Sox Century: April 30, 1917

The White Sox had lost four out of five and scored four runs during that stretch entering today, and poor weather was at least part of the problem. Frequent rain and stiff winds off the lake helped stifle the offense to some degree, although they also couldn’t out of their own way at some points, as even some attempts to play for one run blew up in their faces.

That said, there must have been relief on a couple of fronts when inclement weather washed out not only today’s game, but the series finale against Detroit afterward. The Sox headed to Cleveland a little early to get the jump on a three-game series with the Indians.

The Sox finished their homestand 5-5, which was a disappointing showing considering the strong start on the road as well as the general expectations, which the Chicago Tribune seemed to lower:

The winds, the grounds, and nearly everything else on the south side have been blamed for the batting jinx, which surely has found a permanent haunt there. The size of the park does cut down the hitting, for outfielders here can go back and get drives that would either hit the walls or go over them for home runs at the majority of other major league parks.

The Tribune also reported that Charles Comiskey cut a check to the Red Cross for $2,219.11, which was 10 percent of the gate from the 10 games that month. The Trib reverse-engineered the numbers, saying, “On that basis the home team’s share of the gross amounted to $22,101.10, which is small compared to previous openings, but large considering the weather.”

Even 100 years ago, April attendance had a built-in excuse.