Nicknamed The “Hitless Wonders”: The 1906 Chicago White Sox.
Portrait White Sox catcher Billy Sullivan 1909 Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Courtesy of Chicago History Museum
This dour looking man shared the team lead for the Chicago White Sox in home runs in 1906. His name was Billy Sullivan. He was the team’s catcher. He batted .218.
Billy Sullivan in 1910 Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Courtesy of Chicago History Museum
Billy Sullivan and Joe Sugden in 1901 Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Courtesy of Chicago History Museum
The other slugger to lead the team in home runs was outfielder / playing manager Fielder Jones. He batted .230.
fielder Jones at South Side Park 1905 Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Courtesy of Chicago History Museum
Fielder Jones & Frank Isbell 1907 Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Courtesy of Chicago History Museum
Fielder Jones Base Hit vs. Cubs Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Courtesy of Chicago History Museum
Sullivan and Jones each had two home runs. This is the shared record with the 1907 Cubs for fewest amount of home runs for an individual team leader on a modern (post 1903) world championship team. Let’s give the 1907 Cubs some credit they walloped nearly double the number the White Sox did in 1906 by hitting 13 home runs.
The White Sox hit a total of seven home runs in 1906. Count them, seven.
The White Sox batted collectively .230. They did not have one .300 hitter who had more than ten at bats. Pitcher Frank Smith had a higher batting average (.293) than any other regular starter. They did finish in first place with a 93-58 record.
In the 1906 World Series against the crosstown rival Chicago Cubs the Sox hit even lower, batting a collective .198.
1906 World Series West Side Grounds Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Courtesy of Chicago History Museum
1906 World Series fans Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Courtesy of Chicago History Museum
The Cubs had won a record 116 games, which is still the modern National League record for victories.
Yet the White Sox whipped the heavily favored Cubs four games to two and even managed to score eight runs in each of the last two games!
