September 13-20, 1945: Cleveland Buckeyes sweep Homestead Grays to win Negro League World Series

The 1945 Negro World Series, the final one before the desegregation of professional baseball, featured the veteran-led Homestead Grays vs. the upstart Cleveland Buckeyes. The Grays won both the first and second halves of the Negro National League season, with an overall league record of 40-20-2 (.667). Likewise, the Buckeyes won the first and second halves of the Negro American League season, with an overall record of 62-17-1 (.785). Because both teams won the first and second halves of their seasons, they advanced directly to the Negro World Series.

Only one position player under the age of 30, right fielder Dave Hoskins, played in all four games of the Series for the Grays, who had five future Hall of Famers on the team: first baseman Buck Leonard, outfielder Cool Papa Bell, third baseman Jud Wilson, pitcher Ray Brown, and catcher Josh Gibson. They were led by player-manager Vic Harris, arguably one of the greatest managers in baseball history.1 The Buckeyes, on the other hand, were a relatively young squad, led by player-manager Quincy Trouppe, center fielder Sam “The Jet” Jethroe, and shortstop Avelino Cañizares.

This version of an annual Negro League World Series, played between the Negro National League and Negro American League champions, was initiated in 1942. The Buckeyes, also formed in 1942, were playing in their first World Series. The Homestead Grays were appearing in the Series for the fourth consecutive year, after having won the previous two Series in 1943 and 1944. The Buckeyes and Grays were to play a best-of-seven series to decide the 1945 championship.

Given their success in previous seasons, the Homestead Grays were considered by many to be the favorites going into the Series. “No one thought that we had much of a chance,” Trouppe recounted in his autobiography.2 However, Trouppe had recognized at the onset of the season that the Buckeyes were not a power-hitting team, but instead that his team was fast, and would best embrace the approach of Rube Foster, later to be known as “small ball.” The Buckeyes excelled at strategies such as the hit-and-run, sacrifice bunting, and stealing bases,3 which, along with strong pitching, would serve them well during the season and especially in the Series.

Game One: September 13, 1945
Cleveland Buckeyes 2, Homestead Grays 1
Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, OH 

Game One of the World Series was played at Cleveland Stadium on Thursday night, September 13. Veteran starter Willie Jefferson of the Buckeyes faced off against Grays ace Roy Welmaker. Both pitchers started strongly, as Jefferson retired the first nine Grays batters in order while Welmaker did not allow a Buckeye to reach base in the first two innings. In the bottom of the third, Buckeyes second baseman Johnnie Cowan reached first with a one-out single. Cowan advanced to second on a sacrifice by Willie Jefferson but was left stranded when Buckeyes leadoff hitter Avelino Cañizares grounded out. The Grays mounted their first threat in the fourth when 42-year-old leadoff hitter Cool Papa Bell singled to start off the inning, but he was forced at second when Grays center fielder Jerry Benjamin grounded into a fielder’s choice. Benjamin stole second and Dave Hoskins then walked, allowing the heart of the Grays order – Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson – to come to the plate. However, Jefferson pitched out of the situation, retiring both Grays sluggers and leaving the game scoreless. The Grays threatened again in the fifth when Sam Bankhead led off with a single and stole second. However, Grays third sacker Ray Battle struck out, Bankhead was thrown out trying to steal third, and Jelly Jackson grounded out to quell the threat.

The scoring deadlock was finally broken in the bottom of the seventh. Buckeyes catcher-manager Quincy Trouppe led off the inning with a triple. After Buddy Armour struck out, Cowan lofted a ball caught by Cool Papa Bell in the outfield deep enough to allow Trouppe to score. After seven innings, the Buckeyes now held a slim 1-0 lead. In the eighth inning, Grays manager Vic Harris was hoping to create some offense by pinch-hitting two lefty batters against the righty Jefferson. Jud Wilson, 49 years old, batted first but failed to reach base. Harris then inserted himself into the lineup, but also did not reach, and the Grays failed to score in the inning. In the bottom of the eighth, the Buckeyes were able to manufacture another run when Archie Ware singled, moved to second on a walk to Parnell Woods, and scored on a single by Willie Grace. The Grays bats came alive in the ninth, with the Buckeyes clinging to a 2-0 lead. With one out, Dave Hoskins singled and Buck Leonard walked. Josh Gibson then came to the plate and singled, scoring Hoskins and sending Leonard to third. However, Willie Jefferson was able to induce Sam Bankhead to ground into a game-ending double play, killing the rally and preserving the Game One victory for the Buckeyes.

