1.
American League
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The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League, is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a league based in the Great Lakes states. It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season,25 years after the formation of the National League. At the end of season, the American League champion plays in the World Series against the National League champion. Through 2016, American League teams have won 64 of the 112 World Series played since 1903, the 2016 American League champions are the Cleveland Indians. The New York Yankees have won 40 American League titles, the most in the history, followed by the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics. Originally a minor league known as the Western League, the American League later developed into a major league after the American Association disbanded, in its early history, the Western League struggled until 1894, when Ban Johnson became the president of the league. Johnson led the Western League into major league status and soon became the president of the newly renamed American League, babe Ruth, noted as one of the most prolific hitters in Major League Baseball history, spent the majority of his career in the American League. The American League has one notable difference versus the National League, in 1902, the Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis and were renamed the St. Louis Browns. In 1902, The Cleveland Bluebirds were also renamed the Cleveland Broncos, in 1903, the Broncos were renamed the Cleveland Naps. In 1915, the Naps were renamed the Cleveland Indians, in 1903, the Baltimore Orioles moved to New York and were renamed the New York Highlanders. In 1913, the Highlanders were renamed the New York Yankees, in 1904, the Chicago White Stockings were renamed the Chicago White Sox. In 1908, the Boston Americans were renamed the Boston Red Sox, in 1954, the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and were renamed as the Baltimore Orioles. In 1955, the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City and were renamed as the Kansas City Athletics, in 1961, the league expanded and added two teams as the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators, expanding the league to 10 teams. The original Senators team moved to Minneapolis/St, Paul in 1961 and were renamed as the Minnesota Twins. The Angels team name changed to the California Angels in 1966, then to the Anaheim Angels in 1997, the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots were added to the American League, expanding the league to 12 teams. In 1970, the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and were renamed the Milwaukee Brewers, in 1972, the Washington Senators relocated to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and were renamed the Texas Rangers. In 1977, the league expanded to fourteen teams, when the Seattle Mariners, in 1998, the Tampa Bay Rays was added to the American League and at the same time, the Milwaukee Brewers were switched to the National League, leaving the American League with 14 teams
2.
Comiskey Park
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Comiskey Park was a ballpark in Chicago, Illinois, the home of the Chicago White Sox from 1910 through 1990. Built by owner Charles Comiskey and designed by Zachary Taylor Davis, it hosted four World Series, the field was also the site of the 1937 heavyweight title match in which Joe Louis defeated then champion James J. Braddock in eight rounds. The Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League also called Comiskey Park home when they werent playing at Normal Park or Soldier Field, the Cardinals won the 1947 NFL Championship Game over the Philadelphia Eagles at Comiskey Park. A new ballpark opened in 1991, across 35th Street and south of its predecessor, originally also called Comiskey Park, it was renamed U. S. Cellular Field in 2003 and Guaranteed Rate Field in 2016, the park was built on a former city dump that Comiskey bought in 1909 to replace the wooden South Side Park. It was originally built as White Sox Park, but within three years was renamed for White Sox founder and owner Charles Comiskey, the original name, White Sox Park, was restored in 1962, but it went back to the Comiskey Park name in 1976. Comiskey Park was very modern for its time and it was the third concrete-and-steel stadium in the major leagues to be built since 1909. As originally built, it seated almost 32,000, a record at the time, briefly, it retained the nickname The Baseball Palace of the World. The parks design was influenced by Sox pitcher Ed Walsh. Later changes were made, but the park remained more or less favorable to defensive teams, for many years this reflected on the White Sox style of play, solid defense, and short, quick hits. The park was unusual in that no player ever hit 100 home runs there, the first game in Comiskey Park was a 2–0 loss to the St. Louis Browns on July 1,1910. The last game at Comiskey was a win, 2–1, over the Seattle Mariners on September 30,1990, the White Sox won their first-ever home night game, over St. Louis on August 14,1939, 5–2. The first no-hitter at Comiskey Park was hurled by Vern Kennedy on August 31,1935, Comiskey Park was the site of four World Series. In 1917, the Chicago White Sox won games 1,2 and 5 at Comiskey Park, in 1918, Comiskey Park hosted the World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. The Cubs borrowed Comiskey Park for the series because of its seating capacity. The Red Sox defeated the Cubs four games to two, games one, two and three were played at Comiskey Park. The Red Sox won games one and three, attendance was under capacity in that war year. The best crowd was game 3, with some 27,000 patrons, in 1919, the White Sox lost the infamous Black Sox World Series to the Cincinnati Reds, five games to three in a nine-game series
3.
Chicago
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Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the third-most populous city in the United States. With over 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the state of Illinois, and it is the county seat of Cook County. In 2012, Chicago was listed as a global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Chicago has the third-largest gross metropolitan product in the United States—about $640 billion according to 2015 estimates, the city has one of the worlds largest and most diversified economies with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce. In 2016, Chicago hosted over 54 million domestic and international visitors, landmarks in the city include Millennium Park, Navy Pier, the Magnificent Mile, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum Campus, the Willis Tower, Museum of Science and Industry, and Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicagos culture includes the arts, novels, film, theater, especially improvisational comedy. Chicago also has sports teams in each of the major professional leagues. The city has many nicknames, the best-known being the Windy City, the name Chicago is derived from a French rendering of the Native American word shikaakwa, known to botanists as Allium tricoccum, from the Miami-Illinois language. The first known reference to the site of the current city of Chicago as Checagou was by Robert de LaSalle around 1679 in a memoir, henri Joutel, in his journal of 1688, noted that the wild garlic, called chicagoua, grew abundantly in the area. In the mid-18th century, the area was inhabited by a Native American tribe known as the Potawatomi, the first known non-indigenous permanent settler in Chicago was Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. Du Sable was of African and French descent and arrived in the 1780s and he is commonly known as the Founder of Chicago. In 1803, the United States Army built Fort Dearborn, which was destroyed in 1812 in the Battle of Fort Dearborn, the Ottawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi tribes had ceded additional land to the United States in the 1816 Treaty of St. Louis. The Potawatomi were forcibly removed from their land after the Treaty of Chicago in 1833, on August 12,1833, the Town of Chicago was organized with a population of about 200. Within seven years it grew to more than 4,000 people, on June 15,1835, the first public land sales began with Edmund Dick Taylor as U. S. The City of Chicago was incorporated on Saturday, March 4,1837, as the site of the Chicago Portage, the city became an important transportation hub between the eastern and western United States. Chicagos first railway, Galena and Chicago Union Railroad, and the Illinois, the canal allowed steamboats and sailing ships on the Great Lakes to connect to the Mississippi River. A flourishing economy brought residents from rural communities and immigrants from abroad, manufacturing and retail and finance sectors became dominant, influencing the American economy. The Chicago Board of Trade listed the first ever standardized exchange traded forward contracts and these issues also helped propel another Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, to the national stage
4.
