VA
  • TGT on YouTube
  • About TGT
  • The TGT Team
  • How TGT rates
  • Responsible Gambling Advice
  • Contact Our Team
  • Writers Wanted
  • Content Disclaimer
  • Affiliate Disclosure
Contains commercial content
Billboard Left
Billboard Left
The Grueling Truth - Where Legends Speak / The 1919 Cincinnati Reds: Forgotten World Champions

The 1919 Cincinnati Reds: Forgotten World Champions

A too ignored team
Publish Date: 05/22/2023
Fact checked by: Mark Lewis

World Champions

There are many assumptions of baseball history that are almost accepted wisdom. For example, it’s treated as a near-given that Ted Williams, had he not lost so many years in the military, would have finished his career as statistically the greatest hitter who ever lived. It’s assumed by many that the Montreal Expos, if not for the 1994 strike, would have won the World Series that year. It’s also taken for granted that because a drunken writer named Al Stump wrote it, Ty Cobb was a racist who was hated by damn near everybody. None of these assumptions is facts and in the case of Ty Cobb, the assumptions have been proven to be dead wrong.

And this brings me to the belief that the 1919 Chicago White Sox would have run over the Cincinnati Reds in the 1919 World Series if not for the conspiracy to throw the series. Heck, in the Eight Men Out movie, a Reds player compares his team to Custer about to make a final and suicidal last stand. But as we have discovered, there were a lot of historical inaccuracies in that movie and I am betting that quote from a Reds player was totally made up for the movie.

In the end, my question is was the triumph of the 1919 Reds really that big of an upset?

Video: The 1919 Reds deserve their place in history

The 1919 Reds deserve their place in history

1) The White Sox had injury problems

The White Sox had three eventual Hall of Famers on their roster not counting of course “Shoeless” Joe Jackson who would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer without the gambling accusations, only two of the three (Ray Schalk and Eddie Collins) played in the World Series.  Young Spitballer Red Faber did not play in the Series because of a problem with the flu that lingered and would eventually end his season-long before that World Series. It’s not hard to say that missing a future Hall of Famer hurt the White Sox’s chances against an excellent Cincinnati Reds team. This, of course, is left out of the movie and is never mentioned by anybody while discussing this World Series.

2) The 1919 Reds were 96-44

The 1919 Reds had a record that was absolutely amazing. Their .686 winning percentage was the highest for a Cincinnati team in the 20th century and only .002 behind the 1882 American Association title-winning Cincinnati Red Stockings. That means that, yes, in winning percentage, the 1919 Reds were better than even the 1975 Big Red Machine that went 108-54 (.667 winning percentage). It was the second-best winning percentage of the 1910s (behind only the 1912 Red Sox, who went 105-47 for a .691 winning percentage) and no team would have a winning percentage higher than it again until the 1927 Yankees, which many historians consider the greatest team of all-time.

The 1919 Reds had one of the top 25 winning percentages in Baseball history since 1900. By comparison, the 1919 White Sox were just 88-52 for a .629 winning percentage. The White Sox record was inferior to the Reds by a fair amount. I know the National League was looked down upon by a lot of the country and the American League was considered the far superior league, but the Reds record should have been very hard to ignore by the so-called experts.

In the second half of the 1919 season, the Reds were an outstanding 47-19, a .712 winning percentage. By comparison, in the White Sox second half of games, their record was 41-27, a .612 winning percentage, once again well below the Reds. Plus the Reds ran away with the National League and they were destroying the competition when most teams would have just been preparing for the upcoming World Series.

Video: The 1919 World Series Fix that Tarnished America's Pastime

The 1919 World Series Fix that Tarnished America’s Pastime

3) Pitching wins championships 

Defense, it is said, wins championships and especially when it comes to pitching in baseball. The Cincinnati Reds had a better pitching staff than the Chicago White Sox and that fact to me at least in undisputed. The Reds staff topped the Sox in ERA, hits allowed/9, walks allowed/9, (WHIP)–and had a better FIP (Fielding-Independent Pitching). While the White Sox were superior in some traditional statistics like strikeouts, when you look at deeper statistics, the Reds clearly had a stronger staff.

