Red Faber (Originally Written January 1, 2020)

Red Faber was a Hall of Fame pitcher with the White Sox for 20 years.  He pitched with one of the best teams in Sox history, winning three games in the 1917 World Series.  He also pitched for poor teams in the aftermath of the Black Sox Scandal.  Faber wore two numbers with the Sox, eighteen and nineteen.  The Sox have not yet retired his number, and the organization should do so, to honor his accomplishments as a member of the Sox.  In writing my summary, I drew from Brian Cooper’s magnificent biography on Red, as well as Baseball Reference and Cooper’s article on Red for SABR. 

Urban Clarence Faber was born on September 6, 1888, on his parents’, Nicholas and Margaret, family farm near Cascade, Iowa.  Five years later, the Faber family relocated to the town of Cascade.  Eventually, the Fabers became one of the town’s wealthier families.  Nicholas Faber operated a tavern before running the Hotel Faber.  The family’s wealth afforded the young Faber an opportunity to attend prep academies, first Sacred Heart in Prairie du Chien, and then Saint Joseph’s Academy in Dubuque.  Soon “Red” (dubbed for his long flowing red locks) was playing baseball and learning how to pitch.  By the time Red was 16 years old, he was earning two bucks to pitch Sunday games for a Dubuque team (approximately $50 today).  Red next attended Dubuque’s Loras College, where he continued to excel as a pitcher.  In an especially noteworthy game against Saint Ambrose University, Red struck out 24 batters in a nine-inning game.  During Red’s tenure at Loras, Clarence “Pants” Rowland, the owner of the minor league class B Dubuque Miners and a close friend of future White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, encouraged Red to sign with Rowland’s club. 

Pants visited Red and Nicholas Faber at the Hotel Faber to discuss Red’s future as a baseball player.  Nicholas enjoyed watching Red play baseball, but he felt that it was time for his son to take on more responsibility with the family business, as Red was the second oldest son.  Pants suggested that Nicholas should not be so hasty.  Pants assured the elder Faber that Red possessed a great deal of talent, and that Pants had seen a lot of players come and go during his tenure as a ball player, coach, manager, and ball team owner.  Pants indicated that Red could be a standout ball player, and that he was smart enough to run a ball team.  Imagine, Faber Field in Cascade.  Pants said that pitchers like Christy “Big Six” Mathewson made large salaries during the season, and earned nice cuts if the team made it to this newly arranged World Series, as well as barnstorming games during the offseason.  At the end of the day, Red accepted Rowland’s offer, and debuted with the Miners in 1909.

After five seasons of minor league service, including stops in Dubuque, Wichita, Pueblo, Minneapolis, and Des Moines, Red rode the train to Paso Robles, to join the White Sox for spring training.  Red fared well during his five-year stint in the minors, particularly in Des Moines, where he totaled 41 wins in more than 679 innings in 1912 and 1913 combined.  Red’s 1913 season with the Des Moines Boosters was quite good, winning 20 games while pitching more than 373 innings. At the plate, he batted .229 with 11 doubles, not a bad showing for a pitcher.  Frank Isbell, the second baseman for the 1906 White Sox World Series Champs, managed the Boosters, and Ed “Noodles” Hahn, another member of the 1906 Champs, played outfield for the Boosters.  As such, Red had the opportunity to work with two long-time big leaguers to further refine his poise and demeanor.  Isbell managed Red from 1911 to 1913, and the consistency aided Red into becoming big league ready for 1914.  Red’s appreciation of his manager’s skill was apparent, as the young pitcher excelled in every way under Isbell.  However, Red was now 25 years old.  This kind of life could not last forever.

Fresh off a new contract from old-man Comiskey, as well as bonus money for playing on a world-wide baseball exhibition during the previous fall, Red splurged and left for spring training, first-class and a week early, to the Central Coast of California.  During the trip out West, Red reflected on the numerous old-timers in the minors who helped enhance his craft as a pitcher.  When Red arrived in Minneapolis, where he entered a distance-throwing contest and injured his pitching arm.  During his short stay in Minneapolis, his teammate Harry Peaster taught him the finer points of the spitball, which at the time was a legal pitch.  Red refined this pitch over the next few years in the minor leagues, after that arm injury jeopardized his career. 

Red never resorted to the spitter until it was absolutely necessary.  On the trip out West, he recalled how he nearly ruined his arm by throwing curve balls along with the ill-fated long-toss competition.  In throwing the spitter, Red would wet the tips of the first two fingers on his right hand; next he threw the spitter from a variety of arm angles, perplexing and baffling batters with the pitch's late-breaking downward movement.  In Red’s mind, “the spitball may be a little harder on some pitchers’ arms than a straight fastball, but certainly it is not half as bad as throwing a curve, which causes a continual grind at the elbow and in many cases, permanently shortens a pitcher’s arm.”  Hall-of-Famer Goose Goslin later remarked that “a batter cannot guess with Faber, his only chance is to close the eyes and hope bat meets ball.”  On the train, Red chewed, as he did throughout his pitching career, a combination of slippery elm and tobacco.  This blend gave Red the consistency required to throw his spitter.  Much later in life Red stated that “I don’t chew tobacco because I like it, in fact, I never chew except when I am pitching.”  Ultimately, the spitter enabled Red to solidify an “iron man” reputation, sometimes pitching on consecutive days and once, during an Iowa heat wave, pitching all 18 innings of a tie game ended by darkness.  In the closing weeks of the 1913 season, Comiskey bought Red’s contract for 1914.  Red would earn $1,200 for the 1914 season, which roughly translated to $28,000 today.  Frequently on the trip out West, Red thought about his abbreviated past offseason. 

