Black Sox Blog

May 3, 1917 at League Park
Indians 2, White Sox 1  (11-7)

Jim Scott took a 1-0 shutout into the ninth and, along with Eddie Cicotte, he gave up two runs in the ninth to lose it.  Cicotte walked home the winning run but it was put on base by Scott.

Buck Weaver singled, doubled and scored a run in the loss.  Eddie Collins was a perfect two for two with a triple and a walk.

May 2, 1917 at League Park
White Sox 8, Indians 3  (11-6)

John Collins had a big game at the plate in the White Sox 8-3 win over the Indians.  He went four for five with a triple and he scored two runs.  Eddie Collins also had a nice game and he went two for five with a double.

Lefty Williams went the distance and he picked up a solid win.  He gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

April 29, 1917 at Comiskey Park
Tigers 3, White Sox 0  (10-6)

The White Sox lost for the fourth time in five games and it was the second time in four games that they’d been shutout.  Joe Jackson finished with two of the White Sox five hits in the 3-0 loss.

Red Faber took the loss and he gave up three runs on two hits in 5 1/3 innings.  He walked two and struck out four.

April 28, 1917 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 2, Tigers 1  (10-5)

The White Sox ended a three game skid in a fourteen inning win over the Tigers.  John Collins drew the first White Sox walk of the game in the bottom of the fourteenth and then he moved to second on Buck Weaver’s bunt.  Then Eddie Collins hit a ground to second  base and the ball was booted, allowing John Collins to score the game winner.  John Collins scored both of the White Sox two runs in the 2-1 win.

Jim Scott gave up just one run in ten solid innings to keep the White Sox in the game.  Red Faber threw a shutout inning in the fourteenth and he picked up the win.

April 27, 1917 at Comiskey Park
Indians 2, White Sox 1  (9-5)

The White Sox dropped their third straight game in what was a bizarre ending to the 2-1 loss.  With the bases loaded, catcher Ray Schalk stopped reliever Dave Danforth mid-windup and that resulted in the go ahead run scored on a balk.

A nice start by Lefty Williams went to waste.  He gave up just one run on four hits in eight solid innings.  Eddie Collins was the only White Sox hitter with two hits and Eddie Murphy scored the only run when he came in to pinch hit for Williams in the eighth.

April 26, 1917 at Comiskey Park
Indians 3, White Sox 0  (9-4)

The White Sox not only lost back to back games for the first time this year, but it was also the first time they’d been shutout as well.  The hitters were held to just seven hits and Nemo Liebold had three of them, all singles.

Red Faber took the loss and he gave up three runs on five hits in eight innings of work.  The loss ended a two game shutout streak for Faber and it was his first loss since he dropped the White Sox second game of the season almost two weeks ago.

April 25, 1917 at Comiskey Park
Indians 4, White Sox 1  (9-3)

The White Sox four game winning streak came to an end and it was Eddie Cicotte who lost his first game of the season in a 4-1 loss to the Indians.  Cicotte gave up four runs in six innings.

Happy Felsch was the only Sox hitter who really got it going.  He had three of the five hits in the game and he had a single, a double a triple and he scored the only White Sox run the game.

April 24, 1917 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 1, Indians 0  (9-2)

The White Sox continued their impressive start with their fourth straight in a 1-0 pitchers duel with the Indians.  Jim Scott gave up just five hits in the shutout and he struck out six in the win.

The White Sox didn’t score their run until the ninth.  Rookie Swede Risberg tripled in the ninth and then he scored on Eddie Collins sac. fly to end the game.

April 22, 1917 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 3, Browns 2  (8-2)

The White Sox came from behind to win their third straight game in a 3-2 win over the Browns.  Down 2-1, Swede Risberg drew a one out walk in the bottom of the ninth and he moved to third on a single by Eddie Collins.  Joe Jackson was walked intentionally Happy Felsch then hit an infield single to drive in the tying run and then Collins scored when he overran third and the fielder threw behind him as he scampered home.

Dave Danforth was taken out in the second after he was hit by a comebacker.  Lefty Williams finished the game up and he picked up the win.

April 21, 1917 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 2, Browns 0  (7-2)

Red Faber threw another gem and in his second straight start, he shut out the opposition.  In this one, he gave up six hits and he walked four with five strikeouts.

Eddie Collins doubled and he scored one of the two White Sox runs.  Happy Felsch walked twice and he scored the other run.

April 20, 1917 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 5, Browns 2  (6-2)

The White Sox got back on track and they picked up their first home win in a 5-2 win over the Browns.  It was some tough goings for the outfielders as the game was played in some pretty heavy wins.

Eddie Cicotte picked up his second win of the seaosn with a strong outing.  He went the distance and he gave up two runs on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts.

Happy Felsch had a solid game at the plate.  He went two for three with a walk and a run. Four of the White Sox five runs came in the second inning.

April 19, 1917 at Comiskey Park
Browns 6, White Sox 2  (5-2)

The White Sox four game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the St. Louis Browns in the White Sox home opener.  The Browns did all of their damage in the third inning when they scored six runs and the White Sox used three pitchers just to get out of the inning.  Reb Russell was hit for three run in the inning and he took the loss.

Joe Jackson was the only White Sox hitter with two hits.  Swede Risberg doubled and he scored a run.

April 17, 1917 at Navin Field
White Sox 4, Tigers 2  (5-1)

The White Sox picked up their fourth straight win and Joe Jackson homered to tie the game up at 1-1 and Shano Collins belted a two run triple in the eighth inning for the game winner.  Buck Weaver scored on an RBI single by Ray Schalk in the ninth to provide a bit of insurance.

