Major League Baseball will officially incorporate Negro Leagues statistics into MLB’s historical records on Wednesday, reports USA Today. MLB elevated the Negro Leagues to “Major League” status in 2020 and recognized the “statistics and records” of approximately 3,400 players who played in seven leagues between 1920-48. Now they are part of the official record.
“We are proud that the official historical record now includes the players of the Negro Leagues,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement to Yahoo Sports. “This initiative is focused on ensuring that future generations of fans have access to the statistics and milestones of all those who made the Negro Leagues possible. Their accomplishments on the field will be a gateway to broader learning about this triumph in American history and the path that led to Jackie Robinson’s 1947 Dodger debut.”
As result of Wednesday’s integration, Negro Leagues legend Josh Gibson is now the all-time leader in career batting average (.372, beating out Ty Cobb’s .366), slugging percentage (.718, beating out Babe Ruth’s .690), and OPS (1.177, beating out Ruth’s 1.164). Gibson is also the new single-season leader in those categories. The new single-season leaderboards:
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1. Josh Gibson: .466 in 1943 |
1. Josh Gibson: .974 in 1937 |
1. Josh Gibson: 1.474 in 1931 |
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2. Charlie Smith: .451 in 1929 |
2. Mule Stuttes: .898 in 1927 |
2. Josh Gibson: 1.435 in 1943 |
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3. Hugh Duffy: .440 in 1898 |
3. Josh Gibson: .871 in 1943 |
3. Barry Bonds: 1.421 in 2004 |
“When you hear Josh Gibson’s name now, it’s not just that he was the greatest player in the Negro Leagues, but one of the greatest of all time. These aren’t just Negro League stats. They’re major-league baseball stats,” Sean Gibson, Josh’s great-grandson, told USA Today. “This means so much for not only the Josh Gibson family, but representing the 2,300 men in the Negro Leagues who didn’t get the opportunity to play (in MLB).”
Gibson played for three Negro League teams — Memphis Red Sox, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Homestead Grays — from 1930-46 and finished his career as a .372/.458/.718 hitter with 166 home runs in 602 games. He was a 12-time All-Star and is widely considered one of the greatest catchers in the history of the game. In 1972, Gibson became the second Negro Leagues player inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Satchel Paige.
Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ name was stripped from the MVP trophy in 2020 after several Hall of Famers, including Barry Larkin and Mike Schmidt, voiced their discomfort. Landis, baseball’s first commissioner, played a role in keeping baseball segregated during his time as commissioner from 1920-44. Gibson’s family hopes the MVP award will be renamed in his honor.
“How ironic would it be for Josh Gibson to replace the man who denied more than 2,300 men the opportunity to play baseball in the major leagues,” Sean Gibson told USA Today. “I’m hoping with these stats that we can change it to the Josh Gibson MVP award. These stats make a great case for it to be named in his honor.”
The Negro Leagues existed out of necessity, of course, stemming from MLB’s racist and exclusionary practices that barred Black players from competing in integrated leagues for more than 50 years.
MLB celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues during the 2020 season, with a league-wide celebration taking place on Aug. 16.
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