Joe Posnanski, MLB senior writer: While there are complicating factors to simply adding Negro Leagues statistics to the official major league record, this … Negro National League; Sport: Negro league baseball: Founder: Rube Foster: Inaugural season: 1920: Ceased: 1931: No. To culminate MLB's centennial celebration of the Negro Leagues, Major League Baseball "is correcting a longtime oversight in the game’s history" and is recognizing them as a "Major League." The Major League record book will undergo a substantial revision following an announcement by MLB Wednesday that it is recognizing seven Negro Leagues as major leagues. Playing statistics for 1923 (except Negro League vs. Major League games), copyright 2011-2018 Patrick Rock. Site Last Updated: Monday, March 1, 6:07PM Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Playing statistics for 1924-1925, 1939-1942, and 1944-1946 Negro Leagues (not including Cuban League and Negro League vs. Major League games), copyright 2011-2018 Larry Lester, Wayne Stivers, Gary Ashwill. Donald Traill/AP By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. Negro League Baseball historical stats. John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball, acknowledged that MLB's racist legacy continued long after the Negro Leagues folded, adding that Wednesday's acknowledgement of the leagues was "profoundly gratifying.". A study of 15 Negro League stars (including Roy Campanella and Willie Mays) that I saw showed the same players hitting.319 in the Negro Leagues and then.271 in MLB. A detail of the scoreboard honoring the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues on display during a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers at Coors Field in Denver in August. MLB said it was “correcting a longtime oversight in the game’s history” by elevating the Negro Leagues on the centennial of its founding. "The perceived deficiencies of the Negro Leagues' structure and scheduling were born of MLB's exclusionary practices, and denying them Major League status has been a double penalty, much like that exacted of Hall of Fame candidates prior to Satchel Paige's induction in 1971," Thorn said in a statement. About the Negro League Data Sources. A detail of the scoreboard honoring the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues on display during a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers at Coors Field in Denver in August. Major League Baseball may decide to recognize the statistics of players from the Negro Leagues, which could knock some iconic white players down the lists. Leonard made a league-record 11 Negro League East-West all-star game appearances from 1937 to 1944. As Major League Baseball pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, it should also admit its history of social injustice. MLB honored the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues on August 16, 2020 -- with all MLB players, managers, coaches and umpires wearing a symbolic Negro Leagues … Major League Baseball has reclassified the Negro Leagues as a major league and will count the statistics and records of its 3,400 players as part of its history. The NSL was a minor league before and after the 1932 season. Major League Baseball’s long-overdue decision to recognize the statistics of players from the Negro Leagues means that MLB’s record book is expanding. MLB and its statistician, … Major League Baseball will honor the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues with all players, managers, coaches and umpires wearing a commemorative patch on their uniforms. Story continues. However, 1948 is the last official year of the Negro Leagues according to the MLB, so statistics and records after that season have not been added to the official annals. Negro Leagues seasons ran fewer than 100 games, and while slugging catcher Josh Gibson’s Hall of Fame plaque notes that Gibson hit “almost 800 home runs in league and independent baseball … Josh Gibson, one of the greatest sluggers in the history of Negro Leagues, could become big league baseball's single-season batting average record holder with the .441 mark he set 77 years ago. Christmas came early for former Negro Leagues player Ron Teasley. He batted .320 over his career. Although most Negro League seasons featured between 50 and 70 games, MLB’s treatment of its own 2020 records as legitimate — despite playing a season that lasted just 60 games … 1939 marked the first year that there were two editions of the East-West Game. The Washington Football Team made a similar decision to change its name earlier this year. The MLB Dream Bracket is a 32-team best-of-seven simulation featuring all-time teams for each of the 30 current Major League franchises, as well as teams consisting of Negro Leagues Stars and 25 & Under Stars. Although most Negro League seasons featured between 50 and 70 games, MLB’s treatment of its own 2020 records as legitimate — despite playing a season that lasted just 60 games … The 2020 MLB season coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues. Major League Baseball (MLB) announced last week that it will recognize more than 3,000 players who played in the Negro Leagues between 1920 and 1948 as major leaguers. … "We are now grateful to count the players of the Negro Leagues where they belong: as Major Leaguers within the official historical record," he added. 1939 East-West Game - First Game (Negro League) From BR Bullpen. An MLB spokesperson tells NPR's Tom Goldman that the league is just beginning to figure out how to incorporate Negro League statistics. Shortstops would move to left field when Josh came to the plate," Boone said. The major-league team has a big advantage over the Negro Leaguers in the size of its talent pool, with white folks making up roughly 85% of the U.S. population back then. The 26-man rosters for each of the teams, compiled by the MLB.com beat reporters, consist of 15 hitters and 11 pitchers. Major League Baseball has finally decided that players from the Negro Leagues should be considered Major Leaguers. Major League Baseball said that it was "correcting a longtime oversight in the game’s history." See our, Read a limited number of articles each month, You consent to the use of cookies and tracking by us and third parties to provide you with personalized ads, Unlimited access to washingtonpost.com on any device, Unlimited access to all Washington Post apps, No on-site advertising or third-party ad tracking. Jackie Robinson wasn’t a star in the Negro leagues . "Josh was a better power hitter than Babe Ruth, Ted Williams or anybody else I've ever seen," former Cleveland Buckeye pitcher and manager Alonzo Boone said, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. MLB Retrospectively Elevates Negro Leagues to Major League Status The move grants recognition to some of baseball’s pioneers from 1920 to 1948 and immediately rewrites the game’s record books