The 1919 World Series: The Fix Is In

Sports fans yell "cheaters" at their television sets with ferocity on almost a nightly basis, but nobody wants to admit that their favorite player or team played is ever guilty of any transgressions. Athletics are presumed to be fair. Professional athletes are the heroes of young and old everywhere. Throughout history, however, athletes, like many others, have fallen prey to greed and corruption.

Baseball is America's "national pastime," and fans have been going to games for well over a century. Two of today's premiere teams have been there practically from the start. The Cincinnati Reds were formed in 1882 and joined the National League in 1890. The Chicago White Sox were formed in 1900, and were one of the American League's eight charter teams. These two powerhouses met in the 1919 World Series, and while fans of both sides expected a historic match-up, what happened that year is something which was unimaginable to any fan. Before the first pitch was even thrown, the Chicago White Sox planned to lose the World Series.

Baseball in the early 1900s was a far cry from the sport it is today. Owners had much more control over their players and their disposition. A player could not transfer to another team without the owner's permission. The salaries were barely enough for the players to live on, and many of them had to find other work during the off-season. The White Sox organization in particular was known for notoriously poor pay. Charles Cominsky, the White Sox owner, had a reputation of being a tyrant and a cheap skate, he paid the lowest salaries in the league, and by 1919, it was no secret that Cominsky's players hated him.

To retaliate against Cominsky, White Sox first baseman Arnold "Chick" Gandil came up with a plan to throw the 1919 Series. The player had ties with some unsavory characters, including professional gambler Joseph "Sports" Sullivan. Gandil approached Sullivan with a plan to throw the World Series for $100,000, which while a seemingly large amount by today's standards, was even more exorbitant at the time. Gandil enlisted enough teammates to ensure the games would be lost. The exact number of players actually involved is still debated, but it believed eight men participated in the 1919 World Series fix.

Sullivan needed a financier, and he found one in New York gangster Arnold Rothstein. Rothstein was considered a financial genius by historians and mob leaders alike. Rothstein financed the fix through his lieutenant Abe Attell, a former professional boxer. With the money and players in place, Gandil's plan was in full swing literally after Chicago's second pitch in game one of the 1919 World Series. White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte hit leadoff batter Morrie Rath in the back with his second pitch; this was the signal to Rothstein that the fix was on.

Eight games later, Cincinnati won the 1919 World Series, much to the dismay and outcries of foul play by the White Sox fans. Cincinnati took five out of the eight games to claim the title; however, Chicago won a few in an effort to cover up the fix. After losing to Cincinnati in games one and two, Chicago claimed victory in game three. Games four and five were thrown, and Chicago once again tried to cover its tracks by winning games six and seven. Game eight was the clincher for the National League Reds, who never questioned their victories.

Oddly enough, people suspected the games were fixed before the 1919 World Series ever began. Money was needed to pay the players involved in the fix. Once word was spread that Cincinnati would win, bets in the Reds' favor increased greatly, so greatly that it was suspicious. This raised question in many an eye, since the White Sox were the clear favorites. Two key people who took note of the suspicious wagers were Chicago Herald and Examiner journalist Hugh Fullerton, and former player and manager Christy Mathewson. Fullerton and Mathewson believed the rumors of a fix so much, they agreed to watch the World Series with microscopic eyes, and took notes on all suspicious plays and players.

People continued to talk about the 1919 World Series throughout the 1920 baseball season. Chicago was hounded with accusations of being corrupt and placed under a grand jury investigation in September 1920, commencing fallout of historical proportions. Despite the need for key personnel on the field during the final three games of the season, Charles Cominsky suspended seven of the eight key players suspected of participating in the fix. The only player not suspended was, ironically, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, who had left the White Sox to play semi-pro baseball. The other seven were: Eddie Cicotte, Claude "Lefty" Williams, Oscar "Happy" Felsch, Charles "Swede" Risberg, Fred McMullin, George "Buck" Weaver, and, perhaps the most famous White Sox at the time, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. As predicted, the White Sox lost two of their three final games of the season and finished in second place behind the Cleveland Indians.

