1917 World Series Championship

Lore & Background

The 1917 Chicago White Sox won the World Series in six games against the New York Giants. Eddie Cicotte and Red Faber were key pitchers. There were accusations of this series not being completely 'on the level,' especially after the Black Sox Scandal of 1919. The most notable play involved Heinie Zimmerman of the Giants chasing Eddie Collins across home plate in the deciding game. Zimmerman was later banned from organized baseball for throwing games.

In Their Own Story

The October air over the South Side ballpark was sharp and thin, the kind that makes a bat sting in the hands. Cicotte stood on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, the Giants' best hitter loading the bases, and the crowd — a sea of flat caps and woolen coats — went quiet in the way only a Chicago crowd can, all at once, like a held breath. He wound up. The ball left his hand with a sound like a knuckle cracking. The batter swung and missed. The roar that followed shook the bleachers, and somewhere in the dugout, a catcher who had been crouching for nine innings stood up and simply let his glove drop to his side, because there was nothing left to do but feel the weight of it all land in his chest.

Reader's Guide

Regular season standings, record vs. opponents, game log, roster, player stats (batting, pitching), awards and honors, and 1917 World Series details are included in the compendium. Eddie Cicotte was #1 in the AL in wins (28) and ERA (1.53), and #2 in strikeouts (150). Happy Felsch was #2 in the AL in runs batted in (102).

Did You Know?

• The 1917 White Sox won 100 games, a club record that still stands.
• Their pitching staff led the league with a 2.16 ERA.
• Eddie Cicotte led the AL in wins (28) and ERA (1.53) in 1917.
• The team did not win another world championship until 2005.