Chick Gandil of the Chicago White Sox is out at second base on a throw from Larry Kopf to Morrie Rath during World Series action on October 1, 1919, in Cincinnati. Eddie Cicotte of the Chicago White Sox pitched in the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. He gave up eight runs (seven earned) in five innings of work as the White Sox were defeated by four games to one.
Cicotte's career record was 37-28 with a 3.38 ERA. After the season he left baseball to join the U.S. Army Air Forces where he served in Europe as a first lieutenant with the 8th Air Force during World War II.
He returned to baseball in 1946 with the San Diego Padres but was released after one season because of financial problems within the team's ownership. Cicotte died in an automobile accident in 1949 at the age of 39.
Gandil had been with the White Sox since 1915 when he made his debut with the club. In 1917, he led the league in stolen bases with 97 thefts. In 1918, his production dropped but still managed to hit.443 with 155 RBI's. In 1919, Gandil started off strong by hitting.429 with two homers and 20 RBI's in April. However, he fell off dramatically in May hitting only.250 with six RBI's. On June 2, the White Sox traded him to the Boston Red Sox for Johnny Mosteller.
On October 5, 1947, Al Gionfriddo, a reserve Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder, made one of the greatest catches in World Series history, denying Joe DiMaggio an extra base single in Game 6. (National Baseball Hall of Fame). The hit would have scored DiMaggio from first base and given the Yankees another chance to win the game.
In that series, the Dodgers were able to beat the Yankees again thanks to the pitching of Johnny Podres and Carl Erskine and the batting of Duke Snider and Pete Reiser. In the seventh inning of the last game of the series, with the score tied 3-3, New York had the bases loaded with two outs when Bucky Harris called for a pitchout at home plate. First baseman Jimmy Dykes took a step forward and tossed the ball into left field where Gionfriddo was waiting with it. With a crowd of 40,000 watching, Gionfriddo raced around the bag, reached up with his right hand and grabbed the ball just as it was hitting the ground. The inning ended without further damage being done and the Dodgers went on to win 4-3.
According to some sources, if not for Gionfriddo's catch, there would have been no stop sign at second base during those days.
The Chicago White Sox's Carlos Rodon pitched the second no-hitter of the 2021 MLB season, just missing out on a perfect game in an 8-0 win against Cleveland. "That was fantastic. I got two outs away from perfection", said Rodon after the game.
Rodon became the first White Sox pitcher to record multiple 20/20 seasons when he reached the mark last year with 21 wins and 20 saves. This year, he is ranked No. 2 by Baseball America among all major league pitchers behind Jacob deGrom (New York Mets).
He is also considered one of the best closers in baseball, having not allowed an earned run in 49 appearances since the start of 2019. The last pitcher to have more than one no-hitter during his career was Greg Maddux with five between 1995 and 2009.
Rodon has been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball over the past three years, posting a 30-15 record with a 3.09 ERA in 51 games this season. He is coming off his third 20/20 season and first since 2014 when he had 21 wins and 20 saves for the White Sox.
The 21-year-old Venezuelan right-hander led the American League in victories last year when he won 22 games for the first time in his career.
The first two games at Yankee Stadium were won by the New York Yankees over the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley Field in Chicago hosted Game 3. The Cubs' pitcher was Charlie Root. In the first inning, he allowed a three-run homer to Babe Ruth and a solitary shot to Lou Gehrig. Root was replaced by Tommy John in the second inning. He went 2 for 4 with a triple and an RBI.
Root had been drafted by the New York Giants but opted to play baseball instead. He started his career with the Cubs in 1902 and remained with them until 1910 when he moved on to manage the Detroit Tigers. After one season managing the Tigers, he returned to the Cubs as their manager. Under his leadership, the team had a record of 744 wins vs. 551 losses. He retired after the 1912 season.
After spending several years working with minor league teams, Root joined the Army during World War I. While serving in France, he was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel and given command of a regiment of pitchers. Following the war, he returned to the Cubs and managed them for four more seasons before moving on to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Under his guidance, the team had a record of 612 wins vs. 494 losses.
In total, he made 1,950 appearances across the mound with a record of 63-76. He finished his career with a few good seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves before retiring in 1932.
The White Sox, enraged and feeling underappreciated by their owner, began the 1919 World Series as big favorites against the Cincinnati Reds. However, the team's members had met with criminals in Chicago to discuss the almost impossible: tossing the World Series. When news of this meeting reached Charles Comiskey, he immediately fired everyone involved.
The Black Sox scandal destroyed any hope of a successful season for the White Sox. They finished last in the league with a 66-96 record. The following year, 1920, they moved to Dallas where they became the first major league team to play its home games in Texas.
Charles Comiskey never forgave the Black Sox for what they had done; instead of paying him back for spending money to sign them, he worked to get them arrested so that he could sell their contracts to other teams. The Reds bought Chrissells' contract and added him to their roster. The Cardinals also wanted Chrissells but gave up when they found out he was still being paid by Comiskey. In late July, after the Black Sox were accused of fixing the game, Comiskey sent them an offer to pay them $125,000 if they would return from their vacation in Chicago. But only two players, Eddie Edwards and Bill Wight, returned with Chrissells. The rest either stayed in Chicago or went to jail.
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