Charles Comiskey
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Charles Albert Charlie Comiskey, also nicknamed Commy or The Old Roman, was an American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League, Comiskey Park, the White Sox storied baseball stadium, was built under his guidance and named for him. Comiskey was inducted as an executive into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939, Comiskey was born on August 15,1859, in Chicago, the son of Illinois politician John Comiskey. He attended public and parochial schools in Chicago, St. Ignatius College Prep and he played baseball at St. Comiskey started his playing career as a pitcher, and moved to first base after developing arm trouble. He is credited with being the first to play hitters off of first base and he entered the American Association in 1882 with the St. Louis Brown Stockings. He managed the team during parts of its first seasons and took over full-time in 1885, leading the Browns to four consecutive American Association championships and a close second in 1889. He also played and managed for the Chicago Pirates in the Players League, the Browns again, Comiskey left Cincinnati and the majors in fall 1894 to purchase the Western League club in Sioux City, Iowa and move it to Saint Paul, Minnesota. He had compiled a.264 batting average with 29 home runs,883 RBI and 419 stolen bases, as a manager, he posted an 839-542 record. The St. Paul Saints moved to the South Side as the White Stockings of the renamed American League for the 1900 season, the American League then declared itself a major league starting in 1901. As owner of the White Sox from 1900 until his death in 1931, Comiskey oversaw building Comiskey Park in 1910 and winning five American League pennants, Comiskey was notoriously stingy, even forcing his players to pay to launder their own uniforms. Traci Peterson notes that, in an era when professional athletes lacked free agency and she writes, Charles Risberg and Claude Williams made less than $3,000 a year. Joe Jackson and George Weaver made only $6,000 a year, eddie Cicotte had been promised a $10,000 bonus if he could win 30 games in a season. When Cicotte closed in on the 30-game goal, Comiskey had him benched to keep him from reaching the mark, Comiskeys stated reason for having manager Kid Gleason bench Cicotte was that with the Sox headed for the World Series he had to protect his star pitchers arm. In one incident, he promised his players a bonus for winning the 1919 pennant — the bonus turned out to be a case of flat champagne, however, he initially defended the accused players and, in an unusual display of largesse, provided them with expensive legal representation. Indeed, the White Sox promptly tumbled into seventh place and would not be a factor in a pennant race again until 1936, five years after Comiskeys death. Comiskey is sometimes credited with the innovation of playing the first base position behind first base or inside the foul line, later he had played a large role in the dissolution of the National Commission, baseballs former body of authority, following a quarrel with Ban Johnson. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939, Comiskey died in Eagle River, Wisconsin in 1931. Comiskeys son J. Louis inherited the team but died a few years later, the trustees of his estate were going to sell the team, but J. Louis widow Grace was able to gain control of the team and avoid a sale
5.
Pants Rowland
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Clarence Henry Pants Rowland was a Major League Baseball manager for the Chicago White Sox from 1915 through 1918 who went on to become a major figure in minor league baseball. He was born in Platteville, Wisconsin, in his varied career that spanned parts of six decades, he was a catcher, scout, major league umpire, minor and major league manager, and a boisterous baseball executive. He started in baseball at age nine, where he earned his nickname, Pants, Rowland served as a reserve catcher in the minors. Never a great player, his love of the game drove him to other occupations. Pants worked as a scout in the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League--the so-called Three-I League—for the Dubuque Miners and he worked his way into a managerial job, which proved to be his early calling. He then became the manager of the Three-I League Peoria Distillers, in his first year, Rowland and the White Sox finished 93-61, third in the American League, the next year, he finished second. And in 1917, he led them to an 100-54 record, disagreements with Comiskey got him fired the following season, which, given the state of affairs on the White Sox that led up to the Black Sox Scandal, probably saved his reputation. Rowlands all-time record was 339-247 in 591 games, a.591 winning percentage, kid Gleason succeeded Rowland as the next manager of the White Sox. He later served as an American League umpire for seven years, in 1938, as a scout for the Chicago Cubs, he was tasked with the unenviable job of obeying owner Phil Wrigleys orders to buy a washed-up Dizzy Deans contract at any cost. Rowland signed the ragged righty for $185,000, one of the most expensive contracts in baseball history. He returned to the front office during World War II, Rowland was the president of the Los Angeles Angels in 1944, where he earned The Sporting News title of No.1 minor-league executive. It was as president of the Pacific Coast League that Rowland came to real prominence and they think postwar air travel may well lure some big league club to pick up a Los Angeles franchise. Above all, they await the day when they can support a big league of their own. Rowland was the cheerleader for the PCL battle cry of independence, air travel was still primitive, and the PCL teams had near major-league standing in the rapidly growing cities of the Western United States. He went to the 1944 winter meetings of the NABPL in Buffalo with a two-plank agenda and he proposed that minor leagues get $10,000 instead of $7,500 when one of their players is drafted by a major-league club. He also suggested that if & when the major leagues invade minor-league territory, to his surprise, Rowland won support for both of his proposals. Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball opposed the PCL proposal, Pants ties to the last season of pre-Black Sox ball tarred him with the same brush in the eyes of the man called the baseball tyrant. Rowland tried his hand at establishing the PCL as a league with Landis successor
6.
