Game Six

Chicago Tribune, 15 October 1906

WHITE SOX, World’s Champions of 1906 to be emblazoned on pennant and blankets next season, was spelled out in actual play at the south side grounds yesterday before thousands of frenzied fans when Jones and his erstwhile hitless wonders, by an irresistible battling bee, enacted the final scene in the taming of Chance and the Cubs by a score of 8 to 3.

With the premier pitcher of the National League, three fingered Mordecai Brown, who had worked two previous games, pitted against the premier pitcher of the American league, Southpaw Harry White, partisans of the west siders saw their idol driven to the bench in the second inning under an avalanche of eight safe hits. These yielded five runs and paved the way for two more before big Overall, called to the rescue as on the day previous, settled to his task. Except in the initial period, White, with the big lead in favor of the Sox, never was in serious danger, holding Chance’s sluggers well in hand all the way.

Schulte Claims Interference.
The entering wedge for the flow of Sox tallies in the opening round, and what proved the one discordant feature of the series, was Davis’ long fly to right field, scoring the first run of the game and responsible for a total of three. This fly Schulte claimed he would have captured except for interference by a policeman engaged in holding back the crowd. Schulte, fearing a long hit by Davis, was playing ten or fifteen farther back than his went. True to expectations, Davis drove the ball to the edge of the spectators’ lines. To those in the stands it seemed at first that the ball would go far into the human fringe, then, as it settled, that Schulte would pocket it. The suspense was settled, when Schulte seemed to slow up. or wabble, and the ball fell safely into the crowd. To the stands it looked as if Schulte had played the ball badly and had feared to step too close in to the throng, but he and Hofman both rushed to the diamond with strong kicks that one of the policemen who was sitting down had jumped up and jostled him as he was about to gather the ball.

Game 6 at South Side Park.

No Neutrals Present.
With the game one-sided from the start and almost a hopeless battle for the Nationals, the contest would have been robbed of its interest to a neutral, but there were no neutrals among those 20,000 baseball mad spectators. Realizing only the most unexpected events could rob their heroes of the hard fought for honors, the thousands whose sympathies were with the Sox turned the affair into a jubilee of noise. The waving banners, the tin horns, the dinner bells, the megaphones, the counting of the score in unison—all were suggestive of a gridiron contest. Nothing like it ever before was seen on a baseball diamond. To the losers were the bitter dregs of unexpected defeat. To the winners, the added exhilaration of upsetting the confident predictions of most critics.

Crowd outside South Side Park, Before Game Six, 1906 World Series

Vast Crowd Outside.
While the vast crowd within—19,245, to be exact—was witnessing the history making game, almost as many more stood waiting in Thirty-ninth street and in the vacant lot toward Wentworth avenue, eagerly accepting such scraps of informational compassionate fans in the topmost row of seats deigned to bulletin them from time to time. The grounds, arranged to their utmost capacity for the series, was all inadequate for those who desired to see the battle. Twice the number of seats would not have held the crowd. Long before 1 o’clock the sale of tickets was stopped and thousands sought halls and telephone service for the result.

With the wide White Sox margin established early and the White Sox rooters already celebrating their triumph, the men who came to cheer the west siders never gave up until the final innings, hoping against hope that the Spuds would rally, cheering every opening which promised anything, and mentally hoping for one of those unexpected turns which make baseball the most uncertain and most popular of sports. Never was the tense struggle on the diamond other than an object of interest.

Jones’ Men Keyed Up.
But Jones’ men were keyed in their task. Not alone the $25.000 of gate receipts which went to the winning team, supplemented by a present of $15,000 from Owner Comiskey—netting each player nearly $2,000—urged on the tribe of Jones. They smarted under the defeat of last season. Their own honor and that of the American league hung in the balance. They had been called hitless wonders. They wiped that nickname from the baseball vocabulary. They had been called mediocre fielders. This they did not officially efface but put forth the most brilliant work in spots. They had been told their pitchers would not seem so difficult when opposed to real batsmen. The box artists answered this argument for themselves.

Base Hits Come Thick.
As in Friday’s memorable issue at the west side grounds the Sox simply would not be denied, and reeled off hit after hit in a manner which surprised even their most ardent supporters. It was one of those forms reversals which baseball men cannot explain. Base hits oozed from their hats. Had it been against ordinary ability this might not have been so surprising, but the hits that clinched the world’s championship were against the best artists on the Spud staff.

