The 1912 New York Giants clinched the championship by winning two of four games against the 1917 Chicago White Sox. It wasn’t easy, but the Giants put all matters to rest quickly by winning the first two contests in extra innings. Chicago came back to win the final two meaningless games. New York (21-11) finished two games better than both Chicago (19-13) and the 1911 Philadelphia Athletics. Fittingly, Christy Mathewson won the pennant-clinching contest with his league-best seventh win. Buck Herzog hit .438 (7-for-16) for the Giants. Chick Gandil hit .353 (6-for-17) for the White Sox. Shoeless Joe Jackson had a chance at the batting title but went 3-for-14 to fall to .360 on the season.
Game #1: New York 4, Chicago 1 (10 inn.)
The Giants’ Red Ames and the White Sox’s Eddie Cicotte each put up zeroes on the scoreboard for nine innings. In seven of the nine regulation innings, the Giants put runners in scoring position, but Cicotte found a way out of the jam. Ames had a bit easier time of it, as only one Chicago player made it to third base in the first nine innings. Cicotte finally faltered as the scoreless game went to the 10th inning. Fred Snodgrass led off with a double and the Giants scored four runs on four hits, including an RBI single by Jack Meyers, a two-run double by Buck Herzog and a run-scoring single by Fred Merkle. Chicago avoided a shutout on Shano Collins’ RBI triple in the bottom of the 10th, but that would be it as New York ensured itself of at least a share of the title.
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS (4) AT 1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX (1)
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS AB R H BI 1917 CHICAGO WHITE S AB R H BI
Fred Snodgrass 4 1 1 0 Nemo Leibold 5 0 1 0
Larry Doyle 4 1 1 0 Buck Weaver 4 0 0 0
Red Murray 3 0 1 0 Joe Jackson 4 0 1 0
Jack Meyers 5 1 1 1 Chick Gandil 4 0 0 0
Buck Herzog 3 1 1 2 Eddie Collins 4 0 1 0
Beals Becker 3 0 1 0 Happy Felsch 4 0 0 0
Fred Merkle 4 0 1 1 Swede Risberg 4 1 0 0
Art Fletcher 5 0 0 0 Ray Schalk 4 0 0 0
Red Ames BYZ 4 0 1 0 Eddie Cicotte AXZ 2 0 0 0
Shano Collins 1 0 1 1
TOTALS 35 4 8 4 TOTALS 36 1 4 1
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS 000 000 000 4 -- 4
1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 000 000 000 1 -- 1
LOB--1912 NEW YORK GIANTS 10, 1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 6.
ERR--Art Fletcher, Buck Herzog (2), Red Ames BYZ. 2B--Red
Murray, Fred Snodgrass, Buck Herzog, Beals Becker. 3B--Shano
Collins. SACB--Fred Merkle, Red Murray, Fred Snodgrass,
Eddie Cicotte AXZ. SB--Fred Merkle, Beals Becker, Eddie
Collins, Nemo Leibold.
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Red Ames BYZ [W] 10.00 4 1 0 0 6 0
1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Eddie Cicotte AXZ [L] 10.00 8 4 4 6 5 0
Game #2: New York 4, Chicago 3 (10 inn.)
The Giants built an early 2-1 lead after Jack Meyers had an RBI single in the first and Fred Merkle and Art Fletcher had back-to-back doubles in the second. Chicago then went ahead 3-2 in the fourth when Happy Felsch led off with a home run, and then Swede Risberg followed with a triple and scored on a wild pitch. It stayed that way until the eighth with a couple of clutch Giant hits. With two out, Red Murray doubled, and Meyers brough him home with another RBI single. After a rough start, Christy Mathewson scattered three hits over the final six innings and only allowed one White Sox runner to reach second base in that time. It went to extra innings the Giants once again went ahead in the top of the 10th. With one out, Meyers walked, and he went to third on Buck Herzog’s single. Beals Becker’s suicide squeeze was successful as Meyers scored for the go-ahead run. Mathewson tossed a 1-2-3 10th inning to collect his league-best seventh win and clinch the title for the Giants.
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS (4) AT 1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX (3)
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS AB R H BI 1917 CHICAGO WHITE S AB R H BI
Fred Snodgrass 5 0 0 0 Nemo Leibold 5 1 2 0
Larry Doyle 5 0 0 0 Buck Weaver 5 0 1 1
Red Murray 5 2 2 0 Joe Jackson 5 0 0 0
Jack Meyers 4 1 2 2 Chick Gandil 5 0 3 0
Buck Herzog 5 0 3 0 Eddie Collins 4 0 0 0
Beals Becker 4 0 1 1 Happy Felsch 4 1 1 1
Fred Merkle 4 1 2 0 Swede Risberg 4 1 1 0
Art Fletcher 4 0 1 1 Ray Schalk 4 0 1 0
Christy Mathewson AY 3 0 1 0 Reb Russell BZ 4 0 1 0
TOTALS 39 4 12 4 TOTALS 40 3 10 2
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS 110 000 010 1 -- 4
1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 100 200 000 0 -- 3
LOB--1912 NEW YORK GIANTS 9, 1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 7.