Maybe, more importantly, they also had a deeper pitching staff. In an era where most pitchers went the entire game or close to it (thus giving the stat more meaning than it does now), the White Sox got 52.09% of their wins from the two pitchers who pitched the most innings for them: Eddie Cicotte and Lefty Williams. By comparison, the top two pitchers in Innings pitched for the Reds (Hod Eller and Dutch Reuther) accounted for only 39.58% of the Reds’ wins. The White Sox, without a healthy Faber, were for the most part essentially two aces carrying a staff, but the Reds were strong from top to bottom. Six pitchers on the Reds had at least 10 wins, and all but one of those six had lower ERAs than every single White Sox pitcher save for Cicotte.

So it is hard to believe that the Reds should have been a big underdog and even harder to believe that people thought they had basically no chance to win the series.

4) The Reds had home-field advantage

People debate to this day the value of home-field advantage, but back in 1919, it may have been an even bigger deal than it is today.

Video: 1919 World Series Redland Old Crosley Field

1919 World Series Redland Old Crosley Field

The 1919 Cincinnati Reds deserved better than this

Sadly, all of the accomplishments of the 1919 Cincinnati Reds have been effectively wiped out of the history of Baseball. The really unfortunate part was because of nothing they did, but in the end, they have been punished almost as badly as the Eight White Sox that were supposedly in on the fix. It’s just as bad to be forgotten as it is to be reviled.

The Reds star center fielder Edd Roush won his second batting crown by hitting .321 to go along with 20 steals, 20 sacrifices, and a team-high 71 RBI’s. Roush is hardly remembered outside of the best Baseball historians, maybe if he would have gotten credit for being the leader of the 1919 World Series Champion Cincinnati Reds his fate would have been different?

I will never say that the series wasn’t fixed by the White Sox because it’s obvious that a few players were on the “take” but the 1919 Cincinnati Reds were the true World Champions of Baseball and should be recognized that way. Statistically, they were the better team and what a few White Sox players did should not tarnish the legacy of a great team that played the series on the level.

Video: In Search Of History - World Series Fix! The Black Sox Scandal (History Channel Documentary)

In Search Of History – World Series Fix! The Black Sox Scandal (History Channel Documentary)

