Better late than never.
MLB is rectifying one of its most egregious errors by finally recognizing the Negro Leagues as “major leagues” and adding Negro League statistics from 1920-1948 to its official records.
Now that stats from seven different Negro Leagues will be folded into the record books, fans are wondering how the game’s all-time leaderboards will be affected.
For those curious about the impact of this change, I’ll address some of the most pressing questions surrounding this decision.
Why 1920-1948?
The Negro Leagues were born in 1920 as the brainchild of entrepreneur Rube Foster, who was also a manager and former star pitcher. After Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and debuted with the Dodgers in 1947, NL and AL clubs began to drain much of the talent from the leagues.
1948 was the final year that the Negro World Series was held, as well as the final season for the second Negro National League. It also serves as a cutoff date because the league was far less structured from that point on.
For more on the history of the Negro Leagues, click here
How Complete Are Negro League records?
There was no standard method of record keeping in the Negro Leagues, so the available data is incomplete. However, researchers have been able to compile stat lines based on existing box scores.
The Negro Leagues database compiled by Seamheads.com — which is updated daily — currently includes 73 percent of all games played between 1920 and 1948. As researchers continue to track down box scores for that period, the figures will change. Box scores from the 1920s are relatively easy to find, while those from the 1940s remain more elusive.
Will There Be a New Home Run King?
Though many would love to see Barry Bonds dethroned as the all-time home run champ, he won’t be relinquishing his title any time soon. Catcher Josh Gibson, whom many historians have compared to Babe Ruth, is believed to have slugged between 800 to a thousand home runs in his professional career. Seamheads.com credits Gibson with 194 home runs (238 if you include postseason and Mexican League games), so based on those numbers he will not usurp Bonds.
And while Hank Aaron did hit 5 home runs with the Indianapolis Clowns, he did so in 1952, four years past the established 1948 cutoff date.
The discrepancy between Josh Gibson’s official total and his long-rumored tally can be attributed to barnstorming, the practice of going on the road during the offseason to compete against various levels of competition. Those games were not considered official, and numbers from them would be impossible to gather with a high level of accuracy.
Will Any Other Records Be Changed?
Ted Williams has long been considered the last .400 hitter in Major League Baseball; his .406 average in 1941 is one of the game’s hallowed marks.
Classifying the Negro Leagues as major leagues means that Williams will no longer hold the distinction of the most recent .400 hitter. The aforementioned Josh Gibson hit .441 for the 1943 Homestead Grays, which, if officially recognized, would be the most recent .400 season in MLB. Artie Wilson also hit .437 in 1948, though he achieved that mark in just 119 at-bats.
Chances are that Williams would have no issue with a Negro Leagues player besting him. In his 1966 Hall of Fame induction speech, Williams advocated for Negro Leagues players to be honored in Cooperstown.
Said Williams, “I hope that someday, the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson can … be added to the symbol of the great Negro League players that are not here only because they were not given a chance.”
The first Negro Leagues player to be enshrined in the Hall was Satchel Paige, who received the honor in 1971. Since Paige’s landmark induction, thirty-four other Negro League stars have been elected to the Hall of Fame.
How many no-hitters will be added to the record books?
Journalist Dirk Lammers, author of the book Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders: More Than a Century of Pitching’s Greatest Feats, counts 24 Negro League no-hitters from 1920-1948. Don Larsen’s perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series will no longer be considered the first postseason no-hitter, as Red Grier completed a no-no in Game 3 of the 1926 Negro World Series.
Will any legacies be altered?
Certain players like Willie Mays, Satchel Paige, and Minnie Miñoso will have more complete totals due to the inclusion of their Negro League numbers. Paige’s career win total will go from 28 to 140, while Miñoso will reach the 2,000 hit milestone once his Negro League numbers are added to his ledger.
Searle’s Final Say
For decades, racism prevented the Negro Leagues from being fairly appreciated. But the players in these leagues were just as talented as those in the NL and AL, if not more so. Though it’s long overdue, Major League Baseball should be applauded for finally including these leagues in their official records.