Twice before Miner Brown had faced Jones’ men. In the first game, opposed to Nick Altrock, he had been found safely four times and for defeat. In his second effort, also against Altrock, but two Sox had connected with his fast shoots. Surely Chance seemed justified in calling upon sturdy miner for a third effort in his desperate attempt to even up the the count in games won. Matthewson had performed such a feat a year before. Brown seemed equal to the task. But the Sox had tasted batting sweets and yearned for more.

Brown’s Curves Fail.
In the opening period, after the Spuds had gained a lead of one carried the only joy of the game to the west side rooters, close critics observed Brown was not delivering the same quality of twisters which had disconcerted his opponents before. That admirable control seemed lacking. The fast ball, low and close in, which made Isbell and the other left handers look foolish, would not break right. Yet it seemed impossible Brown, so long a puzzle, would suddenly become an open book, and he went back to the second inning only to be driven to the bench, disheartened and broken in spirit. Even the most rabid rooter for the now thrice champions must have felt pity for Brown as he hurried to the friendly cover of the west siders’ bench.

White at His Best.
To oppose Brown, Manager Jones chose “Doc” White, the best of the sterling Sox when in condition, thus holding Walsh and Altrock in reserve in event of a seventh game. White has been on the ailing list. Once before in the series he had attempted to down the Spuds, and like Brown on this occasion had been sent to the bench when his delivery was not of his usual caliber. On Saturday he had been called into the breach as Walsh showed signs of weakening, and has blanketed any incipient hopes of the bruins. He wanted the chance yesterday, and, as it proved, Jones was wise in giving way to him.

In the opening period White was hit safely twice, he passed one batter, and even the biffs on which the putouts were recorded were git hard and might be presaging trouvle. But White was himself again. He increased his speed in the second inning, his wide curve, his control and his puzzling slow ball came into play again. The Spuds, in baseball parlance, were feeding from his hand. Then, with the issue seemingly settled, he served up floaters, exerting himself only when runs were threatened, and holding his strength in reserve for any belated rally.

Overall Is Effective.
Overall, fated to take up the Spuds’ burden when it was hopeless, as had been his position the day previous, again filled the breach, and for the final six innings of the game only one White Sox finished across the scoring disk. He was effective. Had he pitched from the start, possibly there might have been a different story to tell, but “ifs” have no part in this narrative.

While the Comiskeyites were carrying all before them in an irresistible offense, their wabbly defense on the day before closed and allowed the followers of Chance no such opportunities to score many runs on comparatively few hits. Three bobbies were chalked up, but not one was a factor in the run getting. With these exceptions, the winners backed up their pitcher in befitting
style.

Good Plays by Sox.
The outfield was steady with no particularly difficult chances. In the inner defense Davis and Donohue shone. Aside from his double play which checked what might have been trouble in the second inning, Davis again in the fourth spoiled chances for runs when one was gone he went deep behind second base for Tinker’s apparent single and stopped the ball. The runner would be safe at first by a city clock with the shortstop out of position to make the throw, so Davis snapped the ball sideways to Isbell, covering the bag in time to get a close decision on Chance for a force out. When Chance’s speed is considered, the quality of the play is more noteworthy. In the next inning, it was Donohue’s bagging of a low throw which struck the ground first which saved the same Davis an error, and made the final putout of the period, nullifying what would have been a run, for Overall had crossed the home plate. Otherwise, while the fielding was good and steady, it was not brilliant for lack of opportunities.

Spuds’ Brilliant Fielding.
Not so with the Spuds. Sheckard picked White’s fly in the seventh off the heads of the right field crowd, while Hofman, the substitute, who really was the Spud hero of the series, robbed Donohue of a two bagger in the fourth by nabbing while running at full speed a long, fast fly right at the edge of the crowd. In the part of the field between center and right farthest from the plate.

