Black Sox Scandal: Cincinnati Wins Tainted Series
Eight members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. The fix was an open secret: sportswriters noticed suspicious play immediately, and gambling odds shifted dramatically before Game 1. First baseman Chick Gandil organized the scheme with gambler Arnold Rothstein, promising players $100,000 in total. Most received far less. Pitcher Eddie Cicotte, who made $6,000 a year, was promised $10,000 and received it stuffed under his hotel pillow before the first game. A grand jury investigated in 1920, but key evidence disappeared and all eight players were acquitted. Baseball's first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, banned them for life anyway. Shoeless Joe Jackson, who hit .375 in the Series, has been ineligible for the Hall of Fame ever since.
October 9, 1919
107 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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