| Eddie Cicotte | |
|---|---|
 Cicotte c. 1919 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1884-06-19)June 19, 1884 Springwells, Michigan, U.S. | |
| Died: May 5, 1969(1969-05-05) (aged 84) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Both Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 3, 1905, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 26, 1920, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 208–149 |
| Earned run average | 2.38 |
| Strikeouts | 1,374 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Edward Victor Cicotte (/ˈsiːkɒt/;[1][2] June 19, 1884 – May 5, 1969), nicknamed "Knuckles", was an American right-handedpitcher inMajor League Baseball best known for his time with theChicago White Sox. He was one of eight players permanently ineligible for professional baseball for his alleged participation in theBlack Sox scandal in the1919 World Series, in which the favored White Sox lost to theCincinnati Reds in eight games.[3] The "fixing" of the 1919 World Series is the only recognized gambling scandal to tarnish a World Series.[4]
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Cicotte was the son of Ambrose Cicotte and Archange Mary Drouillard, both of mainly French-Canadian extraction. He married Rose Ellen Freer, daughter of Russell John Freer and Annie Cecile Thornton, both of whom would later live with the Cicottes. They had two daughters, Rose and Virginia, and one son, Edward Jr.
Cicotte was astarting pitcher and aknuckleball specialist who won 208 games and lost 149 over the course of a 14-year career pitching for theDetroit Tigers,Boston Red Sox, andChicago White Sox. At the time of his lifetime ban, he was considered one of the premier pitchers in the American League.
ADetroit native, Cicotte playedminor league baseball for theAugusta Tourists inGeorgia in 1905, where he was a teammate ofTy Cobb. Both players were purchased by the Tigers, and Cicotte made his big-league debut on September 3, 1905. Pitching in three games for Detroit, Cicotte compiled a 1–1 record with a 3.50earned run average (ERA).
Cicotte did not return to the major leagues again until 1908, when he resurfaced with the Red Sox. After he compiled a 41–48 record in a Boston uniform, the Red Sox sold him to the White Sox on July 22, 1912.
Cicotte celebrated a breakout year in 1913, going 18–11 on the season with an ERA of 1.58. He led the league inwinning percentage in 1916, but his best year was 1917, when he won 28 games and led the league in wins, ERA, andinnings pitched. On April 14 he threw ano hitter against theSt. Louis Browns. From September 15, 1916, to July 25, 1917, Cicotte pitched 25 straight starts in which he allowed three earned runs or less with at least six innings pitched, which retroactively became known as thequality start. Cicotte's 25 game streak was the most for a half-century untilBob Gibson passed him.[5] That year, the White Sox went to theWorld Series, defeating theNew York Giants 4 games to 2. Cicotte won Game 1, lost Game 3, and pitched six innings of relief in Game 5 for a no-decision.
Injuries reduced Cicotte to a 12–19 record in 1918, but in 1919, he rebounded to win 29 games and once again led the league in wins, winning percentage, and innings pitched, as well as incomplete games. His 1919 salary was $6,000, but he had a provision for a $10,000 bonus if he won 30 games. Legend has it that as the season drew to a close, ownerCharles Comiskey ordered managerKid Gleason to bench Cicotte for five games, denying him a chance at a 30-win season and the bonus money.[6]
The bookEight Men Out byEliot Asinof and the movie based on the book does record that Cicotte, despite being grossly underpaid for a pitcher of his ability, resisted repeated attempts byChick Gandil to get him to throw the series until just days before the World Series opened when it became clear that Comiskey would never pay him even part of the promised bonus.
In the 1919 World Series against the Reds, Cicotte pitched in three games, winning one but pitching ineffectively and losing the other two.
Cicotte was the first of the eight players to come forward, signing a confession and a waiver of immunity. He later recanted this confession and was acquitted of all charges at trial by jury. Despite this, Cicotte and his alleged co-conspirators were subsequently made permanently ineligible for baseball byKenesaw Mountain Landis, Major League Baseball's new commissioner, recently hired to restore the integrity of the game in the wake of the 1919 scandal.
Cicotte was reinstated by CommissionerRob Manfred on May 13, 2025 along with other deceased players who were on the ineligible list.
After being banned from playing baseball, Cicotte returned toLivonia, Michigan. He managed a service station, served as agame warden in theMichigan Department of Natural Resources, then went to work forFord Motor Company, where he retired in 1944. Cicotte lived to be 84 years old. He was a strawberry farmer on a 5.5-acre (2.2 ha) farm near Farmington until his death atHenry Ford Hospital in Detroit on May 5, 1969.[7]
In the 1988 filmEight Men Out, about the Black Sox scandal, Cicotte is portrayed by actorDavid Strathairn.
He was portrayed by actorSteve Eastin in the 1989 filmField of Dreams.
Cicotte's grandnephewAl Cicotte (1929–1982) later pitched in the major leagues, compiling a lifetime 10–13 record with six teams between 1957 and 1962.
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