1916 Chicago White Sox season
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The 1916 Chicago White Sox finished second in the American League, just two games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox. By this time, the nucleus of the 1917–19 dynasty was in place, Chicago would win the World Series the following season. This was Shoeless Joe Jacksons first full season with the White Sox and he led the team in batting with a.341 average and finished third in the league overall. Eddie Collins and Happy Felsch also hit.300, the pitching staff was well-balanced, with seven men making at least 14 starts. Note, Pos = Position, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, = Batting average, HR = Home runs, RBI = Runs batted in Note, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, Avg
7.
Chicago White Sox
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The Chicago White Sox is an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League Central division. The White Sox play their games at Guaranteed Rate Field. They are one of two league clubs in Chicago, the other is the Chicago Cubs, who are a member of the National League Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf. One of the American Leagues eight charter franchises, the Chicago team was established as a major baseball club in 1900. The club was called the Chicago White Stockings, but this was soon shortened to Chicago White Sox. The team played games at South Side Park before, in 1910. The White Sox won the 1906 World Series with a team dubbed the Hitless Wonders, and the 1917 World Series led by Eddie Cicotte, Eddie Collins. The 1919 World Series was marred by the Black Sox Scandal, in response, Major League Baseballs new Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned the players from Major League Baseball for life. In 1959, led by Early Wynn, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio and manager Al Lopez and they won the AL pennant in 2005, and went on to win the World Series. The White Sox originated as the Sioux City Cornhuskers of the Western League, in 1894, Charles Comiskey bought the Cornhuskers and moved them to St. Paul, Minnesota, where they became the St. Paul Saints. In 1901, the Western League broke the National Agreement and became the new major league American League, the very first season in the American League ended with a White Stockings championship. However, that would be the end of the season as the World Series did not begin until 1903, the franchise, now known as the Chicago White Sox, made its first World Series appearance in 1906, beating the crosstown Cubs in six games. The White Sox would win a pennant and second World Series in 1917, beating the New York Giants in six games with help from stars Eddie Cicotte. The Sox were heavily favored in the 1919 World Series, huge bets on the Reds fueled speculation that the series had been fixed. This set the franchise back, as they did not win another pennant for 40 years. The White Sox did not finish in the half of the American League again until after club founder Charles Comiskey died and passed ownership of the club to his son
8.
1917 World Series
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In the 1917 World Series, the Chicago White Sox beat the New York Giants four games to two. The Series was played against the backdrop of World War I, the strong Chicago White Sox club had finished the 1917 season with a 100–54 record, their first and only one-hundred-win season in franchise history as of 2016. The Soxs next World Series winner in 2005 would finish the season with a 99–63 record. The Sox won Game 1 of the Series in Chicago 2–1 behind a complete game by Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch hit a home run in the fourth inning that provided the winning margin. The Sox beat the Giants in Game 2 by a score of 7–2 behind another complete game effort by Red Faber to take a 2–0 lead in the Series. Back in New York for Game 3, Cicotte again threw a complete game, in Game 4 the Sox were shut out again 5–0 by Ferdie Schupp. Faber threw another complete game, but the Series was even at 2–2 going back to Chicago, Reb Russell started Game 5 in Chicago, but only faced three batters before giving way to Cicotte. Going into the bottom of the inning, Chicago was down 5–2. Faber pitched the two innings for the win. In Game 6 the Sox took an early 3–0 lead and on the strength of another complete game victory from Faber won 4–2 and clinched the World Championship. Eddie Collins was the hero, batting.409 over the six game series while Cicotte. Catcher Bill Rariden had run up the base line to start a rundown. However, neither of them budged, forcing Zimmerman to chase Collins while pawing helplessly in the air with the ball in an attempt to tag him. Two years before the issue of baseball betting reached its peak, Zimmerman found himself having to publicly deny purposely allowing the run to score, in truth, McGraw blamed Benton and Holke for failing to cover the plate. A quote often attributed to Zim, but actually invented by writer Ring Lardner some years later, was that when asked about the incident Zim replied, Who the hell was I supposed to throw to, Zimmerman would eventually be banned for life due to various accusations of corruption. AL Chicago White Sox vs. NL New York Giants Fred McMullin drove in Chicagos first run, Giants pitcher Slim Sallee knocked in his sides only run with a single after a Lew McCarty triple. Shoeless Joe Jacksons two-run single capped a five-run fourth inning for the White Sox, the home team won for the third straight time as the series moved to the Polo Grounds. The only runs of a snappy 1 hour,55 minute game came on a Dave Robertson triple, Walter Holke double, the first of a pair of homers by Giants center fielder Benny Kauff was an inside-the-park one that sailed over Sox center fielder Happy Felschs head
9.
