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Don’t Forget About Eddie Cicotte’s Hall of Fame Credentials Now That MLB Has Reinstated Him
One of baseball’s biggest stars from long ago has a second lease on the life of his legacy
The shocking news that Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred lifted the permanently ineligible status of 16 former players, highlighted by Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, reverberated around the world Tuesday. Many fans immediately celebrated their belief that the announcement would mean certain upcoming induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While it remains to be seen if Cooperstown is indeed in the offing for these deceased, long-banned former stars, another player from this group who shouldn’t be forgotten is pitcher Eddie Cicotte.
Jackson was an outfielder who played in MLB from 1908 to 1920, most notably for the Chicago White Sox. Renowned for his sweet left-handed swing and his pure hitting ability, Jackson posted a career batting average of .356, the fourth-highest in history. He was a key player on the 1917 World Series champion White Sox and set a World Series record with 12 hits during the infamous 1919 Series. His legacy, however, was overshadowed by the Black Sox Scandal, in which eight White Sox players, including Jackson, were accused of conspiring to fix the 1919 World Series to…
