at "AA" level), and hit .300, then .341. No wonder he was back in the big time by 1919.
There, with Cincinnati, Morrie Rath hit .264, which isn't bat for a second sacker, right? There also had to be a bit of irony in playing the Chicago White Sox in the Fall Classic that year, as Morrie had hit a career-best .272 for them back in 1912. Rath had sure gotten around. The Reds were hit fourth major league team in five seasons at the top level.
Was Morrie going to go out and prove Chicago made a mistake in letting him go years earlier? His counterpart on the White Sox was Eddie Collins. Collins had hit .319 in 1919. But Eddie would not have a good Fall Classic.
Rath ended up hitting .226 himself in the World Series. But it was his getting hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the first in game one that was supposedly the signal to the gamblers that this Fall Classic was fixed. Rath was only 1-3 in that first contest, but collected two runs scored and an RBI. The real story of the game was the superb pitching of Dutch Ruether, who limited Chicago to just six hits and one (unearned) run. And there was Dutch's bat: 3-3! Ironically, Rath and Ruether had one been traded for each other in the minors. Now, they were in the major leagues and helping the same team win the Fall Classic.
Well, Ruether couldn't pitch game two, of course. Cincinnati won it, but this time had to battle. Slim Sallee overcame ten hits against and pitched the Reds to a 4-2 win over the White Sox. Rath didn't get a hit, but led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk. It might not have seen like much at the time, but Rath had battled Chicago pitcher Lefty Williams all afternoon. The first time Morrie had batted in the contest, he took Williams to a full count before flying out to Happy Felsch in centre. Here, his walk started a nice three-run rally. When Rath scored the first run of the game, the home team was ahead for good.
The next inning looked good for Rath. Although he didn't get a hit, he reached on an error by Swede Risberg with one out. But Williams retired the next two batters.
Rath had his worst game of the series in the third contest. Now playing in Comisky Park, the Reds were handed a 3-0 loss by Dickie Kerr. Morrie was 0-4. So Rath was 0-7 in the second and third contest. Amazingly, even though the 1919 World Series was fixed, Cincinnati was starting down the fact they'd gotten just four hits in game two and three more in the next contest.
The Reds managed to win game three, but it was tight all the way. This time, Chicago was the team limited to just three hits (Having gotten seven in the third contest). Cincinnati only ended up with five hits themselves, but had themselves a 2-0 win when the dust had settled on the basepaths. Morrie Rath had gotten Cincinnati off on the right foot with a single as the contests' first batter. However, Jake Daubert, the very next hitter, did the worst thing you can do: He hit into a double play!
The score of 5-0 might indicate game five in Chicago was all the visitors, but that just wasn't so. For starters, Morrie Rath got just one hit. It proved to be at the right time, however. You see, Cincinnati and Chicago were in a scoreless deadlock in the top of the sixth. Hod Eller, matching zeros with Chicago starter Lefty Williams, helped out his own cause by hitting a double. Rath followed with an RBI single. Edd Roush later scored not only Morrie, but also Heinie Groh with a triple. Groh appeared to be a dead duck at the dish from White Sox's catcher Ray Schalk's point of view. He got himself a nice ejection for his protest efforts.
Williams, although a fixer, settled down after that. There was one out, and three runs in, but Lefty retired the next two batters on fly balls (But Roush scored to make it 4-0) and then had a 1-2-3 seventh and eighth. He did not appear to have pitched badly. Once again, the Reds managed just four hits off him. It was only with him lifted that Cincinnati got a fifth run. That happened in the top of the ninth off reliever Erskine Mayer. But this was all done without the benefit of a base hit (Morrie Rath's second base counterpart, Eddie Collins, made an error that contributed to the run, which was unearned).
Morrie was hitting just .176 after five games, yet his team was up in this best-of-nine Fall Classic, 4-1. Lefty Williams and Eddie Cicotte, two proven fixers had lost both of their starts for Chicago. Dickie Kerr, an honest member of the American League champs, went out and won game six, 5-4.
Rath was only able to get one hit in the contest. Cincinnati looked like they were going to win, as they led 4-0 early. Their offence died, alas. In the fourth, Swede Risberg man an error on Rath's grounder, which put Cincy up by four. Morrie actually made it all the way to second and the play, and then stole third for good measure. But as I mentioned earlier, Shoeless Joe nailed Morrie Rath at the dish when he tried to score on a fly to left to end the bottom of the frame.
