It's amazingly been over 90 years since it occurred, but the legendary'19 World Series scandal most definitely lives on with baseball historians and any enthusiasts of the game. With much controversy these days about Pete Rose and his possible place in Cooperstown, another figure with parallels to Rose is Shoeless Joe Jackson, who played for the'19 White Sox (also known as the "Black Sox") for their role in throwing the'19 World Series against the Reds.
Jackson had a career that spanned thirteen years, and played with four teams in all. Most notable was his tenure in Chicago, but he also played for the Indians, Athletics, and Naps. His numbers as a professional ballplayer were very impressive.
Some of these numbers include a .356 career batting average, 785 RBIs, and 168 career triples. The power was low, but this came in an era where lower home run totals were more commonplace.
The power is low, but this came in an era with much deeper home run fences, and just before Babe Ruth made his impact as the first major power hitter in baseball, revolutionizing the game. Players hit for average, with an emphasis on extra base hits (Jackson averaged- triples per season). A closer look at Jackson's stats show some very impressive attributes.
Jackson had an OPS of .940, an on base percentage of .423, and struck out just once every 24 times at the plate. These numbers are very impressive in their own right, and make a stronger case for Shoeless Joe.
Now let's get into the Black Sox scandal of'19. The White Sox faced the Reds in the World Series. The White Sox lost the series and Joe Jackson, and eight other players were accused of throwing the series. But Shoeless Joe stats show he did not play poorly. Do you think a .375 average and 12 hits (a world series record) is throwing the series? His fielding percentage in the series was 1.000, having made no errors.
Some have pointed out an abnormally high number of triples the Reds hit to left field (where Jackson played), but research shows this to be inaccurate, as the Reds hit no triples to left field that series. Contradicting his numbers is the fact that Jackson did accept a $5,000 check. It would seem that Jackson reluctantly accepted the money with his teammates, but most likely didn't want to actually throw the series.
This begs the question: does Shoeless Joe belong in the hall? - 29772
Jackson had a career that spanned thirteen years, and played with four teams in all. Most notable was his tenure in Chicago, but he also played for the Indians, Athletics, and Naps. His numbers as a professional ballplayer were very impressive.
Some of these numbers include a .356 career batting average, 785 RBIs, and 168 career triples. The power was low, but this came in an era where lower home run totals were more commonplace.
The power is low, but this came in an era with much deeper home run fences, and just before Babe Ruth made his impact as the first major power hitter in baseball, revolutionizing the game. Players hit for average, with an emphasis on extra base hits (Jackson averaged- triples per season). A closer look at Jackson's stats show some very impressive attributes.
Jackson had an OPS of .940, an on base percentage of .423, and struck out just once every 24 times at the plate. These numbers are very impressive in their own right, and make a stronger case for Shoeless Joe.
Now let's get into the Black Sox scandal of'19. The White Sox faced the Reds in the World Series. The White Sox lost the series and Joe Jackson, and eight other players were accused of throwing the series. But Shoeless Joe stats show he did not play poorly. Do you think a .375 average and 12 hits (a world series record) is throwing the series? His fielding percentage in the series was 1.000, having made no errors.
Some have pointed out an abnormally high number of triples the Reds hit to left field (where Jackson played), but research shows this to be inaccurate, as the Reds hit no triples to left field that series. Contradicting his numbers is the fact that Jackson did accept a $5,000 check. It would seem that Jackson reluctantly accepted the money with his teammates, but most likely didn't want to actually throw the series.
This begs the question: does Shoeless Joe belong in the hall? - 29772
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