ERR--Buck Weaver. 2B--Art Fletcher, Fred Merkle, Red Murray,
Ray Schalk, Chick Gandil. 3B--Beals Becker, Reb Russell BZ,
Swede Risberg. HR--Happy Felsch. SACB--Beals Becker.
SB--Jack Meyers, Red Murray, Buck Herzog (2), Nemo Leibold.
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Christy Mathewson AY [W] 10.00 10 3 3 0 5 1
1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Reb Russell BZ [L] 10.00 12 4 4 3 3 0
Game #3: Chicago 8, New York 0
The Giants appeared to be pretty hung over after clinching the title in the previous game. Chicago’s Red Faber threw his third shutout of the season. New York committed four errors and half of Chicago’s runs were unearned.
1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX (8) AT 1912 NEW YORK GIANTS (0)
1917 CHICAGO WHITE S AB R H BI 1912 NEW YORK GIANTS AB R H BI
Nemo Leibold 5 2 2 2 Fred Snodgrass 4 0 0 0
Buck Weaver 4 1 0 0 Larry Doyle 4 0 2 0
Joe Jackson 3 1 2 2 Red Murray 4 0 0 0
Chick Gandil 4 0 1 1 Jack Meyers 4 0 1 0
Eddie Collins 3 0 2 1 Buck Herzog 4 0 1 0
Happy Felsch 5 0 1 0 Beals Becker 4 0 1 0
Swede Risberg 5 2 2 0 Fred Merkle 3 0 0 0
Ray Schalk 5 1 1 1 Art Fletcher 3 0 0 0
Red Faber A 3 1 0 0 Jeff Tesreau AX 1 0 0 0
Josh Devore 2 0 0 0
TOTALS 37 8 11 7 TOTALS 33 0 5 0
1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 300 410 000 -- 8
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS 000 000 000 -- 0
LOB--1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 10, 1912 NEW YORK GIANTS 6.
ERR--Red Faber A, Art Fletcher (3), Fred Merkle. 2B--Swede
Risberg, Larry Doyle. SACF--Joe Jackson. SACB--Buck Weaver,
Red Faber A (2). SB--Eddie Collins, Nemo Leibold (2), Swede
Risberg (2).
1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX IP H R ER BB SO HR
Red Faber A [W] 9.00 5 0 0 0 3 0
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS
Jeff Tesreau AX [L] 5.00 9 8 4 2 2 0
Hooks Wiltse BYZ 4.00 2 0 0 2 2 0
Game #4: Chicago 3, New York 2
The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on RBI singles by Fred Merkle and Art Fletcher, but couldn’t hold the lead in the finale. Ray Schalk tripled and scored in the fifth, Swede Risberg had a sacrifice fly in the sixth and Chick Gandil had an RBI triple in the eighth.
1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX (3) AT 1912 NEW YORK GIANTS (2)
1917 CHICAGO WHITE S AB R H BI 1912 NEW YORK GIANTS AB R H BI
Nemo Leibold 5 0 0 1 Fred Snodgrass 3 0 1 0
Buck Weaver 5 0 2 0 Larry Doyle 4 0 0 0
Joe Jackson 2 1 0 0 Red Murray 4 0 0 0
Chick Gandil 4 1 2 1 Jack Meyers 4 0 1 0
Eddie Collins 3 0 1 0 Buck Herzog 4 1 2 0
Happy Felsch 3 0 1 0 Beals Becker 4 0 1 0
Swede Risberg 1 0 0 1 Fred Merkle 3 1 1 1
Ray Schalk 4 1 1 0 Art Fletcher 4 0 2 1
Lefty Williams CY 4 0 0 0 Rube Marquard BXYZ 3 0 0 0
Josh Devore 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 31 3 7 3 TOTALS 34 2 8 2
1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 000 011 010 -- 3
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS 020 000 000 -- 2
LOB--1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 9, 1912 NEW YORK GIANTS 7.
ERR--Chick Gandil. 2B--Jack Meyers. 3B--Ray Schalk, Chick
Gandil. HBP--Swede Risberg. SACF--Swede Risberg. SACB--Happy
Felsch. SB--Fred Merkle, Buck Herzog, Beals Becker.
1917 CHICAGO WHITE SOX IP H R ER BB SO HR
Lefty Williams CY [W] 9.00 8 2 2 2 3 0
1912 NEW YORK GIANTS
Rube Marquard BXYZ [L] 9.00 7 3 3 5 9 0
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 