Eddie Cicotte
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Edward Victor Cicotte, nicknamed Knuckles, was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball best known for his time with the Chicago White Sox. The fixing of the 1919 World Series is the only recognized gambling scandal to tarnish a World Series, Cicotte was the son of Ambrose Cicotte and Archange Mary Drouillard, both of mainly French-Canadian extraction. His fathers early death is said to have pushed Cicotte to excel and he married Rose Ellen Freer, daughter of Russell John Freer and Annie Cecile Thornton, both of whom would later live with the Cicottes. At the time of his ban, he was considered one of the premier pitchers in the American League. A Detroit native, Cicotte played baseball in Georgia in 1905, both players were purchased by the Tigers, and Cicotte made his big-league debut on September 3,1905. Pitching in three games for Detroit, Cicotte compiled a 1–1 record with a 3.50 earned run average, Cicotte didnt return to the major leagues again until 1908, when he resurfaced with the Red Sox. After he compiled a 41–48 record in a Boston uniform, the Red Sox sold him to the White Sox on July 22,1912, Cicotte celebrated a breakout year in 1913, going 18–12 on the season with an ERA of 1.58. He led the league in winning percentage in 1916, but his best year was 1917, when he won 28 games and led the league in wins, ERA, on April 14 he threw a no hitter against the St. Louis Browns. That year, the White Sox went to the World Series, Cicotte won Game 1, lost Game 3, and pitched six innings of relief in Game 5 for a no-decision. His 1919 salary was $6,000, but he had a provision for a $10,000 bonus if he won 30 games. Legend has it that as the season drew to a close, owner Charles Comiskey ordered manager Kid Gleason to bench Cicotte for 5 games, denying him a chance at a 30-win season and the bonus money. In the 1919 World Series against the Reds, Cicotte pitched in three games, winning one but pitching ineffectively and losing the other two, Cicotte was the first of the eight players to come forward, signing a confession and a waiver of immunity. He later recanted this confession and was acquitted of all charges at trial by jury, after being banned from playing baseball, Cicotte returned to Livonia, Michigan. He managed a station, served as a game warden in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, then went to work for Ford Motor Company. Cicotte lived to be 84 years old and he was a strawberry farmer on a 5. 5-acre farm near Farmington until his death at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit on May 5,1969. In the 1988 film Eight Men Out, about the Black Sox scandal and he was portrayed by actor Steve Eastin in the 1989 film Field of Dreams. Cicottes grandnephew Al Cicotte later pitched in the leagues, compiling a lifetime 10–13 record with six teams between 1957 and 1962
10.
Red Faber
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Urban Clarence Red Faber was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1914 through 1933, playing his entire career for the Chicago White Sox. He was a member of the 1919 team but was not involved in the Black Sox scandal because he missed the World Series due to injury, Faber won 254 games over his 20-year career, a total which ranked 17th-highest in history upon his retirement. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964, Faber was born on a farm near Cascade, Iowa, on September 6,1888. While Faber was a child, his father managed a tavern and his father became one of the wealthiest citizens in Cascade. As a teenager, Faber attended college prep academies in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and Dubuque, by the age of 16, Faber was receiving $2 to pitch Sunday games with a local baseball team in Dubuque. In 1909, Faber pitched a season for St. Josephs College, in a game against St. Ambrose University that year, he set a school record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game. Former Dubuque minor league owner Clarence Pants Rowland encouraged Faber to sign with the Class B Dubuque Miners of the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, Faber started well in the minor leagues. He pitched 15 games for Dubuque in 1909 and returned to the team in 1910, registering an 18-19 win-loss record and he threw a perfect game for the Dubs against the Davenport Prodigals in September of that season. He also spent time with minor league clubs in Pueblo and Des Moines and he broke into the major leagues in 1914, starting 19 games and relieving in another 21, he posted a 2.68 ERA while winning 10 games and saving a league-leading four games. Through the 1910s, he would vary between starting and relieving for a team which enjoyed a wealth of pitching talent, in his 1915 season, he won 24 games to tie for second in the American League behind Walter Johnson, and he led the league with 50 appearances. In one game that season, he pitched a three-hitter with only 67 pitches, in 1917 he had a record of 16–13, and at one point started – and won – three games in two days. He saved his best work for the World Series against the New York Giants. After winning Game 2 in Chicago but losing Game 4 on the road, he came into Game 5 in relief and picked up the win as the Sox came back from a 5-2 deficit in the seventh inning to win 8-5. Faber came back two days later to go the distance in the clinching Game 6 at the Polo Grounds, as a consequence, he holds the all-time American League record for pitching decisions in a single World Series with four, a record which stands to this day. His pitching was better than his one game he tried to steal third base when it was already occupied. Faber said that he saw the lead runner rounding third base on the previous play, when the pitcher slowly entered his windup, Faber ran toward third base. However, in one game against Boston, he stole home, after spending most of 1918 in the United States Navy due to World War I, he returned in 1919 only to develop arm trouble. He had lost a significant amount of weight during the war and he finished the year with a 3.83 ERA – the only time in his first nine seasons he posted a mark over 3.00
11.
Road (sports)
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A road game or away game is a sports game where the specified team is not the host and must travel to another venue. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions, each team has a location where it practices during the season and where it hosts games. When a team is not the host, it must travel to games. Thus, when a team is not hosting a game, the team is described as the team, the visiting team, or the away team. The venue in which the game is played is described as the stadium or the road. The host team is said to be the home team, major sporting events, if not held at a neutral venue, are often over several legs at each teams home ground, so that neither team has an advantage over the other. Occasionally, the team may not have to travel very far at all to a road game. These matches often become local derbies, a few times a year, a road team may even be lucky enough to have the road game played at their own home stadium or arena. This is prevalent in college athletics where many schools will play in regional leagues or groundshare. The related term true road game has seen increasing use in U. S. college sports in the 21st century, while regular-season tournaments and other special events have been part of college sports from their creation, the 21st century has seen a proliferation of such events. These are typically held at sites, with some of them taking place outside the contiguous U. S. or even outside the country entirely. In turn, this has led to the use of true road game to refer to contests played at one home venue. In some association football leagues, particularly in Europe, the teams fans sit in their own section. Depending on the stadium, they will either sit in a designated section or be separated from the home fans by a cordon of police officers. However, in the leagues in England, supporters may be free to mix. When games are played at a site, for instance the FA Cup final in England which is always played at Wembley Stadium. This results in each team occupying one half of the stadium and this is different from other sports, particularly in North America, where very few fans travel to games played away from their home stadium. Home and away fans are not separated at these games
12.