Billboard Left
Billboard Left
Read Also
What if the 1994 MLB Postseason had taken place
The 1994 MLB season was cut short and ended due to a ...
BetMGM Promo
Ty Cobb: The truth about the greatest baseball player of all-time
Growing up, I lived in a house that loved baseball. I remember ...
Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89)
Many of us dream of celebrity sports fame, but only cruel individuals ...
Elmer Ray: The Humble Man of Hastings
"Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for ...
Top 100 remaining 2021 NFL free agents after Day 1
This is the most up-to-date list of available NFL free agents following ...
Ranking the top 200 players in the NFL ahead of the 2021 season
This list isn’t based solely on performances from the 2020 NFL season. ...
Top 100 NFL free agents entering the 2021 offseason
Below is a list of the top 100 free agents available this ...
The Army Boxer Who Knocked-Down Muhammad Ali (1960)
I had wanted to write a boxing story about Junebug Hudson for ...
Sportsbook of the month
PointsBet - Get your Bonus Bet now! Get your Bonus Bet now!
Top Brands
Top Bonuses
Stake.us
Stake.us
Stake.us Review
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Review
4.6/5
High5Casino
High5Casino
High5Casino Review
4.5/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Review
4.5/5
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic Review
4.5/5
Stake.us
Stake.us Bonus
$25 No Deposit + 250,000 Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Bonus
30 SCs on 1st Purchase + 4.5 SCs FREE
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
High5Casino
High5Casino Bonus
$5 No Deposit + 250 GameCoins + 600 Diamonds
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Bonus
1,000 ($10) No Deposit Free Coins + 360,000 Gold Coins
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic Bonus
Day 5: 2 bonus packages $25 = 30,000 LC + 30 SC, $100 = 120,000 LC + 120 SC
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Latest News
Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo: Can’t Knock The Hustle 
Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo put it all ...
Was the 1918 World Series Between the Red Sox and Cubs Fixed?
Everybody knows about the 1919 World Series and ...
Betting Tips
09/30/2023 - 11:30 am
Mohegan Sun Arena
Tip:
Sun to win from 2-0
-120.00
FanDuel
09/30/2023 - 12:00 pm
Folsom Field
Tip:
USC to Cover
-21.50
FanDuel
09/30/2023 - 12:00 pm
Texas Memorial Stadium
Tip:
Kansas to Cover
16.50
FanDuel
Our Latest YouTube Videos
Video: College Football Prediction show: Notre Dame vs Duke Preview and prediction!
College Football Prediction show: Notre Dame vs Duke Preview and prediction!
Video: Cincinnati Bearcats on the Prowl: Cincinnati vs BYU Preview and Oklahoma recap
Cincinnati Bearcats on the Prowl: Cincinnati vs BYU Preview and Oklahoma recap
Video: NFL Best Betting Show: Picking all Week 4 games againt the Spread!
NFL Best Betting Show: Picking all Week 4 games againt the Spread!
Sportsbook of the month
PointsBet - Get your Bonus Bet now! Get your Bonus Bet now!
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....
Top Online Casinos
Top Casinos Bonuses
Stake.us
Stake.us
Stake.us Review
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Review
4.6/5
High5Casino
High5Casino
High5Casino Review
4.5/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Review
4.5/5
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic Review
4.5/5
Stake.us
Stake.us Bonus
$25 No Deposit + 250,000 Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas Bonus
30 SCs on 1st Purchase + 4.5 SCs FREE
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
High5Casino
High5Casino Bonus
$5 No Deposit + 250 GameCoins + 600 Diamonds
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Fortune Coins
Fortune Coins Bonus
1,000 ($10) No Deposit Free Coins + 360,000 Gold Coins
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Sweeptastic
Sweeptastic Bonus
Day 5: 2 bonus packages $25 = 30,000 LC + 30 SC, $100 = 120,000 LC + 120 SC
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Top Betting Sites
Top Betting Bonuses
BetMGM
BetMGM
BetMGM Review
4.6/5
Bet365
Bet365
Bet365 Review
4.6/5
Caesars
Caesars
Caesars Review
4.5/5
PointsBet
PointsBet
PointsBet Review
4.5/5
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com Review
4.5/5
BetMGM
BetMGM Bonus
up to $1,500 back in Bonus Bets
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Bet365
Bet365 Bonus
Bet $1 & Get $365 in Bonus Bets
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Bet $1 and Get $365in Bonus Bets at bet365. Deposit required. Bonus Bets winnings are added to Bonus Bets balance. Bonus Bet wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
PointsBet
PointsBet Bonus
5 x $50Bet Credits
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
BetRivers.com
BetRivers.com Bonus
100% up to $500
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Unibet
Unibet Bonus
$100 Second Chance Bet
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
21+ and physically present in VA only. Terms & Conditions apply. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call, text or chat, VA Council on Problem Gambling on their confidential and toll free helpline at: 1-888-532-3500.
Our Team
Mike GoodpasterAuthor IconJosh SchwartzSamuel TeetsSimon Briffa
+8
Mike Goodpaster
Mike Goodpaster
Chief Editor
Author Icon
Christopher Carlson
Content Writer
Josh Schwartz
Josh Schwartz
Editor
Samuel Teets
Samuel Teets
US Sports Veteran
Simon Briffa
Simon Briffa
Sports Editor
Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis
Editor
Chris Benedict
Chris Benedict
Editor
Author Icon
Daniel Kornhauser
Author
Author Icon
Malik Zorrok
Author
John Raspanti
John Raspanti
Author
Author Icon
Buddy Gibbs
Author
Brian Coburn
Brian Coburn
Author
Peter Bonahoom
Peter Bonahoom
Author
Find out what the legends have to say about sports this week....

If you enjoy hearing from the legends of pro sports, then be sure to tune into “The Grueling Truth” sports shows, “Where the legends speak”

Contact us: contact@thegruelingtruth.com

Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.

This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.

21+NCPG
Move to Top
Close
Players accepted in the US US Flag
Stake.us Exclusive Bonus
$25 No Deposit + 250,000 Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
Promo Code
Copy
Visit Site
T&Cs apply, 18+
Payment Methods
Bitcoin
Litecoin
Ethereum
Dogecoin
Highlights
  • Exclusive promo code: TGTSOCIAL
  • Play Plinko, Hilo, Crash and more!
  • Get Stake Cash bonuses every day!
Stake Originals
Dice
Crash
Plinko
Mines
×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Visit Site