In October 1913, at the urging of Red’s old patron Pants Rowland, Comiskey added Red to the Sox roster for the around-the-world exhibition tour with the New York Giants.  Red performed adequately on the domestic portion of the tour, but Comiskey planned to drop him from the squad before departure for Japan, Ceylon, Australia, Egypt, Italy, France, and England.  However, Red caught a break:  a few hours before the teams embarked on their Pacific crossing, legendary Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson quit the tour because he feared becoming seasick on the journey!  The Giants were coming off the loss of the World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics a mere few weeks before the voyage was to embark.  “Matty” pitched 306 innings for the Giants during the 1913 regular season, and another 19 innings in the subsequent World Series.  After his 14^th big league season, the 32-year-old future Hall of Famer may have needed a well-deserved break.  After all, this tour was scheduled to run from November 1913 through February 1914, with spring training commencing shortly after the players’ return to the States.

Comiskey and Giants manager John McGraw agreed to include Red on the tour; however, Comiskey loaned Red to the Giants to take Mathewson’s place.  Unfortunately for Red, a powerful storm nearly wrecked the teams’ ship as it crossed the Pacific, and all the passengers experienced bouts of seasickness.  Red was too ill to leave the ship for a day or two after its arrival in Japan.  Eventually, he took regular turns pitching against his future team, and Red won three games.  In the finale, in London before King George V, Red pitched ferociously for 11 innings but eventually took the loss.  On the voyage back home, McGraw paid Red the ultimate act of respect in attempting to buy his contract for a princely sum of $50,000 (about $1,200,000 today).  According to McGraw, “that fellow has a lot of stuff, and he’s got the best drop curve that I’ve seen along the line for some time.  And his spitter is a pippin’, too.”  The Old Roman refused McGraw’s offer. 

In all, a bulk of Red’s downtime during the offseason was spent on trains and ocean liners, as he embarked on a journey covering four continents in the span of four or five months.  Now, the 25-year-old may have wondered if he could secure a spot on the big-league team that was coming back from yet another mediocre campaign.  Red may have been concerned about the pitching competition with youngsters Reb Russell and Jim Scott, winners of 22 and 20 games, respectively, in 1913.  Spitballer Eddie Cicotte joined the South Siders in 1912, and he won 18 games while posting an exceptional 1.58 earned run average in 1913. 

Of course, Big Ed Walsh still cast a long shadow.  He was one of the heroes of the 1906 Championship against the Cubs.  While Walsh was now approaching 33 years of age and was limited to just 14 starts in 1913, he won 27 games in both 1911 and 1912.  The legendary Walsh won 40 games in 1908 while compiling a league leading 269 strikeouts (a team record that lasted until Chris Sale racked up 274 strikeouts in 2015) and 11 shut outs along with an earned run average of 1.42.  He started 49 games and completed 42 of them as he amassed 464 innings pitched.  For good measure, Walsh made 17 relief appearances and recorded a league-best six saves.  Red knew that the competition was steep with Russell, Scott, and Cicotte to replace Walsh’s larger than life role on the South Side.

There were also a number of “wonder boys” with whom to contend.  These were younger men with bigger arms, and better baseball pedigrees.  However, Red was selected to step up for Big Six on the world-wide tour.  Moreover, McGraw thought Red’s arm was worth at least $50,000.  On the long train ride from Cascade to the West Coast, Faber had ample time to contemplate his future in baseball.  For the first time, Red may have contemplated his life without baseball something he had never before done.  His thoughts frequently turned towards Irene Walsh (no relation to Big Ed).  Red longed to make a life with this lovely young woman.  Red and Irene met by accident, literally.  Red was a bystander, who came to Irene’s assistance after she was hurt in an auto collision.  

Red may have fantasized about making the kind of money that Big Six made as a big-league pitcher.  Christy Mathewson made about $10,000 a year in 1910 (approximately $250,000 today).  Red nevertheless saw that as a King’s ransom, more than enough to take care of a wife and children, and his family in Cascade. 

A number of Sox veterans joined Red on the trip out West, to get acclimated and to revitalize a culture of winning on the South Side.  The boss, Old Man Comiskey made sure the youngster was well fed and surrounded by some old-timers.  Big Ed and Cicotte, along with the young catcher Ray Schalk, were constantly around Red to talk baseball.  Big Ed talked to Red a great deal during this trip, and “Cracker” Schalk did a lot of listening.  Schalk was known for his fine handling of pitchers and outstanding defensive ability, and he was considered the greatest defensive catcher of his era.  Cracker revolutionized the way the catching position was played by using his speed and agility to expand the previously accepted defensive capabilities for his position. 

