He was among the greats of his era and would be remembered much differently had been part of baseball’s most notorious scandal. Prior to his involvement in the 1919 Black Sox affair, Eddie Cicotte was among the stars of the 1917 World Series. A jersey once donned by the Chicago ace and his signed contract for the infamous 1919 season are both set to come to market later this year.
Both come from Cicotte’s descendants, according to Grey Flannel Auctions, which will offer them in its Summer Games Auction later this year. Cicotte passed away in 1969 and in later years, Grey Flannel says family members scoured auction sites and other avenues to obtain important items from his career.
Two letters on the front of the pinstripe jersey have been restored, but the American flag patch on the sleeve–added to the Sox uniform during World War I–is fully original, according to the company.
The foldout American League Players Contract states that Cicotte will be paid $952 per month. It’s signed by both Cicotte and the White Sox owner Charles Comiskey. The back of the contract features the signature of Hall of Fame American League President Ban Johnson.
Two years earlier, Cicotte won 28 games and led the American League in wins, ERA, and innings pitched. On April 14 of that year, he tossed a no hitter against the St. Louis Browns and his 1.96 ERA in the World Series helped the Sox beat the New York Giants.
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