1917 New York Yankees season
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The 1917 New York Yankees season was the 15th season for the Yankees in New York, and the 17th season overall for the franchise. The team finished with a record of 71–82, finishing 28½ games behind the American League champion Chicago White Sox, New York was managed by Bill Donovan. Their home games were played at the Polo Grounds, the opening game was against the Boston Red Sox on April 11,1917, at the Polo Grounds in New York. Major General Leonard Wood attended the game and threw out the first ball, Wood had drill sergeant Gibson, the recruiting officer from Macon, Georgia, where the team had their spring training, march the Yankees across the field in formation carrying rifles. Note, Pos = Position, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, Avg. = Batting average, HR = Home runs, RBI = Runs batted in Note, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, Avg. baseball-almanac. com 1917 New York Yankees at Baseball Reference
13.
Jim Scott (pitcher)
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James Death Valley Jim Scott was a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. Scott umpired in the leagues and in the National League after his playing career. Jim Scott was born in Deadwood, South Dakota and he was an alumnus of Nebraska Wesleyan University. Scott finished 14th in voting for the 1913 American League Most Valuable Player and he led the league in games started and finished with a 20–20 win-loss record,25 complete games, four shutouts and a 1.90 earned run average. He led the league in shutouts in 1915 and helped the White Sox win the 1917 World Series, in nine seasons, Scott pitched 317 games and earned a 107-114 win-loss record with 123 complete games. He ranks 17th all-time in career ERA, 96th in career WHIP, in 1918 Scott served in the military during World War I. He also held roles in the film industry for many years. Scott was an umpire for years after his playing days. He umpired in the Southern Association in 1928 and 1929, in the NL in 1930 and 1931, after the 1932 season, Scott quit umpiring and pursued full-time work on motion picture sets until 1953. He died in Jacumba, California at the age of 68, career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference
14.
Earl Hamilton
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Earl Andrew Hamilton was a left-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He pitched a no-hitter against Detroit on August 30,1912, the Tigers did get a run on a Ty Cobb walk and an error, making the final score 5-1 Browns. Hamilton also batted left-handed and ended his career with an average pitchers batting average of.153 in 733 at bats, born in Gibson City, Illinois, Hamilton played his first major league game on April 14,1911. Through the early to mid-teens, Hamilton was considered a quality pitcher and was one of the pitchers on some terrible Browns teams. In 1914, Hamilton had a quality season, going 17-18 with a 2.50 ERA in 302. After being purchased by Detroit in 1916, he was waived back to the Browns less than a month later, then, in 1918, he finally left St. Louis for good after an 0-9 season, being purchased by Pittsburgh before the season began. That season, in 6 starts, he had one of the most amazing seasons ever recorded, Hamilton was 6-0 with a 0.83 ERA in 54 innings that year. He finished with 1 shutout in his 6 complete games, Hamilton had only given up 7 runs in 6 games. Oddly, he picked that season to enlist in the Navy, Hamilton returned for more fair seasons with the Pirates. Along with Wilbur Cooper, Whitey Glazner, and Babe Adams, he helped make up a rotation for Pittsburgh. However, they never made the World Series with Hamilton, before he retired in 1924, Hamilton was selected off waivers by the Phillies, and he went 0-1 with them, with a 10.50 ERA. Hamilton made sparse appearances on leaderboards throughout his career, such as a 9th-place finish in the ERA leaderboard and a 7th-place finish in wins in 1914, when he had 17. He also made the top 10 in losses three times, and ended up finishing only two years of his career with a record, his 6-0 season of 1918 and 1922. In 14 years, he was 116-147 with a solid 3.16 ERA in 410 games and he pitched 140 complete games,16 of them shutouts. Hamilton recorded 790 career strike outs and allowed 1075 runs in 2342 and he died in Anaheim, California, at the age of 77. Hamilton pitched 16 shutout innings on July 16,1920 with the Pirates, before losing 7-0 against the New York Giants, rube Benton was the Giants pitcher, also going 16 shutout innings. List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders List of Major League Baseball no-hitters Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
15.
Dave Danforth
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David Charles Dauntless Dave Danforth was a professional baseball player. He was a pitcher over parts of ten seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox. For his career, he compiled a 71–66 record in 286 appearances, Danforth played on two World Series championship teams, the 1911 Athletics and the 1917 White Sox. He appeared in one World Series game, pitching one inning, giving up two runs and striking out two, Danforth was an alumnus of Baylor University. He pitched two seasons at Baylor and pitched two no-hitters as a collegiate, in 1911 he led Baylor to the Texas championship with a 10-0 Win–loss record. He had agreed to join the Athletics for the 1911 season over the winter of 1910-11, the 1912 Reach Guide described him as a clever young pitcher and said that the Athletics were fortunate in his gradual development in their pursuit of the 1911 league championship. He was born in Granger, Texas and later died in Baltimore and he is buried in Loudon Park Cemetery in Baltimore. List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference
16.
Allen Sothoron
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Allen Sutton Sothoron was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. As a player, he was a pitcher who spent 11 years in the Major Leagues playing for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians. Born in Bradford, Ohio, Sothoron threw and batted right-handed, stood5 feet 11 inches tall and he attended Albright College and Juniata College. Sothoron broke into the Major Leagues when the spitball was still legal and his best season came in 1919, when he posted a 20–13 record with a 2.20 earned run average for the Browns, finishing fifth in the American League in wins and ERA. But he was never able to match his 1919 numbers, during his MLB career, he appeared in 264 games pitched, and allowed 1,583 hits and 596 bases on balls in 1, 582⅓ innings pitched. He struck out 576 and hurled 102 complete games, in 1921, sportswriter Bugs Baer came up with this immortal quip, Allen S. Sothoron pitched his initials off yesterday. He was replaced with hometown favorite Rogers Hornsby, Sothoron died in St. Louis at age 46 in the middle of the 1939 season after a series of illnesses. He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City, career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference
17.