In all, Red and Cracker would be battery mates on the South Side from 1914 to 1928.  Both men became members of Baseball’s Hall of Fame.  From 1914 to 1926, Schalk caught 306 of Red's starts, or more than 85 percent of Red's starts during that span (Red started 483 games during his 20-year career with the Sox).  Only two other battery mates had more starts together:  Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehand for the Tigers from 1963 to 1975, and Warren Spahn and Del Crandall for the Braves from 1949 to 1963.  Red was a rookie in 1914 while Cracker was in his second full season.  They would remain fixtures in the Chicago lineup for almost their entire careers, where Schalk caught a franchise record 1,722 games for the Sox, and Red pitched more than 4,000 innings for the South Siders, second only to fellow Hall of Famer Ted Lyons.  Red and Cracker would make more than 35 starts together for three straight years, from 1920 to 1922, during which Red logged more than 300 innings, and won 20 games.  Schalk’s role was reduced dramatically as a player in 1927 and 1928, and he was released after the 1928 season.

Still, Red observed the despair of the old-timers.  He saw how tired Big Ed was after giving his life and soul to the team.  The same was true with Doc White.  Red loved pitching, and even more so, he loved talking about the game.  Cracker Schalk invigorated him about the game like no other.  Nevertheless, Red’s family pressured him to return to Cascade each year, and to assume Nicholas’ duty and role as Faber family patriarch.  Red wanted to do so on his own terms.  He was consumed with amorous thoughts of Irene, the beautiful young woman who held Red enthrall.  Ultimately, Red did not want to lead a life of quiet desperation, merely running the family’s enterprises.  Red wanted to assume Matty’s role as America’s most popular athlete, as an impossible task as that seemed.  Red may have pondered:  Big Six, 370 plus wins in his big league career, three wins in the 1905 Series, three straight dominant Series performances from 1911 to 1913, and all that money.

Red broke camp with the Sox following spring training.  The train ride back to Chicago was blissful with the knowledge that Red would be pitching for the South Siders.  His role was unclear, mostly likely a swing man following Cicotte, Scott, and Russell, as well as innings-eater Joe Benz.  Once again, the Sox had a deep pitching staff, but no offensive talent to back up the pitchers.  The Sox posted the second-worst batting average and the fewest runs scored in the American League.  The Sox lineup was spearheaded by Schalk, outfielder Shano Collins, and shortshop Buck Weaver.  The team hit bottom in 1914 with a very poor record, but the pieces were coming together for Comiskey’s dream of multiple championships.

For Red, the 25-year-old rookie posted some solid numbers with a 10-9 record, an earned run average of 2.68, with 40 overall appearances, including 19 starts and more than 181 innings.  Red greatly benefitted from his interactions with Big Ed Walsh, who was limited to eight appearances, but his influence on Red and Cicotte, in terms of tossing the spitter, was immeasurable.  On June 1, 1914, Red made his second start on the season against the Detroit Tigers.  Red tossed a complete game, pitching 12 and 1/3 innings before taking the loss.  Red followed up that performance with five complete games, including two shut outs, as well as a relief appearance.  During an unremarkable 1914 season for the Sox, Red filled a number of roles.  He served as an innings-eater, pitching some intense complete games for the Sox to save the pitching staff.  On July 3, Red pitched a 13-inning complete game en route to a three-to-two South Sider victory against the Saint Louis Browns.  On August 9, he pitched an 11-inning complete game against Washington for a two-to-one White Sox winner.  On September 21, Red took the loss after spinning 13 innings against Washington.  On October 4, Red took the ball on the last day of the season, pitching a complete game and another White Sox winner with a score of five-to-one against the Saint Louis Browns.  It was a disappointing season for the Sox as they achieved only a 70-84 record, but Red was among the pieces that would be in place for the team to attain better things in the years to come.

Under Pants Rowland in 1915, the White Sox improved their record by 23 games over the previous season, and finished third in the American League.  In the field, Eddie Collins led the way with a .332 batting average, 118 runs scored, 77 RBI, 46 swiped bags, and a league-leading 119 walks.  Happy Felsch helped stabilize the Sox outfield along with Shano Collins.  Happy and Shano fared well offensively, but they developed a reputation as defensive outfielders, catching just about everything hit in their direction.  In the infield, 24-year-old Buck Weaver was rounding into form after four full seasons with the team.  Similarly, 22-year-old Cracker Schalk was making a name for himself behind the plate after his third full season with the Sox.  Schalk was quick and agile, and especially adept at grabbing spitters, shiners, and knucklers from Cicotte and Red.

What happened to Red in 1915?  Pants threw his student into the flames into 1915, and Red proved that he was a true Iowan workhorse.  Red eclipsed Jim Scott, Joe Benz, and Reb Russell on the depth chart to emerge as the team’s top pitching prospect.  Importantly, Red filled the gap as Cicotte had an off year.  Red learned some crucial lessons as he watched Big Ed Walsh ride off into the sunset in 1915.  Big Ed pitched only three games in 1915, but he went the distance in each game and earned the Sox a victory each time out.  The time spent in the dugout and the bullpen weighed greatly for Red, and the young hurler enhanced his craft by watching and listening to one of baseball's demigods. 

By all measurable accounts and analytics, Red turned in a fantastic second season.  He posted a record of 24-14 with an earned run average of 2.55.  He pitched in 50 of the team's 154 games, starting 32 and completing 21.  Red logged a career best 182 strikeouts in 299 plus innings.  The season started off innocuously for Red with a brief appearance on opening day, where he surrendered two runs in one inning in a seven-to-six victory against the Saint Louis Browns.  The poor opening day performance did not dissuade Rowland from sending Red out the next day as a starter.  Red responded by spinning a seven-hit shutout while striking out 11 in a 16-to-zip effort against the Browns.  By the end of April, Red reeled off five straight complete game victories (among one relief appearance), and another game where he pitched ten innings to obtain a victory over Boston. 

