Phil Bradley

The accolades surrounding Philip Daniel Bradley place him among stars of Blackball’s Deadball Era. “For second catcher, Phil Bradley of the (Brooklyn) Royals is easy (sic) the second-best catcher in colored baseball. He is a better hitter than Bruce Petway, and has a head along with a true snap throwing arm,” according to reporter Harry Daniels.1 Bradley, a native of Schenectady, New York, may be the best homegrown player in city history, according to local historian Frank Keetz.2 Bradley’s time with the original Cuban Giants, Brooklyn Royal Giants, Leland Giants, Patterson Smart Set, and Schenectady Mohawk Giants provides legitimacy. His years with Pittsburgh’s Colored Stars of Buffalo (NY) ring hollow as semiprofessional statistics unworthy of major-league status. The National Baseball Hall of Fame research library holds no files on Bradley.3 His career spanned over 20 years (1903-1926), including hotel leagues in Cuba and alongside the best talent on either side of the color line.

Phil Bradley, born on March 28, 1886, in Albany, New York, was the son of Charles M. Bradley, a white medical student in Albany, New York, and an unknown Black woman.4 Charles Bradley married Mary Marx, a white woman from Schenectady, in January 1886 and moved to Chicago to practice medicine. Charles had two sons, Nathan and Frederick, in Chicago, who had no contact with their half-brother, as Charles and Mary left Philip with Mary’s father, Peter Marx Sr., in Schenectady. Peter, a German broom maker, lived with his wife, Elizabeth. The couple raised six children in Schenectady. By 1886, all of their sons were married and living independently. When Mary married Charles Bradley, Peter, in his mid-50s, agreed to allow Phil Bradley to live with him and Elizabeth on Albany Street in Schenectady.5 He worked at the Schenectady Whisp Broom Factory, the nation’s leading producer of brooms. His employment also included years with the American Locomotive Company and with General Electric as a machinist.

The Marxes were regular attendees and members of St. Joseph’s German Catholic parish in Schenectady and accordingly raised Phil in the Catholic tradition.6 Philip Bradley’s early years saw a marked increase in the city’s Polish and Italian populations. While the city overall grew 58.7 percent between 1890 and 1900, the Italian population increased 174.7 percent and the Polish population 783.7 percent.7 The depression of 1893 struck the city, leaving immigrant communities to supplement their incomes. Historian Robert Sullivan posited that boarders provided income to make ends meet.8 Philip’s father, Charles, paid a boarding fee while continuing his life in Chicago.

Growing up in Schenectady, Bradley played baseball with whites. In 1898, he caught for the Wyandotte Hotel team in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.9 Field manager John McCreary “Pop” Watkins opened the door for Bradley. Working as waiters in Upstate New York allowed Black players to compete against white players, while offering a steady paycheck when opportunities for Blacks in the area were limited. Returning home, Bradley joined the Dorpian Athletic Club, a white semiprofessional team. With Bradley, the lone African American on the team, the Dorpians claimed the 1903 Schenectady County championship.10

Bradley, then 20, used connections with Pop Watkins to play with the original Cuban Giants (All-Colored Professionals) in 1906. Bradley caught, as he had in the hotel league.11 In 1907, Bradley caught for the Cuban Giants in a snowstorm-marred game in Steubenville, Ohio, in April.12 He shared catching duties with 38-year-old “Big” Bill Smith. While Smith caught most games, Bradley’s bat kept him in the lineup, so Pop Watkins found a spot for him in the outfield. Late in the season, Bradley jumped to the Brooklyn Royal Giants, where he would become close friends with manager-shortstop Grant “Home Run” Johnson. They played together throughout Bradley’s career, even in a final game months before Bradley’s passing. In early May 1908, Bradley caught longtime Royal Giants teammate Harry Buckner handling a white semipro team from Buffalo. Bradley’s two doubles secured an 8-2 victory.13

In late 1908, the Royal Giants provided Bradley an opportunity to barnstorm with the best white and Black players in the Caribbean. For U.S. professionals, Cuban winter ball became an opportunity to compete against the best, be they white, Black, or Latino. According to Cuban historian Roberto González Echevarría, Blacks shed prejudices long enough to risk baseball hegemony not only before Cubans but also with Black compatriots.14 Invited to the temporada americana in 1908, the Royal Giants and Cincinnati Reds competed against Havana’s baseball teams. Big Bill Smith did not make the trip to Cuba, putting Bradley behind the plate.15 Bradley doubled against Cincinnati, and his Giants trounced them, 9-1.16