Harry Coveleski
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Harry Frank Coveleski was a Major League Baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Detroit Tigers. Coveleski was born as the fourth of five ball-playing brothers in the community of Shamokin. His oldest brother Jacob died while serving in the Spanish–American War, and his other brothers Frank and John played baseball as well and his younger brother Stan Coveleski went on become a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Coveleski began his career with the Phillies in 1907, thereafter, Coveleski was called The Giant Killer. Traded to the Reds after the 1909 season, Coveleski had a disappointing 1910 season, including a game in which he walked sixteen batters, and was out of the Major Leagues for three seasons. That year A. H. Coveleski got the start on the parks August 18,1910 opening day and he ended up pitching two no-hitters for the Barons, and won 21 games, including eleven straight decisions, to end the season with a 1.55 ERA. His final appearance for Birmingham was a 1-0 shutout against the league-champion New Orleans Pelicans in which he held their star slugger Shoeless Joe Jackson hitless in four appearances. Following an arm injury, Woodward traded Coveleski to the Chattanooga Lookouts, in their 1913 campaign he led the Southern Association with 28 wins and attracted the notice of the Detroit Tigers scouts. Coveleski joined the Tigers for the 1914 season, and pitched over 300 innings, completed 23 of his 36 games, and won 22 games, second in the American League only to Walter Johnson. In four of his five seasons with the Tigers, Coveleskis ERA was under three, and his 2.34 ERA with the Tigers is still the franchises all-time career record. In a 1976 Esquire magazine article, sportswriter Harry Stein published an All Time All-Star Argument Starter, Harry Coveleski was the left-handed pitcher on Steins Polish team. In the 2008–2009 comic book series I Kill Giants, protagonist Barbara Thorsons fantasy world features a war hammer named Coveleski, Barbara explains that it is named after Harry Coveleski and his performance against the New York Giants. Best pitching seasons by a Detroit Tiger 1915 Detroit Tigers season Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference
18.
Howard Ehmke
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Howard Jonathan Ehmke was a right-handed American baseball pitcher. Ehmke compiled a career record of 166-166 with a 3.75 earned run average. His greatest success was with the Red Sox, including a no-hitter, Ehmke still holds the American League record for fewest hits allowed in two consecutive starts. Ehmke also ranks sixteenth on the major league list for hitting batsmen with a pitch. Ehmke hit 137 batters in his career and led the American League in the seven times. He is best known for being the surprise starter who won Game 1 of the 1929 World Series for the Athletics at the age of 35, after retiring from baseball, he started his own company that began making tarpaulins to cover baseball diamonds during rain. Ehmke was born in Silver Creek, New York, in 1894 and he was the ninth of eleven children born to a German immigrant father and a Swedish-American mother. He moved to California as a man and graduated from Glendale High School in 1913. Ehmke began his baseball career in 1914 with the Los Angeles Angels in the Pacific Coast League. He appeared in a total of 40 games for the Angels, a bidding war developed among major league teams seeking Ehmkes services. The Pittsburgh Pirates offered the Angels $5,000 in June 1914, in July 1914, the Kansas City Packers of the Federal League entered the bidding process. The Washington Senators purchased Ehmke from the Angels, but Ehmke refused to sign the contract presented to him by the Senators, on February 13,1915, he finally signed a contract with the Buffalo Blues of the Federal League. He made his league debut on April 12,1915. He compiled an 0-2 record with a 5.53 ERA in 53-2/3 innings pitched, the Federal League folded at the end of the 1914 season, and in May 1915, Ehmke joined the Syracuse Stars of the New York State League. Ehmke appeared in 38 games for Syracuse in 1916 and compiled a 31-7 record with a 1.55 ERA. On July 28,1916, Ehmke was sold by Syracuse to the Detroit Tigers for a price reported to be the biggest sum ever paid for a pitcher in the State League and he did not appear in his first game for the Tigers until September 1916. He appeared in a total of five games for the 1916 Tigers in a short tryout, in 1917, Ehmke appeared in 35 games,25 as a starter, and compiled a 10-15 record with a 2.97 ERA. In late July 1917, sportswriter Paul Purman wrote that Ehmke had bewildering speed, an assortment of curves
19.
Reb Russell
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Ewell Albert Reb Russell was a Major League Baseball player for the Chicago White Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Russell was drafted by the White Sox as a pitcher in 1912, in his rookie season, his won-loss record was 22–16 and he led the league in games pitched, with 52. The lefty had a sterling 1.90 ERA while leading the team in innings pitched, only Washingtons ace Walter Johnson topped Reb’s eight shutouts, and Russell tied a record that still stands with five 1–0 victories in a season. In 1916, he was Chicagos opening day starter, that year he led the team in wins, innings, and shutouts, Russell helped the White Sox win the 1917 American League pennant, with a won-loss record of 15–5 and an ERA of 1.95. He was the pitcher of Game 5 of the 1917 World Series. Russell developed arm trouble in 1918 and, after a poor start, however, in the minor leagues the decent-hitting Russell converted to playing the outfield and returned to the majors in 1922, playing for Pittsburgh. That year, he batted.367 with 75 RBI in 60 games and he was released by the Pirates at the end of the 1923 season, after which he returned to the minor league American Association. Russell remained a highly paid star in the AA through age 40, career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference Biography at SABRs Baseball Biography Project
20.