By May 21, Red's record stood at 9-2 with a stellar earned run average of 1.86.  Red demonstrated a great deal of versatility in 1915, as evidenced by his performance against the Cleveland Indians on June 24.  Two days previously, Red pitched a complete game to earn a win against the Indians.  On the 24^th, he came out of the bullpen in the ninth inning after the Sox scored a run to tie the game a four runs apiece.  Red pitched the next 11 innings, allowing three hits and two walks, as the Sox finally tallied the winning run in the top of the 19^th inning.  Red earned his 13th win of the season after that ordeal.  Five days later, Red pitched a complete game to give the Sox yet another victory.  Perhaps the most typical victory for Red occurred on August 22, against the New York Yankees.  Red tossed a complete game shutout, allowing ten hits and four walks.  It was typical in the sense that Red pitched to contact and let the Yankees get themselves out.  By the end of 1915, Red was well on his way in becoming the Sox ace.

While Red had a most impressive campaign in 1915, the defining moment for the team came off the field.  On August 21, 1915, Comiskey sent three ballplayers and $31,500 to the Cleveland Indians for Joe Jackson.  Of course, Jackson brought Black Betsy, his favorite bat, to the South Side.  At the time, the 27-year-old Jackson rivaled Ty Cobb as the league's best hitter.  Jackson scuffled to a certain extent when he arrived in Chicago, batting only .272 in 45 games; however, he hit in the clutch driving in 36 runs and drawing 24 walks during that span.  He also rounded out a complete outfield with Shano and Happy, as well as a talented fourth outfielder 23-year-old Nemo Leibold. 

Nevertheless, Jackson remarked:  “What a hell of a league this is.  I hit .387, .408, and .395 the last three years and I ain’t won nothin’ yet!”  Babe Ruth said that he modeled his swing after Jackson.  According to the Babe, “I copied Jackson’s style because I thought he was the greatest hitter I had ever seen, the greatest natural hitter I ever saw.  He’s the guy who made me a hitter.”  Jackson was a pure baseball player.  He yearned to be the best hitter of his time, and longed to win a championship.  Red and Joe shared this desire.  Both players held a chip on their shoulders.  Red measured himself in the light of Big Six.  Jackson always saw himself coming up short when compared to Cobb. 

The Sox changed spring training venues in 1916 to the deep South, Mineral Springs, Texas.  Red heard through the grape-vine that the old Roman could obtain cheaper accommodations down in Texas rather than the Central Coast of California.  Red also learned that Comiskey was charging spectators to attend “big league” exhibitions, and that he could obtain more money in the deep South where pro baseball was not yet established. 

Red experienced what some call a dead-arm period in 1916 after tossing more than 1,000 innings over the past two years in the minors and then in another two years with the Sox, as well as the 1913-1914 world tour.  In fact, Pants Rowland astutely observed a great deal of fatigue among his pitchers during the 1916 campaign.  Big Ed Walsh was a prime example of pitching too often in too short of a span.  By 1916, the long-time South Side workhorse was done. Rowland thought that he could preserve his pitchers by spacing out their starts.  He utilized seven pitchers in at least 14 starting appearances, including Red in 25 starts.  Red benefitted from Pants’ management style.  In 1916, Red pitched in fewer games, but he was far more effective.  He won 17 out of his 26 decisions with an earned run average of 2.02 in 205 plus innings.  As a team the Sox posted the best earned run average in the league en route to a second place finish in the American League. 

Importantly, for Comiskey, the Sox continued to lead the American League in attendance.  Bringing more fans into the stadium was as important to Comiskey as fielding a competitive team.  The Sox did not make many trades during the course of the 1916 season; however, the few transactions proved to be significant.  First, Comiskey released Big Ed on December 31, 1916.  Next, Comiskey added 22-year-old rookie shortstop Charles “Swede” Risberg, and then purchased first baseman Charles “Chick” Gandil from the Cleveland Indians.  It was to be Gandil’s second tour of duty with the Sox.

Ultimately, Comiskey invested a lot of money in the Sox.  The purchase of Shoeless Joe amounted to around $65,00; Eddie Collins amounted to $50,000 or so; and Hap Felsch accounted for another $12,000 or so when all was said and done, not to mention deals to land Chick Gandil, Buck Weaver, and Swede Risberg.  The Old Roman also put in $500,000 to improve Comiskey Park, increasing seating capacity to 33,000, among other improvements.

By May 18, 1917, the Sox carved out a slim lead in the American League.  The team would remain in first place for all but one day until the end of the season when they ultimately won the American League pennant by eight games.  Once again, Rowland used a number of pitchers to preserve his team’s arm strength as the Sox won a franchise best 100 games (out of a 154-game schedule).  Cicotte emerged as the American League’s best pitcher, leading the league with 28 wins, a 1.53 earned run average, and more than 346 innings pitched.  Cicotte also logged 29 complete games and seven shutouts.  Not to be outdone, Red showed glimpses of dominance, particularly early in the season when he threw back-to-back shutouts against Detroit and Saint Louis in April.  In September, Red tossed five straight complete games during the stretch run to augment the team’s lead for the pennant race.  (Red also had a five-inning relief appearance during that string of games.)  While Cicotte posted one of the best seasons ever for a White Sox pitcher, Red carved out a name for himself in the subsequent World Series against the New York Giants.  Interestingly, Red would square off against John McGraw’s team, the same McGraw who once offered Comiskey $50,000 for Red’s services more than five years before.

