Shoeless Joe Jackson

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by Matt

I find this counter-argument to Joe's .375 average incredibly implausible. That any MLB hitter was so gifted that he could hit .375 in a World Series, while all the while throwing away at bats - would infer he would have been able to hit something like .700 or .800 if he was actually trying; it is absurd. To me whether he took the money or not is open for discussion - whether he threw the games is not.

Well, here are the splits:

Game 1, Reds win 9-1, Jackson goes 0-4
Game 2, Reds win 4-2, Jackson goes 3-4
Game 3, White Sox win 9-1, Jackson goes 2-3
Game 4, Reds win 2-0, Jackson goes 1-4
Game 5, Reds win 5-0, Jackson goes 0-4
Game 6, White Sox win 5-4, Jackson goes 2-4
Game 7, White Sox win 4-1, Jackson goes 2-4
Game 8, Reds win 10-5, Jackson goes 2-5

In White Sox wins, Jackson goes 6-11 for .545 avg
In Reds wins, Jackson goes 6-21 for .285 avg

From Baseball Almanac: "Joe Jackson had batted a Series-leading .375 but acknowledged that he had let up in key situations."

From wikipedia: "Some believed that most of his offensive potency came in games that were not fixed and/or when the game appeared out of reach." (The World Series by Cohen, Neft, Johnson and Deutsch cited)

So many point to that .375 and say he couldn't have been involved. I say differently.