Eddie Plank
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Edward Stewart Plank, nicknamed Gettysburg Eddie, was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher, Plank played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 through 1914, the St. Louis Terriers in 1915, and the St. Louis Browns in 1916 and 1917. Philadelphia went to the World Series five times while Plank played there, Plank had only a 1.32 earned run average in his World Series career, but he was unlucky, with a 2–5 win–loss record in those games. Plank died of a stroke in 1926 and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. Plank grew up on a farm near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and he was the fourth of seven children born to Martha McCreary and David Plank. His father was a director and tax collector in Gettysburg. Plank did not play baseball until Frank Foreman, the coach at Gettysburg College. History books often erroneously state that Plank graduated from Gettysburg College and he attended Gettysburg Academy, a prep school affiliated with the college. However, he played for the team without ever being enrolled there. Plank signed with the Richmond Colts of the Virginia League, a minor league, the league folded before Plank could pitch for the Colts. Foreman recommended Plank to Connie Mack, the manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, Plank made his major league debut for the Athletics on May 13,1901. As a rookie, Plank pitched to a 17-13 win–loss record with a 3.31 earned run average and 28 complete games in 32 games started and he won 20 games for the first time in his career in 1902, as the Athletics won the American League pennant. He won 23 games in 1903 while leading the AL in games started, in 1905, Plank made his first trip to the World Series. He faced Christy Mathewson in the first game and Joe McGinnity in the fourth game. Though Plank gave up three runs in 17 innings during the series, the Athletics lost to the New York Giants in five games. The Athletics returned to the World Series in 1910, but Plank was forced to sit out with a sore arm, by 1911, Plank was the last member of the Athletics remaining from the 1901 team. The 1911 team made the World Series and faced the Giants again, after Plank won Game Two and lost in a relief appearance in Game Five, the Athletics won the series in six games. In 1913, the Athletics and Giants met again in the World Series, Mathewson hit a tenth-inning single off of Plank to set up a Giants victory in Game Two, but Plank and the Athletics bested Mathewson 3–1 in the fifth and deciding game of the series
21.
Lefty Williams
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Claude Preston Lefty Williams was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is probably best known for his involvement in the 1919 World Series fix, Williams was born in Aurora, Missouri, to William and Mary Williams. He began his league career on September 17,1913. His breakthrough season came in 1915, while with the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League and that year, he pitched 418.2 innings, leading the league in wins and strikeouts, while featuring mostly his mid-90s fastball and swooping curve. His contract was purchased by the Chicago White Sox. With the White Sox, Williams settled into the rotation and helped the team win the pennant in 1917. After spending 1918 working in Navy shipyards, he came back strong in 1919 with his greatest performance, the White Sox again won the American League pennant. However, before that years World Series, he got caught up in the Black Sox scandal when teammate Chick Gandil offered him $10,000 to lose his starts. Williams only received $5,000, half of what he was promised, in the series, Williams went 0–3, with an earned run average of 6.63. His three losses were a World Series record and that was tied in the 1981 Series when George Frazier lost three games. Eight Men Out author Eliot Asinof wrote that Williams eventually turned against the fix as he prepared for his final Series start, in 1920, Williams went 22–14, but was caught up in the indictments handed down that autumn. Though acquitted by a jury, Williams and the seven other Black Sox were banned from organized baseball by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis and he supposedly took to drinking heavily. It was reported that the between-inning nips made him a pitcher to the batters. Williams spent his years in Laguna Beach, California, operating a garden nursery business. Williams would be portrayed by actor James Read in the 1988 film Eight Men Out
22.
Bob Groom
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Robert Groom, was a professional baseball player who played as a pitcher in two midwest minor leagues and the Pacific Coast League from 1904 to 1908, and then in the Major Leagues from 1909 to 1918. He pitched for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Terriers, St. Louis Browns, on May 6,1917, while with the Browns, Groom no-hit the eventual World Champion Chicago White Sox 3–0. The no-hitter came in the game of Sunday double-header, after Groom preserved the win in the first game. It also came the day after teammate Ernie Koobs 1–0 no-hitter against the White Sox, to date, Koob and his best major league season was with the 1912 Senators, when he won 24 games and Washington finished second in the American League. During his debut season, Groom became the first pitcher to achieve 19 consecutive losses in a season and he did and coached them to the state and regional championships in their first season. He led the Hilgards through 1944, and for his role in founding the team was inducted into the Hilgard Hall of Fame in February 2008. C
23.
Stan Coveleski
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Stanley Anthony Coveleski was an American Major League Baseball pitcher during the 1910s and 1920s who primarily threw the spitball. In 14 seasons in the American League, Coveleski pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators and New York Yankees. In 450 career games, Coveleski pitched 3,082 innings and posted a record of 215–142, with 224 complete games,38 shutouts. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969, born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, Coveleski began playing professional baseball in 1908, following in the footsteps of his brother, Harry Coveleski. He played mostly for the Lancaster Red Roses until he made his league debut with the Athletics in 1912. Following three more seasons in the leagues, he stayed in the major leagues after signing with the Indians in 1916. During his nine seasons with the Indians, his accomplishments included winning three games during the 1920 World Series, after his time with the Indians ended, Coveleski spent three seasons with the Senators and one with the Yankees before retiring after the 1928 season. He retired to South Bend, Indiana, where he died in 1984, a starting pitcher, Coveleski specialized in throwing the spitball, a pitch where the ball is altered with a foreign substance such as chewing tobacco. It was legal when his career began and outlawed in 1920, stanislaus Anthony Kowalewski was the youngest of five baseball-playing brothers in the coal-mining community of Shamokin, Pennsylvania. His oldest brother Jacob died serving in the Spanish–American War, his other brothers Frank and John also played baseball and his older brother, Harry Coveleski, later won 20 games in a season on three occasions during his major league career. Like many his age in the Shamokin area, Coveleski began work as a boy at a local colliery at the age of 12. In return for 72 hours of labor per week, Coveleski received $3.75, there was nothing strange in those days about a twelve-year-old Polish kid working in the mines for 72 hours a week at a nickel an hour, he later recalled. What was strange is that I ever got out of there, Coveleski was rarely able to play baseball as a child due to his work schedule. Nevertheless, he worked on his skills during the evenings. When he was 18 years old, Coveleskis abilities caught the attention of the local ball club. When it came to throwing a baseball, why it was easy to pitch, after all, the plates a lot bigger than a tin can to throw at. His baseball career in Shamokin was short-lived, after five games, Coveleski relocated to Lancaster, Coveleski signed his first professional contract in 1909 with the minor league Lancaster Red Roses, a club affiliated with the Tri-State League. During his first trip to Lancaster, he recalled that it was the first time I ever rode on a train, in 272 innings of work his first season, Coveleski had a 23–11 win-loss record with an earned run average of 1.95
24.