The Giants featured a solid pitching staff, along with the world's greatest athlete, Jim Thorpe, in the outfield.  By 1917, Big Six was no longer with the Giants, as he retired after the previous season following 17 years in the Majors.  Now, it was Red’s turn to shine on the World Series’ big stage, and the future Hall of Famer from Iowa did not disappoint.  The league’s top spitballer singlehandedly wiped out any thoughts of a New York championship, as Red recorded three of the Sox four victories.  Red matched Big Six’s mark of three wins in a World Series against Big Six’s old team. 

In Old Comiskey Park, with approximately 32,000 fans in attendance, the Sox won the first game of the Series behind a complete game by Cicotte.  Shano Collins collected three hits for the South Siders, and back-up Fred McMullin, playing third and hitting in the two-hole, pounded out a double to score Shano.  Later, Felsch hit a home run in the fourth inning to provide the winning margin.  In striking out only two batters, Cicotte relied on stellar defense.  Gandil handled 11 chances at first base without flaw, and the outfielders, Shoeless Joe, Happy, and Shano, grabbed the 10 fly balls hit into cavernous Comiskey Park. 

The following day before another 32,000 fans, Red took the mound against the Giants.  After a shaky start, where Red allowed two runs in the top of the second inning, the team got on track offensively and Red pitched a complete game to give the Sox a two-games-to-none lead in the Series.  Shoeless Joe and Bucky each collected three hits to spearhead a balanced Sox attack, leading to the seven-to-two victory on the South Side.  After staking Red to a seven-to-two run lead after a five-run fourth inning, Red pitched to contact and let the Giants get themselves out.  Red recorded only one strikeout in the contest, but he handled five chances in the field.  Shortstop Bucky Weaver and first baseman Gandil flawlessly fielded 13 and 11 chances respectively in the diamond.  The Sox demonstrated in the first two games of the Series that the team could hit, pitch, and field with the most elite teams.  On a comical aside, Red stole second base in this contest, only to discover that his teammate Bucky Weaver, was standing on the bag when Red arrived!

Next, the teams took to the road, travelling to New York for the third game of the Series.  The teams enjoyed a two-day reprieve between the second and third games.  During the trip, Red was fairly relaxed, as he had just pitched and did not think that he would have to pitch on short notice.  The Series took an ugly turn for the Sox.  On October 10, with three days’ rest, Cicotte again threw a complete game, but the Sox could not muster a single run against Giants starter Rube Benton resulting in a two-to-zip loss before more than 33,000 fans at the Polo Grounds. 

The next day it was Red’s turn on the mound, and he fared worse than Cicotte before more than 27,000 fans.  Red gave up three runs over seven innings; nevertheless, the Sox could not dent home plate for the second consecutive day, as Ferdie Schupp recorded a shutout victory.  Giants centerfielder Benny Kauff clubbed two home runs for the home town team to provide ample run support for Schupp.  The teams would hit the train and travel back to Chicago for game five.

It was a fast train ride back to the City of Big Shoulders, as Reb Russell took the hill for the Sox in game five on October 13.  Russell only faced three batters before giving way to Cicotte, who pitched into the bottom of the seventh inning.  The Sox were down five to two, but they rallied to score three in the seventh and three in the eighth to win eight to five.  Red came in to pitch relief for the final two innings, and he obtained the win.  The great athlete Jim Thorpe, better known for football in general, made his only World Series “appearance” during the fifth game, where he was listed in the lineup card as starting in right field.  However, when he came to bat at bat in the top of the first inning, he was replaced by a left-handed hitting Dave Robertson.

The teams boarded the train following game five for New York.  Rowland had Red penciled in to start game six even though he finished the previous game.  For Rowland, Cicotte was not fresh after pitching after six innings in game five.  Further, Rowland did not have a lot of faith in his other pitchers.  For game six, he called on Red.  Rowland knew Red for more than ten years at this point, and he knew that Red would get the job done. 

Game six of the World Series was not without controversy.  The decisive game underscored New York’s post-season frustrations, featuring an infamous rundown in which Giants’ third baseman Heinie Zimmerman futilely chased speedster Eddie Collins toward home plate with what would be the game’s winning run.  Catcher Bill Rariden ran up the third base line to start a rundown with Collins, expecting pitcher Rube Benton or first baseman Walter Holke to cover the plate.  Unfortunately for the Giants, neither of those players moved into position, forcing Zimmerman to chase Collins while pawing helplessly in the air with the ball in an attempt to tag him.  Interestingly, Zimmerman found himself having to publicly deny allowing the run to score, as accusations arose that he had “thrown” the game.  In reality, McGraw blamed Benton and Holke for failing to cover the plate.  Later, reporter Ring Lardner allegedly that Zimmerman stated “Who the hell was I supposed to throw to [umpire Bill Klem], who was working the plate?”  

