Okay, time to get to the meat of this subject, the actual games.  Cool.  First, let me just tell you that we are splitting the games between the Historians.  There is no way to assign them specifically to one of us, so we are all pitching in!  Teamwork’s the best!

So, Game One of the 1919 World Series was played on October 1st at Cincinnati.  Eddie Cicotte was the pitcher.  So you see how important it was for the gamblers to get him in on the fix.  He’s the opening pitcher and will set the whole tone for the Series!  Cicotte also knew how important he was, that’s why he asked for the money beforehand.  We also know from before, that Cicotte hits the first batter to signal that the fix is on.  Right?  Cool.

Let’s go over a key play in the game.  In the 4th inning Edd Roush led off with a deep drive to center.  Cicotte had taken something off the pitch to give Roush a good whack.  Now it was up to Happy Felsch to let the ball drop in, he could have done it easily without looking bad… but he didn’t.  Felsch caught the ball and it was clear to Cicotte that some of the other guys would not lose the game on purpose.  It was up to him.  Later in the 4th he fielded a routine grounder with a man on first.  Going to second base to start the double play, Cicotte turned slow and threw high.  Just enough to only get one out.  By the end of the inning the Reds had put up 5 more runs.  They now led 6 to 1.  Amazing how just a little misstep can help a player throw the game.  Wow!

Okay, some stats for the Black Sox, or the eight players.  Gandil committed the White Sox’s only error of the game.  Buck Weaver was 1 of 4.  Shoeless Joe went 0 for 4, but reached on an error and scored in the 2nd inning.  Happy Felsch went 0 for 3 with a sacrifice bunt to move Shoeless Joe over in the 2nd.  That helped get a run.  Gandil was 4 for 2 with the only RBI for the White Sox.  Risberg was 0 for 2 with a walk.  Fred McMullin was sent to pinch hit once and got a hit!  So, for a number of guys throwing the game, they didn’t really act too much like they were throwing it.  Cicotte was really the key to the game.  Wow!

Just so you know, Shoeless Joe told manager Kid Gleason that he didn’t want to play at the start of the game.  Gleason responded “You’ll play, Jackson! You’ll play!” At this point, most of the people around the team: other players, writers, Gleason, and Commiskey, were sure of the fix or wondering about it.  Cicotte gave up 7 hits in 3.2 innings.  3.2 means that he pitched three full innings and then 2 outs in the 4th inning.  RBI stands for Run Batted In, and is when a hitter gets a man on base to score.