Fritz Coumbe
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Frederick Nicholas Coumbe was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1914 through 1921. He was born in Antrim, Pennsylvania and he was born on December 13,1889 in Antrim, Pennsylvania. Listed at 6 ft 0 in,152 lb. Coumbe reached the majors in 1914 with the Boston Red Sox, spending part of season with them before moving to the Cleveland Naps & Indians. His most productive came in 1918 with the Indians, when he posted career-highs in wins, starts, strikeouts. Cincinnati won the first two games, 13–4 and 7–3, and Pittsburgh won the third, 6–0 and he saw action in right field in Game 1 and started at center field in Game 3. After his major league career ended with the Reds, he spent the decade in the minor leagues. In an eight-season career, Coumbe posted a 38–38 record with 212 strikeouts, a good hitting pitcher, he also was used as a pinch-hitter, collecting a.206 batting average with one home run and 30 RBI. Coumbe died on March 21,1978 in Paradise, California at the age of 88, career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference Baseball Library Retrosheet Baseball Records Registry, by Joseph J. Dittmar, McFarland,1997
25.
Jim Bagby Sr.
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James Charles Jacob Bagby Sr. was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Bagby was the first pitcher to hit a run in a modern World Series. A native of Barnett, Georgia, Bagby began his career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1912. His pitching records that year were not impressive, so the Reds let him go and he returned to major league baseball with the Cleveland Indians in 1916. Bagby posted 23 wins in 1917, following with 17 wins the next two campaigns, the 1920 Indians team was powered with stars such as Tris Speaker, Stan Coveleski, Ray Caldwell, minor-league call-up Duster Mails, Bagby, Charlie Jamieson and Elmer Smith. On September 2 of that year, Bagby won his 31st game of the season, since that game was played, only three other pitchers, have collected 30 victories in one season. On October 10, Bagbys turn to make World Series history came and it was a game filled with World Series firsts, as Elmer Smith became the first player in the Series history to hit a grand slam in the games first inning. During the games third inning, Bagby came to bat with two men on bases, hitting the first home run by a pitcher in modern World Series history. Later on, another of Bagbys teammates, Bill Wambsganss, turned in the first unassisted triple play in World Series history, in 1921, it was Bagbys pitch that Babe Ruth hit as his record-breaking 120th home run. Before the 1923 season Bagby was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and he retired at the end of the season. In a nine-season career, Bagby posted a 127–87 record with 450 strikeouts, in World Series play, he had an 1–1 record with an ERA of 1.80. Baseball historians Bill James and Rob Neyer have ranked Bagbys screwball the ninth-best of all time and his son, Jim Bagby Jr. was also a major leaguer who played for the Red Sox, Indians and Pirates. The Bagbys became the first father and son to pitch in the World Series when Jim Jr. appeared for the 1946 Red Sox, Jim Bagby died in Marietta, Georgia at age 64. He was survived by his son Jim Jr. and two daughters, Mabel Moore and Elizabeth Fincher
26.
Ed Klepfer
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He was born on March 17,1888 in Summerville, Pennsylvania. He batted and threw right-handed and was also 6 ft 0 in,180 pounds, Klepfer made his big league debut on July 4,1911 with the Highlanders. His career was chopped up due to time spent fighting in World War I, at one time in his war fighting tenure, he was gassed. Perhaps the most extraordinary part of his career was his second to last season-1917 and he went 14–4 with a 2.37 ERA in 213 innings. He finished his career with a 22–17 record and a 2.98 ERA in 98 games, even though Klepfer was a fairly productive pitcher, he will still go down in history as one of the worst hitters to ever step on the diamond. In 125 career at-bats, he collected 6 hits for a paltry.048 batting average and he played his last game on September 5,1919. After baseball, Klepfer became an independent oil operator and then in 1946 went to work for C. W. Titus, Klepfer died on August 9,1950 in a hospital in Tulsa. His body was laid to rest at Rose Hill Cemetery, on August 21,1915, the White Sox traded Klepfer along with Larry Chappell, Braggo Roth and cash for Shoeless Joe Jackson. Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference Ed Klepfer at Find a Grave
27.
Joe Benz
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Joseph Louis Benz was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1919. He played for the Chicago White Sox, benzs two main pitches were the spitball and the knuckleball. Benz pitched a no-hitter on May 13,1914 for the White Sox against the Cleveland Naps and he was a member of the Sox teams that reached the World Series in both 1917 and 1919, but appeared in neither. Benz had a 7-3 record during the 1917 season and was 8-8 a year later, but he pitched in just one game during the 1919 season, and was not on the roster for the 1919 World Series, which was tainted by the Black Sox Scandal. List of Chicago White Sox no-hitters Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference
