Sometimes the most desperate situations call for the most unconventional solutions. When your team just endured one of the worst seasons in modern baseball history, maybe it’s time to look beyond traditional roster moves and consider something completely different, right?
That’s exactly what happened in Chicago this spring, where a century-old Black Sox baseball became the centerpiece of an attempt to bring some better fortunes to a club that lost 121 games the year prior.
According to Block Club Chicago Patrick Filbin, sports memorabilia collector and Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group CEO, Grant DePorter, orchestrated an elaborate ceremony to move a historic baseball from the infamous 1919 World Series back to its original resting place.
Editor’s Note: New to MLB Daily Dingers? Then Start Here!
The Discovery and Return of the ‘Black Sox’ Baseball
The journey for this piece of baseball history began in 2018 when construction workers renovating the Tribune Tower discovered a time capsule hidden in the building’s walls. Inside sat a baseball with split horsehide cover and blackened laces, accompanied by a letter from Tribune sports editor Harvey Woodruff explaining its significance.
The baseball was used by Cincinnati Reds pitcher Horace “Hod” Eller during Game 5 of the 1919 World Series. He set a record by striking out six straight hitters, which is still a World Series record. Three of the players Eller struck out would later be banned for life due to their involvement in the Black Sox scandal.
After being authenticated by FBI memorabilia expert Brian Brusokas, DePorter moved the baseball to the Chicago Sports Museum in 2022. And that’s why he thinks moving it back might put the Earth back on its axis for the White Sox.
Chicago won the American League Central in 2021 after accumulating 93 victories. They entered the 2022 season with hopes of contending, but finished 81-81. It got worse in 2023, as they went 61-101 before breaking the modern MLB record for most losses in a season in 2024, finishing with a 41-121 record.
On March 18, 2025, during the 27th annual Worldwide Toast to Harry Caray, the baseball was returned to Tribune Tower. Former White Sox slugger Ron Kittle joined other Chicago sports legends for the bagpipe-accompanied procession.
The 121-Loss Catastrophe and 2025’s Surprising Progress
It’s hard to put into proper perspective just how bad the 2024 regular season was for the White Sox. I mean, they lost nearly 75% of their games! That feels hard to do.
The carnage began early with a franchise-worst 3-22 start that tied for the second-worst beginning to a season in modern baseball history. As one can imagine, the team endured multiple long losing streaks, which included coming up short in 21 straight contests in August. That hadn’t been seen since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles.
But did this ceremonial move actually help? Chicago is still 17.5 games out of first place in the AL Central, destined to finish in the basement again in 2025. However, they’ve already surpassed their 2024 win total through 113 games. The White Sox have posted a 42-71 record before games on August 6.
It’s still the worst win-loss record in the American League (by a sizable margin), but they’re trending toward having a double-digit improvement in wins compared to last year. Vegas oddsmakers set their over/under at just 54.5 wins. It was the lowest projection for any MLB team in over three decades. So, that’s the number we’ll be watching the rest of the way.
The Psychology Behind Baseball’s Supernatural Beliefs
Sports curses are fascinating because they tap into something deeper than stats and analytics. DePorter isn’t new to this game — he spent over $113,000 in 2004 to purchase and destroy the “Bartman Ball” on national television, hoping to break the Cubs’ Billy Goat Curse. The Cubs eventually won the World Series in 2016, ending a 108-championship drought.
Baseball has always been a sport with deep roots in superstition, from players refusing to step on foul lines to entire franchises believing in century-old hexes. The Black Sox scandal is one of the darkest chapters in baseball history, where eight players, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, were permanently banned for allegedly throwing the World Series for gambling money.
Even though the White Sox are still one of baseball’s worst teams, could their improvement in 2025 be a sign of better days ahead? As Kittle said about the ceremony: “It just might change somebody’s luck.” We’ll see if it does or not.