Start of Play.
It was just 2 o’clock, thirty minutes before the scheduled time for play, when the hum of expectancy, punctuated with frequent bits of applause for flashy bits of practice fielding, turned into a roar of applause as the gong sounded for the final battle to begin. It was several minutes later before the umpires had directed the policemen along the foul lines to drive a few venturous spectators back across the whitewashed lines and White had sent the sphere spinning accross the pan ina few practice heaves. Then he sent the first ball of the game straight and low over the plate to Hofman, wjose attempted bunt went foul. The game was on.

Hofman rolled a pretty single to Dougherty and when it bounded a few away from him and “Circus Solly” raced to second the Cub partisans yelled with glee. Sheckard laid down a bunt and Hofman moved to third. Then Schulte, a free, hard swinging hitter, drove a liner into the right field crowd and Hofman registered the first count. Chance hit to White and Schulte was run to death on the line. Again a roar of Spud glee when White passed Steinfeldt, but the reliable Jones gathered in Tinker’s fly.

Sox Spring Surprise.
With Brown pitching, that one tally looked big, and the Sox rooters looked askance. Hahn raised the hope by beating a safe hit to Evers’ territory. Jones forced him on an attempted sacrifice, and the hope dimmed. Isbell rolled one safe to right, and the hope glimmered again, but Jones was held at second by Schulte’s quick recovery. Then followed Davis’ hit to Schulte, mentioned previously, and Jones scored. Isbell perished at the plate on Rohe’s infield hit, and the latter stole second. With two gone, Donohue hit into the left field crowd for two bases and two runs and the rout was on.

Four Runs After Two Out.
Three runs and a safe margin of two was a hard handicap for the Cubs, but they were by no means trapped as yet, and when the first two Sox in the second round were easy outs at first it seemed Brown might yet finish the game in his usual form. The fusillade of hits which ended in a cluster of four runs started innocently enough, and no Cub partisan worried much when Hahn singled to left with two gone. Then, after two strikes had been recorded against him, Jones fouled off a couple of good ones and ended by gaining his base. Isbell hot over second, and Tinker, running over in a vain effort to stop the hit, passed in front of Evers and intercepted his view of the ball just as it took a peculiar bound, which hit Evers’ gloved hand and bounded past, and the bases were filled.

Davis’ Timely Hit.
Davis, warrior of many seasons, gripped his bat determinedly and finally found one to his liking, driving a liner straight and true over Tinker. It seemed he never could reach it, but the little shortstop jumped high in the air. It struck his gloved hand on the upper edge of the mitt and rolled off. Hahn scored, and Jones, who had taken a long lead off second, beat Tinker’s throw home. Two runs thus counted. When Rohe followed with a hit which again filled the sacks, Overall was called in. Donohue registered a single and another run, and Overall, who had not yet steadied , passed Dougherty and a run was forced across. Sullivan ended the Spud agony by striking out.

Thereafter the Sox never seriously threatened until the ninth, when Hahn’s single, Jones’ perfect sacrifice, and Isbell’s safe hit to center gave the winners their final count of eight.

White Holds Spuds.
Through the second and third inning the Spuds were helpless. The fourth started with a hurrah when Kling was safe at first on an infield hit and Overall served his manager with a two sacker into right field. Men on second and third, with none out., yet so effective was White only one run resulted. Hofman fanned and Kling scored on an infield out. Davis made a great stop of Schulte’s hit deep into left short and Donohue hooked the shortstop’s low throw.

After that there was no real promising Spud chance until the final inning, when with one gone, Evers doubled to right and moved to third on an out. Then White, becoming careless, passed Gessler, batting for Overall, and Hofman singlked, scoring Evers, while Rohe’s error filled the bases. Then came Schulte’s hit to Donohue, which closed the world’s championship series of 1906.

Home Plate After Game, 1906 World Series

Game 6 Box Score

Game 6 Ticket.

Makes Sox $15,000 Present.

President Comiskey Hands Manager Jones a Check Showing His Appreciation of the Result.
At the conclusion of yesterday’s game President Charles Comiskey handed Manager Fielder Jones a check for $15,000 as a present to the team that won the world championship. The sum is to be added the $24,401.70 which the players won as their portion of the gate receipts in the first four games. The total is to be divided up among twenty-one players, so that each will receive a few pennies short of $1,924.

Composite Box Score

Individual Averages of Players

At the Home of the White Sox
Chicago Tribune Cartoon

Makes Sox $15,000 Present.

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