Major League Baseball’s embrace of the Negro Leagues is now recognized in the record book, resulting in new-look leaderboards fronted in several prominent places by Hall of Famer Josh Gibson and an overdue appreciation of many other Black stars. Following the 2020 announcement that seven different Negro Leagues from 1920-1948...
When the great Christy Mathewson reclaimed his share of the National League’s wins record, he did not revel in the achievement. Others might have celebrated the man known as “Matty,” but he did not boast or strut or even smile. Such humility comes easy when you’ve been dead for more...
For Willie Mays, it’s the one that got away. As Major League Baseball officially incorporates verified Negro Leagues statistics into its official record, the great Mays, who suited up for the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, gets 10 hits added to his ledger, bringing him to 3,293. But Mays’ career home...
Major League Baseball’s single-season and career leaderboards now have a fresh look. The changes occurred Wednesday, when MLB announced that Negro Leagues stats -- specifically from seven different Negro Leagues from 1920-48 -- have officially been added to its historical record. It was an effort both long overdue and many...
The only thing grander than Josh Gibson’s power on a baseball field might have been the stories told about his power. It is believed that in 1930, an 18-year-old Gibson launched a ball that traveled beyond the 457-foot fence in center field at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. There are claims...
Bud Black has read the stories. He’s seen the classic clips. The Rockies' manager knows a lot about some of the great baseball players who spent time in the Negro Leagues -- players like Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige. So when Black heard that statistics from the Negro Leagues had...
Major League Baseball officially recognized the Negro Leagues as "major" leagues in December 2020. With the change, more than 3,000 players who appeared in one of seven leagues -- the Negro National League (I) (1920–1931), Eastern Colored League (1923–1928), American Negro League (1929), East-West League (1932), Negro Southern League (1932),...
With the addition of the statistics of more than 2,300 Negro Leagues ballplayers to the official record on Wednesday, numerous individuals who appeared in the Negro Leagues from 1920-48, along with the American and/or National Leagues, have new, updated career stat lines that include those accomplishments. Those include Hall of...
For the first time in over 100 years, Ty Cobb's name isn't the first one you see atop MLB's career batting average leaderboard. With Major League Baseball officially incorporating Negro League statistics into its record book on Wednesday, Josh Gibson is now recognized as MLB's all-time batting champion with a...
The Negro Leagues Statistical Review Committee (listed alphabetically):
When Major League Baseball incorporated Negro Leagues statistics into its official record on Wednesday, one Negro Leagues legend not only had his numbers added to the register, but his name ended up on the very top of several leaderboards. Josh Gibson, a legendary slugger renowned for his prodigious home runs...