In the seventh, and the score tied at four, Rath singled. Daubert hit a sac bunt to move him to second. Heinie Groh walked. But Edd Roush grounded into an inning-ending double play. Morrie batted just one more time and was retired.
The seventh game wasn't good for Rath or the Reds. Behind 1-0 in the last of the first, Morrie reached via an error by Eddie Collins. But the next three batters were retired. It was then 2-0 for the Cincinnati Reds when Rath batted again. That was in the third. But all Morrie did was force a runner at second. The Reds didn't score. In fact, they failed to break through against White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte until the bottom of the sixth. By then, the visiting Chicago club had built a comfortable 4-0 lead.
Rath had a chance in the last of the fifth to make a difference. He came up with two on, but could only ground out. Down by three in the seventh, the Reds tried to come back. Rath watched as Cicotte fanned two batters, but in-between had walked catcher Ivey Wingo (Who the Chicago pitcher failed to retire even once the whole contest). Rath singled to put two on with two away. Jake Daubert couldn't continue the frame for Cincinnati, alas.
As the last of the ninth inning started, Cicotte looked to finally get his first win of the 1919 World Series. Eddie had allowed just five hits in eight innings of work. Long before Hoyt Wilhelm, it had been Eddie Cicotte who was the master of a pitch that really danced: The knuckleball! The bottom of the ninth inning started out well for him as Larry Koft and Greasy Neal were retired. The White Sox were one out away from sending this back home. And Cicotte would finally snap out of a streak that had seen him lose his last three decisions in the World Series (He'd lost his second start in 1917 vs. the New York Giants, and only gotten a no-decision in the fifth contest)! It also looked unlikely that Morrie Rath would bat again in this, the crucial seventh contest.
But there was still Ivey Wingo to deal with. The leading hitter (.571) singled. Wingo finished the game 1-1 with three walks. It had taken him a while to get his first at bat in the contest, though. Sheey Magee batted for relief pitcher Dolph Luque and kept the game going with a single right. So Morrie Rath would bat again!
Rath lifted one towards the gap in right-centre. Felsch made the catch, and the game was over.
So the Reds must have been at least a little discouraged. But a big first inning in the next contest helped 'em. Rath didn't help with it, though. He popped out to shortstop Swede Risberg. The good news for the visiting Cincinnati club was that Rath ended up being the only batter pitcher Lefty Williams retired. The next four batters did this:
Single
Singe
Double
Double
As you can see, the Reds were back to hitting the ball well. How about Morrie? Facing a new pitcher (Bill James) in the top of the second, and again the first batter of a frame, Rath didn't do well. James fanned him. It was 4-0 Cincy at this point. And the Reds would extend their lead to 5-0 against the White Sox before Joe Jackson's home run in the bottom of the third got the home team on the board. Although, it was kind of ugly the way the National League winners scored their fifth tally. Jake Daubert was retired right after Rath in the second. So the top of the second seemed over. Heinie Groh singled to keep it going, and then Edd Roush smacked a double to centre. However, Roush got greedy. Why he was greedy in a 5-0 game, you tell me! Trying for third, Edd was a dead duck. And the inning was over.
It's worth noting the home team, Chicago, was hitting the ball well. They got two men on the last of the first, and in the second, appeared to be ready to break through. Swede Risberg walked with one out. Ray Schalk, given life on a pop-up that was dropped by catcher Bill Rariden (Playing in place of the red-hot Ivey Wingo for some reason), singled. Bill James popped out and Nemo Leibold, who could have scored a run for the home team in the last of the first, struck out.
So it was up to Shoeless Joe to get Chicago on the board the next inning. But thanks to some fine fielding on the part of Cincinnati, it was a solo shot. The Reds went back on the attack in the fourth. Hod Eller, looking for his second win of the series, was looking shaky on the hill. He'd been lucky to give up just one run so far. But here, he took one for the team. There was one out, and one on for the Reds. Rath followed with a single. Jake Daubert singled himself. Eller was out at home. Nemo Leibold was having a tough day for the Sox, but the centre fielder now had two assists in the contest. As Leibold had gunned down Eller at the dish, Rath went first to third. So there was still a chance. Heinie Groh grounded out to Morrie Rath's counterpart on Chicago, sadly.