Both Jefferson and Welmaker threw complete games. Welmaker struck out seven, walked three, and gave up six hits in the loss. Jefferson stuck out four, walked two, and gave up six hits, but was able to limit the Grays to one run in earning the victory. Different sources had the attendance at 6,500 to 8,000 fans, and the game was played in one hour and 39 minutes.4

Game Two: September 16, 1945
Cleveland Buckeyes 4, Homestead Grays 2
League Park, Cleveland, OH

After playing each other in an exhibition game in Dayton, Ohio, on Friday, September 14 – a 3-1 victory for the Grays – the teams met again on Sunday, September 16. The game was played at 2:30 P.M. at League Park before a crowd of 15,000. Eugene Bremer got the start for the Buckeyes against Johnny Wright for the Grays.

Neither team put together much offense until the top of the fourth, when Buck Leonard led off with a single and advanced to third on a well-struck double by Josh Gibson. Sam Bankhead then rapped into a fielder’s choice, resulting in Gibson being forced out at second and Leonard staying at third. Jud Wilson pinch-hit for third baseman Ray Battle and flied out to Sam Jethroe in center deep enough to score Leonard from third. The Grays failed to score again in the inning but now had a 1-0 lead. In the top of the fifth, the Grays manufactured another run when Cool Papa Bell demonstrated that he was still a speedster on the bases. Bell led off the inning with an infield single, advanced to second on a sacrifice by Jerry Benjamin, and to third on a groundout. Bell then scored on a balk by Bremer, giving the Grays a 2-0 lead.

Meanwhile Johnny Wright kept the Buckeye bats quiet until the bottom of the seventh. Willie Grace led off the inning with a home run to right field. Then, after a Trouppe groundout, Buddy Armour doubled. Johnnie Cowan popped out to the infield for the second out. Bremer then reached on an error by Grays second baseman Jelly Jackson that allowed Armour to score to tie the game, 2-2. Neither team scored in the eighth inning, and the Grays were held scoreless in the top of the ninth as well. With the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, Quincy Trouppe led off with a double and quickly advanced to third on a wild pitch. Grays skipper Vic Harris then ordered Wright to intentionally walk both Armour and Cowan to load the bases and bring up the Buckeyes pitcher, Bremer. Once again, Bremer helped himself at the plate, doubling to right field to drive in the winning run. Although the game ended with Trouppe scoring, two runs were counted as scoring on the final play, thus giving the Buckeyes a 4-2 victory. In addition to driving in the winning run, Eugene Bremer got the win, holding the Grays’ offense to two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five. Johnny Wright struck out four Buckeyes batters in the loss, giving up three earned runs on eight hits and three walks. In just a few months, Wright was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and started the 1946 season, along with teammate Jackie Robinson, on the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate Montreal Royals. With the victory, the Buckeyes took a two-games-to-none lead in the series.5

Game Three: September 18, 1945
Cleveland Buckeyes 4, Homestead Grays 0
Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC

Game Three was originally to be played at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh on Monday, September 17, but was rained out.6 The teams moved on to Washington, where Game Three was played Tuesday night, September 18, at Griffith Stadium. Roy Welmaker, the Grays’ starter in Game One, returned to the mound for the start against Cleveland hurler George Jefferson. Jefferson was the younger brother of Game One starter Willie Jefferson. George was 22 years old in 1945, 19 years younger than his sibling Willie. At least 7,000 fans attended the game, including incoming Baseball Commissioner A.B. “Happy” Chandler.

