Books and articles about Ray Schalk

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RELATED LINKS Photos » Photo: Schalk's Stunt from Baseball Between the Wars » Photo: Ray Schalk, 1928 from Baseball Between the Wars Submissions » Catching Three No-Hitters by Chuck Rosciam » Iron Men Catchers: Catching the Majority of a Team's Games by Chuck Rosciam » The Schalk-Schang Redemption: Two Men Who Prove That The Hall of Fame Veterans Committee Was a Sham by Paul White Around the Web » Ray Schalk from baseball-reference.com » Ray Schalk from thebaseballpage.com Jump directly to Library content from any website!

Hall of Famer Ray Schalk was one of the premier catchers of his day. He caught a ML-record four no-hitters in his career, including two in May 1914 and Charlie Robertson's perfect game April 30, 1922. He handled perennially strong pitching staffs, including the 1920 White Sox rotation that boasted four 20-game winners. The 5'9" 165-lb workhorse caught 100 or more games in 12 seasons (1913-23, '25) and led AL catchers eight times in fielding, eight times in putouts (eight straight years, 1913-20), four times in double plays, and twice in assists. His .989 fielding average in 1922 tied the AL record at the time. He set ML catching records for career games and putouts, and still holds the ML career record for double plays and the AL career mark for assists. An important innovator, he is credited with being the first catcher to back up plays at first and third base. A powerless, merely adequate batter, he set a record for catchers by stealing 30 bases in 1916. He hit for the cycle on June 27, 1922. His best batting came in the 1919 World Series, when he hit .304 as eight of his teammates threw the Series to gamblers; he could tell what was happening, and almost came to blows with pitcher Lefty Williams. (JFC)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » October 18, 1912: In the rubber match of the 7-game Windy City series, the White Sox score three runs in the 1st two innings and keep going to win, 16–0. The Sox lost the first three games of the series. Ed Walsh shuts out the Cubs, allowing no hits after the 5th and pitching 42 innings against the Cubs in 10 days. Sox catcher Ray Schalk later tells Lloyd Lewis this was the greatest game he ever caught. » June 14, 1913: At Chicago, Walter Johnson stops the White Sox, 8–3. Sox C Ray Schalk hits his first ML homer off Johnson and it will be his only roundtripper this year. » May 14, 1914: The White Sox's Jim Scott pitches a no-hitter for nine innings, then loses to Washington 1–0 in the 10th. The first hit is by Chick Gandil, who scores on Howard Shanks' single. It is the first of a record three no-hitters that White Sox rookie C Ray Schalk will catch in his 17 years with the team. » April 15, 1916: In a 9–4 win, White Sox C Ray Schalk steals twice against Detroit en route to a season total of 30. This is a record for catchers until 1982 when John Wathan nicks 36. » May 26, 1922: In Chicago, Sox OF Bibb Falk singles with one out in the 8th to break Urban Shocker's bid for a perfect game. Ray Schalk's double ties the game, and the Sox score an unearned run in the 10th to win, 2–1. Red Faber is the winner over the Browns Urban Shocker. The Sox win the 2nd game, 3–2, scoring the winner again on an unearned run. » June 27, 1922: White Sox catcher Ray Schalk hits for the cycle against the Tigers. He's just the second major-league catcher to cycle. » May 11, 1925: Chicago C Ray Schalk holds on to a ball dropped 460 feet from the top of the Tribune Tower in Chicago. » November 11, 1926: Eddie Collins is released as White Sox manager; he'll rejoin the A's as a player-coach. C Ray Schalk takes his place. » May 19, 1927: White Sox players give their former manager Eddie Collins a wristwatch and diamond stickpin on his return to Chicago with the A's, then win 3–0 behind Tommy Thomas' 6th straight win. In addition to new Sox manager Ray Schalk, there are three ex-Sox managers present: the A's Eddie Collins and Kid Gleason, and umpire Clarence Rowland. Another ex-manager, Ty Cobb of the Tigers, hits in his 19th straight game. » June 28, 1927: At Chicago, Lena Blackburne, filling in for manager Ray Schalk, ejected earlier in the game by Brick Owens, inserts himself as a pinch hitter in the 9th and singles. He comes around to score the winning run as the White Sox edge the Indians, 8–7. » May 23, 1928: Cleveland left fielder Charlie Jamieson starts a triple play against the White Sox in a 4–3 loss. Today's TP occurs when Bud Clancy is out on a short fly to Jamieson, who then throws out Johnny Mann, the runner on third who tries to score. The relay from C Ray Sewell to his brother Joe Sewell at 2B catches Ray Schalk off base, and he is tagged at 3B. Jamieson will start another triple play against the Yankees on June 9. » July 4, 1928: Ray Schalk resigns as White Sox manager; Lena Blackburne replaces him. Blackburne will last one year and in 1930 will start selling his Rubbing Mud from the Delaware River to the AL to use to take the shine off of baseballs. The NL will adopt it in the 1950s. » September 24, 1977: Jack Brohamer becomes the first White Sox player since Ray Schalk in 1922 to hit for the cycle as Chicago whips the Mariners, 8–3. Brohamer also adds a double. » August 24, 1982: Kansas City's John Wathan steals his 31st base of the season in a 5–3 win over the Rangers, breaking the single-season record for catchers set by Ray Schalk in 1916. Wathan will finish the season with a career-high 36 SBs.