The top of the sixth inning erased any bad feeling the visitors may have had about wasted scoring opportunities. Cincinnati had tacked on a sixth run in the previous inning. Hod Eller got it all started in this sixth inning with a single. Rath had walked. Not only did they both later score, but so too did Jake Daubert! 9-1, Cincy. Now, the National League club was back in business!
Rath and the Reds weren't done. When you're hot, you wanna stay that way, right? Well, still up by eight runs and trying to make their 9-1 win in the first contest look like mere child's play, Cincinnati was back at it the very next inning. Lucky seventh inning for Cincy?
Roy Wilkinson had been touched up for two runs by the Reds in the sixth, and the seventh inning was no cakewalk for the third White Sox pitcher of the game. Roy retired Bill Rariden on a fly to Happy Felsch, who was playing right field rather than his usual centre spot. Hod Eller, who was doing it all in this World Series (Two wins, a Fall Classic record six straight strikeouts in the fifth game, plus a .286 batting average!) fanned. Two away. But the visitors were rude here. Morrie Rath was back up, and continued his big day with a walk. Jake Daubert, who'd finish game eight with two hits and a walk, watched as first base was suddenly open! Rath had caught 'em napping by stealing second. Daubert drew a pass. Heinie Groh flied out to end the inning.
Chicago wasn't so luck the next time around. Having failed to get a single runner on the bottom of the seventh, the Sox would see the visitors do some damage half an inning later. Bill Rariden made the White Sox forget that Ivey Wingo wasn't on the field by singling home a tenth Cincinnati runner.
Then, it was Chicago's turn to do some damage in the bottom of the frame. Some poor fielding by Cincinnati led to two Chicago runs. Prior to that, the White Sox had touched home twice. The bat-around last of the eighth, which included two doubles and a triple that should have been caught, finally came to an end when Ray Schalk grounded out to Morrie Rath. Happy Felsch was on first when this happened, having reached on an error that scored Chick Gandil. I'm sure Morrie and the Reds were a tad mad that they'd given the White Sox a bit of life here! But there was still at least one more inning in this contest!
Well, this eighth game was now officially a slugfest. Hod Eller had been working on a fine five-hitter through seven, but a bad inning now saw the home team up to nine hits. The visiting Cincinnati Reds had one last crack at Roy Wilkinson in the top of the ninth. It was time to get some momentum back, right?
Sure. Morrie Rath singled to get it all started. On cue, eh? Morrie had popped out and struck out the two previous times he'd led off an inning in this contest. But in-between, Morrie had sure done some damage. Morrie, you see, had come into the game hitting just .185. However, this was A) A game Cincinnati really wanted to win, having lost a lot of momentum the previous two contests, and B) A great game by the Reds' shortstop! Not only had he picked up two hits in this contest to boost his average to .226, but Morrie had walked twice for good measure.
Now, could Cincinnati get Morrie Rath home here in the ninth? Roy Wilkinson was still pitching. And battling. The Reds had found him to their liking in this game. Jake Daubert, with the thinking of probably just getting one run, bunted. The sac worked and Morrie was now in scoring position. But Heinie Groh flied to Nemo Leibold in centre. And then Edd Roush grounded out to Buck Weaver at third.
So Rath would have to settle for two hits and two walks. But that's a great day by any measure.
The White Sox, having figured out Hod Eller the previous frame, had one last shot at the Reds' pitcher. Hod used a pitch that would soon be outlawed by baseball, the shineball. As the name suggests, the Reds' pitcher would apply "some stuff" to the baseball. At this point, had Chicago known to lay off his crazy stuff? Or had they somehow figured out how the ball danced? Truth be told, this excellent pitcher for Cincinnati would be out of organized baseball within a few year of the banning of the shiner.
Here, though, Eller was trying to shake off that rough eighth frame, but having all sorts of trouble. He hit the first batter, pinch-hitter Eddie Murphy (I wonder if that was a shineball?). One out later, Morrie Rath watched at second as Eddie Collins put the ball over his and shortstop Larry Koft to centre for a hit. So both second sackers had singles in the ninth. For this entire contest, though, Collins now led Rath in hits, 3-2. But when Buck Weaver flied out to right, there were two away. Murphy took third after the catch by Greasy Neal. Rath then watched as Collins stole second, having himself quite an inning. This, however, was Collins first stolen base of the 1919 World Series. Rath had two himself. The batter when all this was going on was Joe Jackson. And Rath then took his grounder and whipped it to Daubert at first, ending the 1919 Fall Classic.
References
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