The Buckeyes threatened in both the first inning, when Sam Jethroe slugged a two-out triple, and the second, when Trouppe and Armour both singled, but failed to score in ether frame. In the third inning, the Buckeyes offense broke through. Leading off the inning, Cañizares hit a foul pop behind home plate that Josh Gibson dropped. Given a second life at the plate, he then walked. Archie Ware laid down a sacrifice bunt, Welmaker muffed the play, and both runners were safe. Next up, Sam Jethroe hit into a fielder’s choice, forcing Cañizares out at third. Parnell Woods followed with a single to load the bases. Willie Grace then flied out to right field, deep enough to allow Ware to tag up and score from third. The Buckeyes’ hottest hitter, Trouppe, was up next, and was intentionally walked to once again load the bases. Armour followed with a clutch single, scoring Jethroe and Woods. Welmaker got Cowan out to end the inning, but the damage was done and the Buckeyes led, 3-0.

George Jefferson continued to stymie the Grays batters, pitching out of trouble in the third and eighth innings and not allowing a runner to reach third base. In the ninth, the Buckeyes manufactured another run when Armour led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on an out, and scored on an infield groundout, giving the Buckeyes a 4-0 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Jefferson got two quick outs before walking Jud Wilson. Vic Harris inserted himself as a pinch-hitter but made an out to end the game. George Jefferson pitched an excellent game, keeping the Grays scoreless while scattering three hits and five walks and striking out three. Welmaker took the loss, his second in the series, despite giving up only one earned run on seven hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. The Buckeyes had now won the first three games in the series and were hoping to sweep the Grays.7

Game Four: September 20, 1945
Cleveland Buckeyes 5, Homestead Grays 0
Shibe Park, Philadelphia, PA

The series shifted to Philadelphia, where Game Four was played at Shibe Park on the night of Thursday, September 20. The previous night the Buckeyes played in Brooklyn in an exhibition against the Bushwicks.8 With the series on the line, the Grays started 37-year-old veteran and future Hall of Famer Ray Brown. The Buckeyes countered with Frank Carswell, the fourth different starter they used in the Series. A crowd of 9,958 attended the game.

The Buckeyes kept their momentum going, as Avelino Cañizares singled to lead off the game. Archie Ware walked and Sam Jethroe singled to load the bases. Parnell Woods then put the ball in play and Grays second baseman Bozo Jackson muffed it. Cañizares and Ware scored on the play, Jethroe advanced to third, and eventually Woods was put out at second base. Ray Brown was able to pitch out of the inning without further damage, but the Buckeyes had a 2-0 lead. The Grays tried to put together a two-out rally in the third, when Brown walked, Jerry Benjamin singled, and Cool Papa Bell walked to load the bases, but Dave Hoskins batted into an out, ending the threat. The Buckeyes came right back and scored another run in the top of the fourth when Willie Grace singled, advanced to third on a hit and a groundout, and scored on a fly out. The Buckeyes scored again in the top of the seventh. Johnnie Cowan led off with a single. Pitcher Frank Carswell reached on an error, and Cowan advanced to third when Buck Leonard dropped the throw from second baseman Bozo Jackson. Cañizares bunted, moving Carswell to second. After Ware flied out, Jethroe singled, scoring Cowan and Carswell. The inning ended with the Buckeyes leading, 5-0. While the Buckeyes were scoring in multiple innings, Buckeyes hurler Carswell was taking care of business on the mound. The game ended with the Buckeyes victorious, shutting out the Grays for the second game in a row and sweeping the Series with four straight victories. Carswell scattered four hits and three walks, striking out just one Grays batter in his shutout. Ray Brown, pitching in his final game in the Negro Leagues, gave up 10 hits and one walk, and also struck out just one batter in taking the loss.9

Series Postscript

In the series the Buckeyes were led on offense by manager-catcher Quincy Trouppe, who posted a slash line of .400/.438/.600. The Buckeyes used only eight position players, with each player scoring at least one run in the Series. The four Buckeyes starting pitchers were equally impressive, allowing an ERA of just 0.50 and a WHIP of 0.86. Despite featuring five future Hall of Fame players, the Grays’ only player performance of note was Roy Welmaker, pitching 17 innings and allowing an ERA of 3.18 and a WHIP of 1.06.