Dave Danforth threw a solid game. He gave up two runs on seven hits and five walks with one strikeout in seven innings of work.

April 15, 1917 at Nevin Field
White Sox 4, Tigers 0  (4-1)

Just two days after Eddie Cicotte’s no hitter, the White Sox got another great outing from one of their pitchers. This time, it was Red Faber who held the Tigers to just two hits in a shutout win.  He walked three and struck out three in the win.

Buck Weaver had two singles and a run and Joe Jackson singled and doubled in the win. 

April 15, 1917 at Navin Field
White Sox 6, Tigers 2  (3-1)

Jim Scott did a nice job against the Tigers in the White Sox second straight win.  He gave up two runs on eight hits and if it weren’t for Ty Cobb, who scored both Tiger runs, Scott might have pitched a shutout.

Buck Weaver had a really nice game at the plate.  He went two for three with a double and two runs.

April 14, 1917 at Sportsman’s Park
White Sox 11, Browns 0  (2-1)

Eddie Cicotte had a historic day as he no-hit the Browns.  He gave up three walks in a dominating performance.

The White Sox also got it done at the plate as everyone at the top of the order had nice games.  Eddie Collins led the way with two hits, two walks and three runs.

April 13, 1917 at Sportsman’s Park
Browns 4, White Sox 3   (1-1)

The White Sox lost their first game of the season behind a lackluster outing by Red Faber.  The right hander went the distance but he gave up four runs on eight hits and five walks with four strikeouts and the key hit against him was a two run homer by George Sisler.

Happy Felsch and Chick Gandil each had two singles in the loss.  Swede Risberg and Ray Schalk both doubled and scored a run.

April 11, 1917 at Sportsman’s Park
White Sox 7, Browns 2  (1-0)

The White Sox won their season opener on the road with a flurry of runs in the final two frames.  Ray Schalk homered in the game and Buck Weaver went two for four with two doubles and two runs.  Chick Gandil also had a nice day at the plate.  He went three for four with a run.

The White Sox used three pitchers in this game.  Lefty Williams got the start but he last only one inning before Jim Scott came in to throw six innings.  Then Dave Danforth pitched the final two frames and didn’t give up a hit to pick up the win.

Happy Felsch was the White Sox slugger in 1917.  He led the team in homeruns (6), RBIs (102) and batting average (.308).  The six homeruns were good for fourth in the American League and he finished second in RBIs.   Oddly he also had his fair share of singles as well because he was sixth in the league with 144 singles. 

If you want a ton of information on Happy Felsch, I highly recommend you check out his biography at SABR’s Baseball Biography Project website.  Felsch was one of the “eight men out” and he even helped with the book.  As the biography describes, 1917 was a banner year for Felsch and he was also a great with the mitt out in centerfield as well.

Here are Felsch’s numbers in 1917:

Games 152
AB 575
Runs 75
Hits 177
Doubles 17
Triples 10
Homeruns 6
RBIs 102
Walks 33
Strikeouts 52
Stolen Bases 26
Caught Stealing ??
BA .308
OBA .352
SLG% .403
OPS .755
RC 85
RCAA 24
RCAP 5
RC/G 5.31
ISO .096

When does an .804 OPS rank amongst the league leaders?  When you’re playing in the dead ball era.  On the face of things, Joe Jackson had an off year in 1917.  He only hit .301 but he was the best hitter on the best offense in baseball in 1917.  The White Sox led the American League in runs (656) and OBP (.323) and they were second in slugging (.326).  So it’s hard to argue Jackson had an off year when he was the best hitter on the best offensive team in the league.

Jackson finished in the top five in several offensive categories.  His .804 OPS was fifth in the league and he was fourth in runs with 91.  His 75 RBIs were good for fifth in the American League and his five homeruns was seventh in the league.  He also finished behind only Ty Cobb with 17 triples.  As far as on the team, he was first in OPS, slugging, runs, doubles and triples and he was second in RBIs and homeruns. 

Jackson also had a solid postseason.  He didn’t light it up, but he had a solid .304 batting average with four runs scored and two RBIs.  He also didn’t strikeout at all.

Here are Jackson’s numbers in 1917:

Games 146
AB 538
Runs 91
Hits 162
Doubles 20
Triples 17
Homeruns 5
RBIs 75
Walks 57
Strikeouts 25
Stolen Bases 13
Caught Stealing 0
BA .301
OBA .375
SLG% .429
OPS .804
RC 93
RCAA 35
RCAP 23
RC/G 6.12
ISO .128

The White Sox had the best pitching staff in the American League in 1917, and the staff’s ace was Eddie Cicotte.  His 1917 numbers were pretty much off the chart.  He led the American League in wins (28), ERA (1.53), WHIP (0.912), innings (346 2/3) and only Walter Johnson had more strikeouts then Cicotte’s 150.  They didn’t give the award away back then, but Ed Cicotte was given the ex post facto Cy Young award in the ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia. 

There’s no doubt Cicotte was a workhorse in 1917.  His previous high in innings pitched was only 269 1/3 and never before had he won 20 games.  His 150 strikeouts was also a career high and he finished 29 of his 35 starts.  No other White Sox threw more then 250 innings and no other won more then 17 games.

Here’s a look at Cicotte’s numbers in 1917: 

Wins 28
Losses 12
Games 49
Games Started 35
Complete Games 29
Innings Pitched 346
Hits 246
Runs 76
Earned Runs 59
Walks 70
Strikeouts 150
ERA 1.53
Runs Saved Above Average 38
Shutouts 7
H/9 6.40
BR/9 8.30
SO/9 3.90
BB/9 1.82
SO/BB 2.14
Neutral Wins 29
Neutral Losses 11