Following the series, Bradley joined Cuba’s Matanzas club for the remainder of the winter league season. Bradley hit .216 against the elevated level of competition in Cuba. With four teams, there were fewer Blacks, a sign that Bradley’s talent was among the best in Blackball. His average placed him in the upper half of the league’s hitters.17 Joining Bradley on Matanzas were Judy Gans, one of the best outfielders during the Deadball Era; Al Robinson, a Brooklyn teammate and top first baseman; and Billy Francis, the era’s best third baseman.18   

Bradley remained with Brooklyn’s Royal Giants, resuming catching duties. The 1909 club won the Colored League of Baseball pennant.19 During the 1909 and 1910 seasons, Bradley moved from the seventh batting slot to the two-hole, and the Royal Giants laid claim to being the best team in Eastern professional Black baseball.20 In 1910, Bradley held multiple positions, including shortstop for the iconic Blackball player and manager Sol White’s club.21 It was then that sportswriter Harry Daniels named Bradley to his All-American team in 1909, identifying him as the second best catcher in colored baseball, hitting better than Bruce Petway.22

Before the 1910 season began, Bradley married Ida “May” Turner on April 8 in New York City.23 May, five years younger than the 23-year-old Bradley, remained in Manhattan at West 137th Street with her mom. Bradley started with Brooklyn’s Royal Giants before jumping to Chicago’s Leland Giants. With the Royal Giants struggling and Bradley hitting above .300, he joined the Illinois organization.24 Bruce Petway was behind the dish, so Bradley played second base. Alongside him were more Deadball Era greats – the 1910 Leland Giants lineup also included “Pop” Lloyd, Frank Wickware, and Rube Foster.

During the 1911 season, Sol White convinced Bradley to jump to the New York Lincoln Giants. He’d been disappointed with his limited time with the Leland Giants; returning to New York reunited him with his wife and allowed him to play daily. When the Lincoln Giants’ lineup included Louis Santop, another great catcher, Sol White platooned Bradley in right field. Bradley’s bat remained in the lineup, and the manager occasionally inserted him at first base.25 In a game with the Lincoln Giants, Bradley caught Judy Gans, who he would manage on the Schenectady Mohawk Giants in 1913. He also played with Harry Buckner, another future Schenectady teammate, in the Lincoln Giants outfield.26 Hitting in the two-hole, Bradley’s ability to move runners tallied RBIs. And hitting behind Spottswood Poles’ speed, comparable even to Cool Papa Bell’s, gave Bradley opportunities throughout the season.27

In 1912, he jumped to the Paterson (New Jersey) Smart Set.28 Sitting behind veteran catcher Clarence Williams, Bradley played shortstop and outfield.29 In a rare opportunity, Bradley caught Danny McClellan against a white semiprofessional team from Schenectady. Against the Empires, Bradley played brilliantly, going 2-for-4 with an RBI while on defense hebehind the plate the entire game.30 The 10-3 victory over the Empires was a precursor to his success as a player-manager in 1913. Before Schenectady, Bradley finished the 1912 season with the Brooklyn Royal Giants. Needed for his bat even if he didn’t catch, Bradley rapped two doubles against a white semipro team from Plainfield, New Jersey. He handled Frank Wickware for the first seven innings and closed the game with Harry Buckner.31 His desire to return to Schenectady made the decision to join Bill Wernecke’s Mohawk Giants easier.

At 27 years of age in 1913, Bradley was in his prime. Five years with the Brooklyn Royal Giants placed him as Schenectady’s most noted professional player.32 During the Negro Leagues era, by virtue of skin color, Bradley never played Organized Baseball. Racial construction labeled him African American, and his father’s racial identity could not get Bradley into Organized Baseball. During an era when the color line was not as solid, Bradley played and managed against white players in barnstorming and “exhibition” games.

