An ad for Old Underoof Whiskey from April of 1910. Chicago White Sox owner Charles Comiskey–and Chicago fans–had great expectations for the club. After a disappointing 78-74 record and a fourth-place finish in 1909, Hugh Duffy was hired to replace Billy Sullivan as manager.
Comiskey also replaced his entire starting infield, purchasing the contracts of three minor leaguers: first baseman Chick Gandil, second baseman Rollie Zeider, and shortstop Lena Blackburne, and installing utility infielder Billy Purtell at third.
The new 1910 White Sox infield.
The Chicago Tribune said the Sox were now:
“Resplendent with brand new darns where were worn the biggest holes last year.”
Comiskey was confident enough to tell reporters the team “(W)ill lose their name of hitless wonders this year. I am confident we will be as strong as any club in the league in this department.”
He also maintained that Ed Walsh, Doc White, Jim Scott, and Frank Smith, who would start the opener on April 14, comprised “(T)he strongest staff of pitchers in any league.”
The Sox did not disappoint on opening day. Behind Smith’s one-hitter, the Sox defeated the St. Louis Browns 3 to 0.
The Chicago Inter Ocean said the “New Sox lived up to every inch of the reputation they have gained this spring.” The Tribune dubbed the team “Commy’s Comets,” and said:
“When the dazzling display was over Comiskey’s face resembled the noonday sun wreathed in an aureole of smiles, which extended beyond the rings of Saturn and half the distance to the milky way.”
Old Underoof commemorated the victory with a new ad:
The Sox quickly returned to earth and lost their next four games. Things never got much better. A month into the season they were 10 games out of first place; they finished 68-85, in sixth-place 35.5 games behind the Philadelphia Athletics.
With a league-worst .211 batting average, the they failed to ” lose their name of hitless wonders,” as Comiskey predicted.
As for “the strongest staff of pitchers in any league,” they could not overcome the horrible support they received all season. Despite a 2.03 team ERA, second only to Philadelphia’s 1.79, only Doc White (15-13) had a winning record.
Walsh, who led the league with a 1.27 ERA, was 18-20, and Scott was 8-18 with a 2.43 ERA.
Frank Smith, the 30-year-old hero of the opener, who had won 25 games with a 1.80 ERA in 1909, was 4-9, despite a 2.03 ERA and three shutouts, when he was traded with Billy Purtell to the Boston Red Sox in August.
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Tags: Billy Purtell, Billy Sullivan, Boston Red Sox, Charles Comiskey, Chick Gandil, Doc White, Ed Walsh, Frank Smith, Hugh Duffy, Jim Scott, Lena Blackburne, Philadelphia Athletics, Rollie Zeider, St. Louis Brown
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