It is interesting that immediately after the decisive game, the Buckeyes played another game, against the Philadelphia Stars, as the scheduled second game of a doubleheader. The Buckeyes prevailed in that game as well, winning 4-1. After the Series, the Buckeyes and Grays continued to play each other in exhibition games. They first played in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday, September 22, with the Buckeyes winning 4-1. The two teams then played a doubleheader in Yankee Stadium on Sunday, September 23. The Grays won the first game 7-1, with Jud Wilson slugging a home run, and won the second game by the same score. The Buckeyes eventually returned to Cleveland, where they celebrated their victory with a party at the Majestic Hotel. They were also recognized by the Cleveland City Council, which passed a resolution congratulating them on their championship.10

The 1945 World Series was the end of a period of dominance for the Homestead Grays, who had won the previous two Series and eight Negro National League pennants. The Buckeyes remained a strong team in 1946 but took a step back, with the Newark Eagles defeating the Kansas City Monarchs in that year’s Negro League World Series.11 The Buckeyes returned to the Negro League World Series in 1947, losing to the New York Cubans. The 1945 Series victory was the Cleveland Buckeyes’ only Negro League championship.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Dick Clark and Larry Lester, eds., The Negro Leagues Book (Cleveland: SABR, 1994).

Unless otherwise noted, Seamheads.com was used for all Negro League player statistics.

Notes

1 Per baseball-reference.com, Harris holds a win percentage of .663 (based on 547 wins and 278 losses) as a manager, which is the all-time highest winning percentage for managers who managed more than 500 games. Harris managed in the Negro Leagues for 11 years, winning seven pennants and one World Series.

2 Quincy Trouppe, 20 Years Too Soon (St. Louis: Missouri Historical Society Press, 1995), 84-86.

3 Trouppe.

4 For Game One, the following references were used: “Buckeyes Top Grays, 2-1, in 1st Game,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 14, 1945: 17; “Cleveland Leads in World Series,” St. Louis Argus, September 21, 1945: 16.

5 For Game Two, the following references were used: “Buckeyes Win Second in a Row,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 17, 1945, 16; “Cleveland Wins, 3 to 2, In Negro World Series,” St. Louis Star and Times, September 17, 1945: 15; “Buckeyes Repeat Over Homestead,” Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Evening News, September 17, 1945: 13; “Cleveland Leads in World Series,” St. Louis Argus, September 21,1945: 16.

6 “Grays, Buckeyes Game Rained Out,” Pittsburgh Press, September 17, 1945: 17.

7 For Game Three, the following references were used: “Buckeyes Win Third, 4-0; Need 1 More,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 19, 1945: 14; “Grays Go Three Down as Buckeyes Win, 4-0,” Washington Evening Star, September 19, 1945: 18.

8 “Jethroe Paces Buckeyes in Bushwick Game,” Brooklyn Eagle, September 19, 1945: 17.

9 For Game Four, the following references were used: William J. Scheffer, “Buckeyes Blank Grays, Win Title,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 21, 1945: 24; “Buckeyes Win Title With 4th In Row, 5-0,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 21, 1945; 14; “Buckeyes Blank Grays to Annex Negro Crown,” Wilmington (Delaware) News Journal, September 21, 1945: 20; “Cleveland Buckeyes Hold Negro Baseball World’s Championship,” Monongahela (Pennsylvania) Daily Herald, September 21, 1945: 2; “Buckeyes Beat Grays in Negro World Series,” Dayton (Ohio) Daily Bulletin, September 21, 1945: 1.

10 Stephanie M. Liscio, Integrating Cleveland Baseball (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2010), 99.

11 Frederick C. Bush and Bill Nowlin, eds., The Newark Eagles Take Flight: The Story of the 1946 Negro League Champions (Phoenix: SABR, 2019).