Ultimately, Eddie Collins was the hitting hero, batting .409 over the six game series while Cicotte and Faber combined to pitch 50 out of a total 52 World Series innings to lead the staff.  Pants’ strategy of providing ample rest during the course of the season paid clear dividends, as his two workhorses carried the day for the 1917 Champion Sox.  Of course, Red became one of the few pitchers in baseball history to register three victories during the World Series, matching Bix Six’s effort in 1905, among others.  Obviously, Red saved his best work for the World Series against the Giants.  

To recap. after winning game two in Chicago but losing game four on the road, he came into game five (at home) 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.  Red came back two days later to go the distance in the clinching game six at the Polo Grounds, picking up his third win of the Series by a 4–2 score.  As a consequence, he holds the all-time American League record for pitching decisions in a single World Series with four.

The question remains did any of these players’ exploits lead any kind of financial gain?  This simple answer is of course not.  While the winning teams’ cut amounted to approximately $3,700 (about $75,000 now), the Old Roman did not lavish his players with any windfalls.  In fact, Red’s Series’ cut probably exceeded his 1917 salary.  Red’s salary reached $4,000 per season in 1920 (about $50,000 now), and he capped out at $10,000 in 1923 (about $140,000 today).  In 1932, Red still earned $10,000 per year (about $160,000 in today’s dollars) while pitching for the Sox. 

The reserve clause was in full effect and part of every player’s contract that stated upon the contract’s expiration, the rights to the player were to be retained by the team.  In other words, the player was not free to enter into another contract with another team.  Once signed to a contract, a player could be reassigned, traded, sold, or released at the team’s whim.  The only negotiating leverage that most players had was to hold out at contract time, refusing to play unless their conditions were met.  The player was bound to either negotiate a new contract to play another year for the same team, or ask to be released or traded. The player had no freedom to change teams unless he was given his unconditional release.  In the days of the reserve clause, this was the only way a player could be a free agent.

Soon after the 1917 World Series, the United States entered the first world war, and baseball lost some of its top players to the war effort.  Notwithstanding the Great War, the defending champions got off to a rocky start when the train taking them to spring training derailed on March 18, 1918, in Texas.  Luckily, no one was hurt.  

On May 23, 1918, the U.S. government issued a “work or fight” edict.  It was determined that baseball players, unlike movie actors, did not provide an essential service for the war effort.  Accordingly, baseball players had until July 1 to find essential work or become eligible for the draft.  The edict decreed that any male between 21 and 31 years old in a nonessential job must enlist, secure a war-related job, or be reclassified with a lower draft number.  Baseball players, who did not enlist, hurried to take exempt jobs in shipyards, steel mills, war-production factories, and farms.  Several of these players received criticism as slackers, as they primarily played ball in industrial leagues.  Interestingly, the players who enlisted did the same thing, playing ball on their respective military bases.

Shoeless Joe played his last game for the 1918 campaign on May 11, joining the war time service industry before the edict was actually issued.  Initially, the married Jackson received a deferment by his hometown draft board in Greenville, South Carolina (the soon-to-be 31-year-old Jackson was the sole support of his wife, mother, father, and brother); however, after playing 17 games for the Sox, the board reversed its decision and ordered him to report for the draft.  As an alternative, Jackson found employment at a Delaware shipyard, where he helped build battleships and played ball in the hastily assembled Bethlehem Steel League.  

Jackson was the first prominent player to avoid the draft by opting for war work; as a result, he was severely criticized in the sporting press, particularly in Chicago.  Jackson also drew the ire from his boss.  Four weeks after Jackson went to Delaware, two of his best friends on the team, pitcher Lefty Williams and catcher Byrd Lynn, left the Sox to join him at the Harlan & Hollingsworth plant.  Comiskey became indignant, and suspended the three players indefinitely.  He fumed that these players would not return to his team:  “There is no room on my club for players who wish to evade the army draft by entering the employ of ship concerns!”  Comiskey also refused to issue Williams his final paycheck, a grand total of $183.16 for the 11 days he spent with the team in June.  In the typical wartime frenzy of patriotism, many baseball fans and members of the press took Comiskey’s side; the Sox players were considered to be “slackers” and “cowards” for avoiding military service.  Later, the financially astute Comiskey would change his tune after his club turned in a sixth-place finish.  

Red pitched his last game for the Sox in 1918 on June 15, pitching a complete game but losing to Washington three-to-one.  In light of the work-or-fight edict, the 29-year-old bachelor was virtually certain to be conscripted.  Red ultimately enlisted in the Navy.  Forgetting his bout of seasickness during the 1913-1914 world tour, Red told reporters that he wanted an assignment on a submarine.  Ultimately, Red served his entire tour at Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago.  As a chief yeoman, he supervised recreational programs and pitched for the base’s team for the duration of the war.  Red was also a victim of the influenza pandemic that occurred during that period. 

During the next spring training in Mineral Springs, the White Sox were coming off of a difficult season.  Baseball trimmed its schedule to 124 games during the war torn campaign of 1918.  To compound matters, without their top players, the Sox finished sixth at 57-67.  Comiskey fired Pants Rowland as manager, after the season, even though the poor showing was not Rowland's fault. 

