Chicago White Sox: The Franchise All-Time Bracket
No. 1 vs. 8 seed
The 1917 Chicago White Sox were the ‘clean’ version of the 1919 club, and possibly superior to them. Begin with a great pitching staff. Eddie Cicotte won 28 games against just 12 losses, Lefty Wiliams went 17-8, and the staff ERA was a league-leading 2.16.
At bat, the Sox were led by outfielders Happy Felsch and Shoeless Joe Jackson, who hit .308 and .301 respectively. Felsch drove in 99 runs.
They’re pitted against the 1993 Sox, who won the AL West by eight games before losing the championship series to Toronto. That team featured slugger Frank Thomas in all his glory. Thomas batted .317 with 41 home runs and 128 RBIs, and that was when opponents pitched to him. He also drew 112 bases on balls.
Third baseman Robin Ventura ably supported Thomas with 105 RBIs while Lance Johnson produced a .311 average as the leadoff hitter.
Jack McDowell led the pitching staff at 22-10 with 257 innings of work. Roberto Hernandez saved 38 games in 70 appearances.
Game 1: The 1917 champions’ 100-54 record equates to a .649 percentage, substantially better than the 1993 club’s 94-68 .580.
Game 2: The 1917 team compiled a 4-2 World Series record against their National League opponents, the New York Giants. The 1993 Sox lost their championship series in six games.
Game 3: Despite the presence of Felsch and Jackson, the 1917 club actually had a slightly sub-par offense. Its team OPS+ was only 98. The 1993 team’s 103 OPS+ wins out.
Game 4: Behind Cicotte, Williams, and Faber, the 1917 team’s 124 ERA+ is superior. The best the 1993 team can do is a creditable but inadequate 114.
Game 5: Cicotte’s other-worldly 11.4 WAR leads the 1917 team to a total of 50.7. That’s more than enough to put away the 1993 champions, who reached only 48.5 WAR as a tea,.
Result: 1917 in five games