Red Faber - Success in The '20s

Success in The '20s

Faber then enjoyed the greatest success of his career in the early 1920s. The Live Ball Era was beginning, but he was among the pitchers who made the most successful transition. The spitball was phased out after the 1920 season, with Faber one of the 17 pitchers permitted to use it for the remainder of their careers; and he took advantage of Comiskey Park's spacious dimensions, surrendering only 91 home runs - barely one homer per month - from 1920 to 1931. He was one of only six pitchers to win 100 or more games in both the "dead ball" (through 1920) and live ball eras.

From 1920-22, he posted win totals of 23, 25 and 21, leading the league in ERA ('21-'22), starts ('20), innings ('22), and complete games ('21-'22). He was also among the league leaders in strikeouts each year, while pitching at least 25 complete games and over 300 innings. But the decimation of the team in the wake of the Black Sox scandal, particularly on offense, made winning on a consistent basis increasingly difficult. After being one of the top teams in the league with a powerful offense in the late 1910s, the White Sox had only two winning seasons in his last 13 years, never finishing above fifth place. His 1921 season, going 25-15 for the post-scandal team that limped to a 62-92 finish, is particularly remarkable; from 1921 to 1929 his record was 126-103. Despite the widespread hitting of the era, he did not post an ERA over 3.88 until he was 41. Perhaps his last great performance was a one-hitter at age 40 in 1929.