Thread by @buckweaver

There’s really not much precedent for how the Houston Astros have been forced to face fans’ wrath in a public forum all season after their World Series scandal. Players get booed all the time, teams not so much. 1/x

Most baseball scandals involve a controversial player or three, but then they retire, get suspended, or scatter to other teams. Or the news comes out too late for fans to have a chance to respond publicly. 2/x

@BenLindbergh recently asked if the Black Sox players ever had to face fans’ wrath on the field. Not really, because by the time a grand jury began investigating in September 1920, their season was almost over. But there was one time in Cleveland … 3/x

Almost all of the White Sox’s games that final month were at home … except for a 3-game set at Cleveland on September 23-25, 1920. And @Indians fans let out ALL their pent-up anger that series. 4/x

By then, everyone had heard the rumors about the fixed 1919 World Series. But the 1920 White Sox — with four 20-game winners on their pitching staff — were still fighting for another pennant, 1.5 games back of @Indians with 8 to play. baseball-reference.com/boxes/?year=19… 5/x

A White Sox sweep of this late-season series would land them in first place and in line for another World Series in 1920. Or the @Indians could put their very first American League pennant on ice and start celebrating. 6/x

In the meantime, a Chicago grand jury was hearing new testimony every day. And rumors were flying that the 1920 White Sox had been throwing games all season too. sabr.org/journal/articl… 7/x

That same week, AL president Ban Johnson testified to the grand jury he had heard “the White Sox would not dare to win the 1920 pennant” because gamblers were still in control of the team. sabr.org/journal/articl… 8/x

Cleveland fans heard all these stories too, before the White Sox came to town in late September 1920. And when they finally arrived, the scene at @LeagueParkCle was a rowdy one. 9/x

White Sox OF Shano Collins said in an offseason interview with the Boston Post that he heard the cries of “Crooks!” and “Traitors!” still ringing in his ears, even as Chicago won 2 of 3 games from Cleveland. 10/x

Remember, @Indians fans already hated the White Sox after their manager Tris Speaker mixed it up with Chick Gandil in a notorious “old-time fistfight” the year before. There was no love lost between the two teams in 1920. sabr.org/gamesproj/game… 11/x

Tris Speaker was also highly critical of the White Sox in his @clevelanddotcom columns during the 1919 World Series. He was one of the most prominent voices in baseball to call out their poor play at the time. sabr.box.com/shared/static/… 12/x

The White Sox endured Cleveland fans’ outrage for three days and left town a half-game back of first place. But in Chicago, Eddie Cicotte decided to confess on September 28. And the Black Sox Scandal finally blew open, one year after the Series ended. app.box.com/s/5w6evwofl2dt… 13/x

The Black Sox players were immediately suspended by Charles Comiskey and never played again for the White Sox or in @MLB. Fans were denied any chance to boo these “murderers of sport.” sabr.org/gamesproj/game… 14/x

The scandal-ridden Astros, meanwhile, will play on against the current, trying to outrun their past. But while fans have this extremely rare opportunity to express their outrage, some aren’t going to let these players forget so quickly. 15/fin #BlackSox100