In 1913, his first and only season as manager of the Mohawk Giants, Bradley faced a dilemma. Following two wins, which included an Opening Day victory over the International League’s Montreal Royals, Bradley witnessed Smokey Joe Williams take $500 to join the New York Lincoln Giants. Williams also took Judy Gans and Bill Francis back to New York City.33 As the season progressed, Bradley navigated Bill Wernecke’s fiery disposition and failure to pay players, as well as high roster turnover. Bradley played first, shortstop, outfield, and catcher, depending on roster moves by Wernecke. In July, Bradley bumped heads with Chappie Johnson, a catcher who would coach the team in 1914. Bradley claimed Johnson undermined his authority by encouraging players to disobey. Wernecke released Johnson, only to bring himt back after a one-game hiatus.34 The two mended fences and finished the season.

Bradley’s finest moment occurred in October against a barnstorming major league squad led by American League Chalmers Award winner (equivalent then of MVP) Walter Johnson. A crowd of 6,500 crossed a pontoon bridge to Island Park to see the Mohawk Giants’ Frank Wickware take on Johnson in what the Schenectady Gazette called an “ideal day for baseball.”35 Fans filled the bleachers and created a six-deep line around the field and outfield. While Umpire Bobby Hart brought the managers to home plate to exchange starting lineups, several of the Mohawk Giants considered a boycott.36 Nine Mohawk Giants, excluding Bradley, sprinted across the pontoon bridge to inform Wernecke that they would not play unless he made good on their back pay. Wernecke refused.37 Al Nicholaus, a business partner of Wernecke’s, sent $500 to squelch the riot.

Fans had stormed the field, forcing the County Sheriff’s Department to clear it. It took an hour to restore order, placing the game in peril as the day grew late.38 Walter Johnson pitched five innings, giving up two hits while striking out 11. Bradley’s double in the fourth inning led to his team’s lone run. It was a fly to left field into the overflow crowd, a ground rule double. After another Johnson strikeout, Bradley stole third base and scored on a sacrifice fly.39 The game was the finest moment in his playing and managerial career. The 1913 Mohawk Giants finished the season with 52 wins and 22 losses, a .703 winning percentage, according to local historian Frank Keetz.40 Yet, Bradley’s allegiance to Wernecke and a rift with Chappie Johnson left him looking for a new team in 1914. Returning to Brooklyn in 1914, Bradley played first base for the Royal Giants under Charles Earle.

In 1914, Bradley returned to Schenectady, playing in a three-game season. In May, he returned to Brooklyn and appeared in over 30 games with the Royal Giants, while playing first base.41  The next season saw Bradley move to Buffalo and join the Pittsburgh Colored Stars, led by Home Run Johnson.42 Like the Mohawk Giants, Johnson’s Colored Stars competed against local nines and minor-league teams. The Buffalo Courier described Johnson’s 1915 team as “without a doubt, the strongest semi-pro team ever stacked up against a local aggregation.”43 Bradley caught for his club. Local reporters listed him among the team’s top players.44

Unfortunately, racial tropes followed in Western New York. In 1916, the Niagara Falls Gazette described the Stars as “a great bunch of comedians and keep the fans in good humor while showing their paces as baseballers.”45 Bradley and his wife May bought a house in Buffalo by 1918.46 Bradley’s camaraderie with Grant Johnson and Stars teammates led him to make Buffalo his hometown.

In 1919 and with the Stars, Bradley caught Dick ‘Cannonball’ Redding, whom New York Giants manager John McGraw called the best pitcher in all baseball, white or Black. The game pitted the International League champions, the Toronto Leafs, against the Stars. Bradley, Redding, and the Stars blanked the Leafs, 7-0. Bradley went 1-for-4 and scored a run, proving them worthy opponents.47 In 1920, Redding’s Atlantic Bacharachs and the Pittsburgh Colored Stars played at Niagara Falls.48 Bradley also tested his mettle against Black professionals. In Jamestown, New York, he displayed his arm behind the plate, gunning down a runner on what the Jamestown Evening Journal called “a fine throw” to end a second inning rally in the Stars’ 3-2 victory.49

Bradley and his teammates played against Babe Ruth in 1920. The Colored Stars had defeated the Buffalo Polish Nationals, 5-0, earlier in July. Wanting revenge, the Polish Nationals signed Ruth and Yankees teammates James “Truck” Hannah and Carl Mays after the major-league season ended. The Nationals defeated the Stars 10-0 on October 13, 1920, followed by a closer victory, 5-4, 11 days later.50 Pitted against Ruth and the other Yankees, Bradley competed against white baseball’s best.