In spring training, as a great team coalesced, it became ever more socially segmented. Some of these problems had been festering for a long time.  When Gandil arrived before the 1917 season, the calcification of some of these divisions was pretty much assured.  There was resentment of Comiskey’s penny-pinching ways, and Gandil’s pre-existing bitterness towards Eddie Collins, both of which caused a rift in the dugout and clubhouse.   For Gandil and his clique, Collins came to represent management, and his status as one of the Old Roman’s favorites only further poisoned the atmosphere.  Of all the actors in this American baseball tragedy, Collins was best suited to have sensed the cancerous potential.  In all likelihood, Collins’s privileged status, record of personal success, and the team’s success combined to create a certain level of obtuseness on his part.  Collins may have been too involved in his own career to notice what was going on around him.  Perhaps this should have been foreshadowing to his failure as a manager some years later.  Maybe there were too many expectations on Collins, after all, he was supposed to be one of the league’s best hitters, as well as the best second baseman in the league.  Why should he be the team’s psychologist?

Still, the 1919 edition of the Sox promised to be an exceptional baseball team.  Of course, the infield featured team captain Eddie Collins, who over shadowed some very dependable players; with Chick Gandil at first, Swede Risberg at short, and Buck Weaver at third.  Gandil’s exploits off the field and at first base were well-documented.  Weaver joined the Sox in 1912 and played shortstop, since the team was deficient at that position.  He contributed at that position, but Weaver's natural position was third:  Ty Cobb considered Weaver as the league's best third sacker.  Risberg arrived in a minor deal prior to the 1917 season.  Soon he replaced Weaver at shortstop, allowing Weaver to play third and round out a very solid infield.  Risberg was a flashy glove man and fierce competitor and brawler.

Behind the plate, the Sox had the best defensive catcher of the time and an eventual Hall of Famer in Cracker Schalk.  While Schalk was a fiery competitor, he was an expert in handling pitchers; and the Sox had an outstanding group in 1919 with Red, Lefty Williams, Reb Russell, and rookie Dickie Kerr.  Ed Cicotte served as the team’s elder statesman and he was poised for a great season with a full contingency on the diamond behind him.

In the outfield, the Sox were back at full strength for the 1919 campaign.  Left-handed batting Nemo Leibold found himself as the club's lead-off hitter and rightfielder with the 33-year-old, right-handed hitting Shano Collins sharing time in that spot.  Leftfielder Jackson and centerfielder Felsch would be slotted in the fourth and fifth slots, respectively in the batting order for much of the season.  Along with Collins and Weaver batting at the top of the lineup, the Sox possessed a dynamic and dangerous offensive club.  Defensively, the team set the standard for fielding in the American League with Gandil, Weaver, Schalk, Felsch, and Eddie Collins leading the way.

The Sox played their first series against the Browns in Saint Louis, Missouri.  Williams, Cicotte, and Red each earned victories as the Sox took three out of four games against the Browns.  The Sox followed a similar formula, riding the trio of pitchers, en route to a 24-7 record and never trailing in the American League after May 31.  After six games, Red was off to a 5-1 start with and earned run average of 1.42 with four complete games.  Cicotte returned to his ace-like form, posting a record of 9-1 by the end of May, with an earned run average of 1.02 while completing all of his nine starts, including three shutouts.  Not to be outdone, Lefty Williams compiled a 7-2 record by the end of May with an earned run average of 2.01, as he completed seven of his ten starts. 

During the 1919 season, the 35-year-old Cicotte reestablished his status as the team's ace, as Red experienced numerous nagging injuries and illnesses that curtailed his effectiveness.  However, Red still won 11 games during the regular season, but he missed the entire post season.  According to Schalk, the Sox would have won the 1919 Series if Red was healthy, fix or no fix.  Perhaps with Red on the field, Cicotte would not have been swayed into the Black Sox camp, and perhaps Gandil and the gambling elements would not have even considered the plot in the first place.  Apparently, the gamblers thought that with the top two hurlers on the take, in Cicotte and Williams, the Sox would collapse.  The stories have been told and conclusions have been made about the 1919 Sox.  This writer shall defer to Schalk’s opinion.

The next spring down in Waco, the so-called Black Sox refused to sign and return their contracts to Comiskey.  They wanted raises.   Gandil demanded a raise to $10,000 per year.  When Comiskey balked, Gandil and his wife decided to remain in California.  Flush with his financial windfall from the Series, Gandil announced his retirement from the majors, instead spending the season with outlaw teams in Saint Anthony and Bakersfield.  Thus, Gandil was far away from the aftermath of the Black Sox scandal. 

While rumors swirled about a possible fix of the Series during the winter of 1919-1920, nothing was concrete. Comiskey even did his best to downplay the rumors, fearing such a large scandal would destroy his investment.  As a result, seven of the eight players involved in the fix eventually reported to spring training ready for business as usual.  These players obtained a small bit of leverage against Comiskey by refusing to sign their contracts.  Comiskey caved in to a slight degree in an effort to move on from the alleged scandal. 

With Gandil out of the mix for the 1920 season, the versatile Shano Collins took over at first base with the rest of the line-up returning per the previous season.  In the infield, team captain Eddie Collins reprised his role at second, with Swede and Bucky on the left side of the infield at short and third, respectively.  The Cracker returned behind the plate, and the outfield remained intact with Shoeless in left, Happy in center, and Leibold in right.  Virtually the entire pitching staff of 1919 returned as well.  Ace Eddie Cicotte, the crafty Lefty Williams, Red, and Kerr made up the starting rotation.  The bullpen was led by right-handers Roy Wilkinson and George Payne.

