Today in History—July 18: Baseball’s Black Sox Trial Begins

The heavily favored Chicago White Sox lost the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds in eight games.

The behavior of the team’s star players during the series—an errant throw here, a hit batter there—raised suspicions immediately. In December a sportswriter published a column with an outright accusation of fixing the championship.

By the following September, the team had a big problem (and it wasn’t that they were running one game shy of first-place Cleveland Indians). The whispers had grown too loud to ignore, and a grand jury was convened. It was alleged that eight members of the White Sox had been paid $100,000 by gamblers to throw the World Series.

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First to crack was pitcher Eddie Cicotte, who confessed to accepting $10,000 placed under his hotel pillow to pitch poorly—balls thrown so slowly he claimed he could read the trademark on them, balls tossed so softly “a baby could have hit them.” He named Arnold “Chick” Gandil, former first baseman, as the mastermind and point of contact with the gambling underworld. Shoeless Joe Jackson also confessed to accepting a $5,000 bribe—well short of the $20,000 he’d requested. Jackson said that, for his part, when a ball came near him in the outfield, he would “muff it.”

Indictments for sports bribery and conspiracy followed, for both the players and the gamblers.

On this day in 1921, the two-week trial began. The players were nicknamed the Black Sox by the press, a name that would dog them. If convicted, each faced a fine of $2,000 and five years in prison.

The grand jury confessions never reached the trial. The transcripts disappeared, along with the players’ signed waivers of immunity. On the stand the players refused to incriminate themselves, instead blaming each other or pointing fingers at the gamblers, who muddied the waters even further. The trial became a sideshow of stories of double crosses, disagreements, and shady meetings.

With little other evidence, the jury acquitted the players in fewer than three hours.

Baseball, however, was less forgiving: The very next day, the sport’s commissioner banned all eight from professional baseball for life. To this day, despite having some of the finest careers in the game, none have ever been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Famous Birthdays

1867: Molly Brown—American human-rights activist and actress who survived the sinking of the Titanic

1918: Nelson Mandela—First Black president of South Africa

1935: Tenley Albright—Surgeon and Olympic gold medal-winning American figure skater

1975: M.I.A.—British-born Sri Lankan rapper