Born: July 16, 1887
1900: Began playing baseball
1905: Began playing semi-pro ball
1905-1907 : Sometime during this period, he earned his nickname because he took his shoes off before an at bat. His cleats gave him blisters.
Debut: August 25, 1908 (Philadelphia A’s)
1910: Traded to Cleveland
1911: Hit .408 (second in the league to Ty Cobb’s .420)
1915: Traded to White Sox
1917: White Sox win World Series (Jackson hit .304 in the series)
1918: Served in World War I
1919: White Sox win pennant, but throw World Series (Jackson hit .375 with a home run and 6 RBI). Jackson admitted to taking $20,000.
1920: Jackson’s final season
1921: The “Black” Sox are acquitted by a jury. Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis bans Jackson and seven other Sox for conspiring to throw the World Series. They never played in the majors again. Jackson continued to play semi-pro ball.
1922: Jackson opened a dry cleaners
1933: Jackson opened a restaurant and then a general store. Ty Cobb wandered in one day and asked Jackson if he knew him. Jackson responded that he did not think Cobb wanted to know him.
Death: December 5, 1951
1963: Eliot Asinof’s Eight Men Out released.
1988: The movie Eight Men Out is released.
1989: Field of Dreams is released with Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe.
1999: The House of Representatives voted to honor his baseball achievements and support his candidacy for the Hall of Fame.
2009: New evidence calls into question Eight Men Out and Jackson’s guilt.
Accomplishments:
.356 Career Hitter
1917 World Champion
168 Career Triples
100+ Runs: 4x
200+ hits: 4x
Led league in hits: 2x
40+ doubles: 3x
Led league in doubles (39) in 1913
20+ triples: 3x
Led league in triples: 3x
121 RBI in 1920
30+ steals: 2x (41 in 1911)
Hit .300 or better: 11x
Hit .350 or better: 5x
Hit .408 in 1911
.400+ OBP: 5x
Led league in OBP (.468) in 1911
.500+ Slugging: 5x
Led league in slugging (.551) in 1913
1.000+ OPS: 4x
Led league in OPS (1.011) in 1913
300+ Total Bases:2x
Led league in TB: 2x
Postseason: .345, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .823 OPS
