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Which MLB Player Left Shoeless Joe Jackson $5 30 Years After His Banishment From Baseball?
A baseball legend received sympathy from many, including former big-league players, years after he was banned from the sport
Shoeless Joe Jackson remains perhaps the most mythical player in baseball history. Truly one of the greatest hitters who ever picked up a bat, he was a bright star who saw his career come to a sudden end in his prime due to his role in the 1919 Black Sox betting scandal. His permanent banishment was shocking to many, including one former major leaguer, who years after this occurred, traveled to Jackson’s home and anonymously left $5 as a sign of appreciation for the former star outfielder.
A native of Greenville, South Carolina, the left-handed Jackson was both shy and was believed to be functionally illiterate. Despite regularly enduring teasing, particularly as a younger player, he let his playing do the talking for him. In a 13-year big-league career (1908–1920) that was spent primarily with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland, he hit a combined .356 (third all-time) with 357 doubles, 168 triples, 54 home runs and 792 RBIs.
The White Sox were determined to have had eight players involved in a plot to intentionally throw the 1919 World…