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson remains the one player in question over the 1919 World Series controversy. The left fielder played particularly well during the Series, maintaining a record-setting .375 batting average. Jackson led the players' statistics for both teams and also fielded extraordinarily well. He committed zero fielding errors and threw one Red out at home plate. Jackson's stats alone suggest he was not involved in the fix, but he testified differently on September 28, 1920.

Quoted material suggests Jackson testified: "When a Cincinnati player would bat a ball out in my territory I'd muff it if I could — that is, fail to catch it. But if it would look too much like crooked work to do that I'd be slow and make a throw to the infield that would be short. My work netted the Cincinnati team several runs that they never would have had if we had been playing on the square." The actual source of this quoted material cannot be found, however, as it not included in the stenographic records of his testimony with the grand jury. Many who cried foul at the White Sox loss, cried foul that Jackson was guilty, as well.

Jackson later proclaimed that he was innocent, particularly during the last 30 years of his life. Jackson stated he refused to accept the fix money on two separate occasions, yet also said he did receive $5,000 and was originally promised $20,000. Jackson also contended that he tried to tell owner Cominsky about the fix, but Cominsky refused to see him. Another account has Jackson telling Cominsky, and Cominsky not believing him. Perhaps Jackson's greatest downfall was White Sox team attorney, Alfred Austrian, represented him at the time of the grand jury investigation. This not only presented a conflict of interest for the player, but it is rumored Austrian got Jackson drunk on whiskey prior to the trial and coerced a confession of guilt out of him. Although Jackson was acquitted of the charges, he was banned from playing major league baseball after the 1920 season. Jackson also remains on Major League Baseball's ineligible list, which precludes him from entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

After his ban from professional baseball, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson played and managed semi-pro ball. He and his wife move back to Savannah, Georgia in 1922 and opened a dry cleaning business. In 1933, they moved to Greenville, South Carolina and opened a barbecue restaurant and liquor store. "Shoeless" Joe died of a heart attack at the age of 64. He was the first player of the eight involved to pass away.

Perhaps too late, the remaining seven players implicated in the 1919 World Series scandal came forth to say "Shoeless" Joe never attended any of the meetings to fix the games. Claude "Lefty" Williams went so far as to say that they mentioned Jackson's name to the financiers to give the plan greater credibility. Regardless, the fix of the 1919 World Series cost a team, and eight players, standing in the world of professional baseball. It also cost a great player, and possibly innocent man, his deserved place into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Inside Story of Plot to Buy World Series - Chicago Historical Society's account of the 1919 World Series Fix.

1919 World Series Black Sox Scandal - Montgomery College paper on the Black Sox (as they were dubbed) scandal.

Famous American Trials: The Black Sox Trial - University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Law's report on the grand jury trial the White Sox players faced.

The Fix Is In! - Legends of the Dead Ball Era present an accounting of the players involved in the 1919 World Series scandal.

Players Confess to Fixing 1919 World Series - University of Richmond's History Engine's report on the fix.

1919 World Series - Baseball Almanac's recap of the 1919 World Series.

H. Res. 269 In the House of Representatives, U.S. - U.S. House of Representative Bill Resolution 269 requesting "Shoeless" Joe Jackson be reinstated to Major League Baseball.

Museums for Cobb, Jackson Honor Game's Flawed Giants - The Plain Dealer article on "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's museum.

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson Official Website - The official website of the troubled left fielder containing his biography and career statistics.

"Shoeless" Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library - Greenville, South Carolina's museum and library dedicated to their resident legend.

"Shoeless" Joe, Innocent or Guilty? - University of Florida presents a discussion on whether Jackson was truly involved in the 1919 scandal.

Arnold Rothstein (1882 - 1928) - The Jewish Virtual Library's profile of Arnold Rothstein.

Arnold Rothstein Rigged the 1919 World Series. Or Did He? - Daniel A. Nathan's account of Arnold Rothstein's involvement in the 1919 World Series fix.

An Arnold Rothstein Chronology - A chronology of Arnold Rothstein's criminal activity.