CHICAGO _ Chicago baseball takes a big hit on Tuesday's episode of "Drunk History."
On the Comedy Central series, celebrities narrate noteworthy historic events after they've consumed alcohol. Tuesday's episode, which is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. Central, explores the 1919 Black Sox scandal; the legacy of Moses Fleetwood Walker, one of the first black baseball players in the major leagues; and the real-life story that inspired the 1992 movie "A League of Their Own."
ESPN's Katie Nolan narrates the Black Sox scandal vignette. In real life, some White Sox players were accused of taking money to throw the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The eight players implicated in the plot were acquitted by a jury, but banned from playing professional baseball.
"New Girl" alum Jake Johnson, who grew up in Winnetka and Evanston, plays first baseman Arnold "Chick" Gandil, the reputed leader of the conspiracy. Charles Comiskey, the Sox owner at the time, is not portrayed favorably on the show. Nolan calls the notorious penny-pincher a "piece of (expletive). He's making a bunch of money. He doesn't even pay for (the players') laundering of their uniforms."
Comedian Carl Tart narrates the Walker segment, which also has a Chicago tie. Walker was catcher for the Toledo Blue Stockings. Chicago White Stockings manager Cap Anson initially refused to take the field in an 1883 exhibition game against the Blue Stockings with Walker in the lineup.
Comedian and voice actress Anais Fairweather narrates the "League of Their Own" story. "13 Reasons Why" actor Steven Weber plays former Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley, who founded the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which later inspired "A League of Their Own."
This is not the first time "Drunk History" has tackled Chicago baseball. A 2016 episode recalled the 1979 Disco Demolition promotion that went awry at Comiskey Park. A 2013 "Drunk History" episode was devoted entirely to Chicago, with re-enactments featuring Abraham Lincoln, Al Capone and Haymarket riot protesters.