Red had a fantastic season in 1920 for the Sox.  His record would have likely been even better but for the tint of the Black Sox lurking in the outfield and at shortstop (in all likelihood, Bucky Weaver was not involved in the fix).  Nevertheless, Red established himself as the ace of the pitching staff, as it was clear that Cicotte’s days were numbered.  While the Sox failed to claim the American League pennant, Red finally won over the lovely Irene Walsh.  After the 1920 season, the 32-year-old Iowan married the young and beautiful 22-year-old Milwaukee native Irene Margaret Walsh.  The Faber family were elated that Red was finally settling down; perhaps he would return to Cascade and take control of the family’s business interests and start a family at long last. 

The glad tidings of Red’s marriage did not remove the bitter taste of the last few days of the 1920 baseball season.  In Red’s mind, he was part of one of the finest baseball teams ever assembled.  Red agonized over how the Sox closest out the 1920 season.  The South Siders trailed the Indians by a mere half game when the Sox traveled to Saint Louis to close out the season.  For the first game of the series, Red took the hill, but the players behind him were not the usual suspects.  Comiskey banned the key players.  Eddie Murphy took Bucky's spot at third, and Hervey McClellan filled in for Swede at short.  Nemo took Hap's spot in center, with Bibb Falk filling in rightfield, and Amos Strunk in leftfield.  Red missed Shoeless, Hap, and Bucky.  Ultimately, Red did not have his best stuff that day, lasting only three innings and surrendering five runs en route to an eight–to–six Sox loser.  In previous games, Red could have pointed the finger at players who failed to make critical plays.  In this game, it was on Red, and it did not sit well.  The following game produced a White Sox winner, but it was a sloppy affair.  Dickey Kerr pitched a complete game, but he surrendered sixteen hits and seven runs (only six earned).  Steadfast Sox players Eddie Collins, Shano Collins, and Cracker Schalk each drove in two RBI a piece.  A glimmer of hope flicked.  That flicker was extinguished the following day when, the Sox got shellacked sixteen to seven by the Browns.

It was all over.  The 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's held the Sox in the American League's second division.  Eddie Collins, Red Faber, Ray Schalk, Al Simmons, Ted Lyons, and Luke Appling provided some thrills in those lean years; and all became members of the Hall of Fame.  Still, the franchise suffered as a result of the scandal; the Sox lost five potential Hall of Famers, the players that the team was built around.  Obviously, Joe Jackson and Ed Cicotte were shoe ins for the Hall, while Felsch, Weaver, and Williams were entering the primes of their careers.  Risberg was not outstanding, but he left a void at shortstop until Luke Appling arrived in 1930. 

In 1946, in Minocqua, Wisconsin, former Sox outfielder Johnny Dickshot arranged a fishing excursion for some of his Waukegan buddies and Red in the early spring.  Dickshot’s former classmate Dick Cote owned some land there, and he recently completed building a few cabins on the land near Lake Tomahawk.  Red, Billy Young, Jum Cote, and Stan Mesec comprised the fishing party. 

Red was in particularly good spirits, as he was named the pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox under new manager (and his former teammate) Ted Lyons.  Dickshot had a very good year for the Sox in leftfield in 1945, but with many big leaguers returning from the war effort, Dickshot (at 36-years-old) would be looking to ply his skills elsewhere.  Dick Cote was a rising entrepreneur in Waukegan.  With his brother Jum back from the war, Cote planned on opening an electrical engineering outfit with his brother at the helm.  Billy and Stan were also back from the war.  Both were sergeants, but Billy and Stan had different experiences during the war. 

Invariably, the men discussed their war experiences over fried perch and beer each evening.  Like Red, Jum served most of his duties at Great Lakes Naval Base, providing assorted electrician services. 

Red had been running a bowling alley in Grayslake, Illinois, for many years, but he frequently visited his old fishing buddy’s tavern, Dickshot’s Dugout, in Waukegan.  Red and Dickshot would entertain various patrons with their old tales from the ballpark.  In matters of baseball trivia, Dickshot would call his wife at home and ask her to settle dispute after she consulted the baseball encyclopedia.

In mid-September, Red and Dickshot were lamenting the woes of the White Sox, who were falling out of the divisional race against the Oakland A’s.  This point was especially true after the surprising retirement of Sox slugger Dick Allen, while he was leading the American League in home runs.  For Red and Dickshot, another promising season was fading away.  The Sox had not won a World Series since Red shut down the Giants in game six in 1917. The long dry spell for Sox fans would continue. 

The older men’s spirits were uplifted when Billy Young and Frank Mesec arrived with a young boy in tow.  It had been a few years since Red had seen Billy or Frank.  Red smiled and said, “I’ve been missing you gents up at the alley.”  Billy, Frank, and the boy joined Red and Dickshot at the bar.  Red then asked, “who is this young fellah?”  Frank beamed with pride, and Billy responded with a big smile, “Red this is our grandson Frankie.”  Red inquired, “how exactly did that happen.”  Frank laughed and responded, “my daughter Geri married Bill’s son, Frankie is five now.”  Red asked the boy, “what do you want to do when you grow up young man?”  Frankie answered, “I want to play shortstop like Bucky Dent.”  The older men all laughed, and Red responded, “well, young man, you might think about becoming a pitcher.  There’s a lot of good teachers around here.”