1919–21 W514 Lefty Williams #35
The pitcher who lost three games in the 1919 Series, on one of his few cards.
- Issue
- 1919–21 W514 Strip Cards
- Year
- 1919-21
- Number
- #35
- Subject
- Claude "Lefty" Williams
- Grade
- SGC 2
- Cert #
- 9229441
1919–21 W514 Strip Cards
Crudely drawn, blank-backed cards sold in strips at candy, grocery and drug stores and cut apart by hand, which is why no two have the same edges. At 120 cards, W514 is the largest and best-known strip set, and its 1919–21 issue dates line up exactly with the Black Sox scandal. It includes seven of the eight banned White Sox (all but Fred McMullin) plus manager Kid Gleason, and for players like Swede Risberg and Lefty Williams it is one of very few cards made during their careers.
More on this issue →Claude "Lefty" Williams
The White Sox's No. 2 starter behind Cicotte, recruited into the fix along with Jackson. Williams lost three games in the 1919 Series — still a Series record — including the decisive Game Eight, after which contemporary accounts say he was threatened to make sure the Series ended. He confessed to the grand jury in September 1920 (and later sought to walk that back). Acquitted in 1921, banned for life by Landis. Like Risberg, he appears on very few period cards.
More on Claude "Lefty" Williams →