In mid-June 1921, the Pittsburgh Colored Stars arrived at Island Park in Schenectady, New York, to play the Knights of Columbus Nine, an Italian-American baseball team. With Bradley behind the plate, John Emery scattered six hits in the Stars’ 1-0 shutout. In his return home, Bradley went 0-for-4 but turned a 1-2-3 double play with Emery, which stymied a fourth-inning rally.51 The Geneva Daily Times called Bradley “One of the hardest hitters in the semi-pro world.”52

In 1922, Bradley remained behind the plate and hit second in the order. Against the Buffalo Echos in July, he singled twice, scored two runs, and stole a base in an 11-2 victory.53 As the 1923 season opened, Bradley was in the lineup for the Pittsburgh Colored Stars.54 In Western New York, his reputation brought in fans as a pregame marketing headliner.55 By July 1923, however, newspapers claimed that the Pittsburgh Colored Stars had disbanded.56

In their place, players, including Bradley, barnstormed through Western New York as the Buffalo Colored Stars.57 Bradley turned 37 heading into the 1923 season. He found the outfield easier on his knees.58 When paired with John Emory, a contemporary who spent time in Cuba and Black professional baseball, Bradley returned to catching duties.59 They had served as batterymates on the Pittsburgh Colored Stars from 1916 through 1923.

In May 1926, a Buffalo newspaper advertised the original Pittsburgh Colored Stars, featuring Home Run Johnson and Bradley, as well as many familiar faces who played on an Indian all-star team.60 A 1926 spring game was the last recorded game Bradley played.

Bradley passed away on September 23, 1926, in Buffalo, New York. St. Augustine (Catholic) parish held services three days later for friends. Agatha Hilliard, a woman of ill repute, hosted a gathering of Bradley’s friends before the funeral at St. Augustine’s.61 Bradley’s wife was not in Buffalo. Bradley, who lost both mother and father and was raised by another man, ended life alone. Baseball was his one constant. His life ended months after his last public baseball game.

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Darren Gibson and Rory Costello and fact-checked by Henry Kirn.

Sources

In addition to the endnotes below, the author utilized Baseball-Reference.com and Seamheads.com.

Notes

1 Harry Daniels, “The Base Ball Spirit in the East,” Indianapolis Freeman, December 25, 1909: 7.

2 Frank Keetz, Mohawk Colored Giants of Schenectady (Schenectady: Schenectady Historical Society, 1999), 12.

3 Email interview with Cassidy Lent, Library Director at the Baseball Hall of Fame, June 6, 2025.

4 New York State, Birth Index, 1881-1942. Ancestry.com.

5 1900 United States Federal Census, Schenectady County, New York. Ancestry.com; & Schenectady County Historical Society, “Bradley Family Clippings File.”

6 “Brooms and Broomcorn in Schenectady County,” Grems Doolittle Library, accessed May 30, 2025, http://gremsdoolittlelibrary.blogspot.com/2013/11/schenectady-brooms-keep-nations-homes.html; & “Obituary.” Schenectady Gazette. January 11, 1909.

7  Robert Pascucci, “Electric City Immigrants: Italians and Poles of Schenectady, N.Y., 1880-1930 (Ph.D. dissertation, State University of New York at Albany, 1984), 11.

8 Pascucci, 8.

9 “Colored Men to Play Ball,” Allentown (Pennsylvania) Morning Call. September 28, 1898: 4.

10 “1903 Schenectady Integrated Baseball Team Photograph with Phil Bradley,” WorthPoint, accessed May 29, 2025, https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1903-schenectady-integrated-baseball-1697342604 

11 “Pop Watkins Will Coach,” Brooklyn Citizen, March 21, 1906: 5.

12 “Cuban Giants Beaten,” Pittsburgh Press, April 21, 1907: 19.

13 “Negro Team Could Play,” Buffalo Enquirer, May 18, 1908: 8.

14 Roberto González Echevarría, The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 133.

15 Gary Ashwill, “Phil Bradley,” Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, accessed May 29, 2025, https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=bradl01phi.

16 González Echevarría, 132.

17 “1908 Cuban Winter League Statistics,” Baseball Reference, accessed June 5, 2025, https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=56f4856d.

18 González Echevarría, 135; and James Riley, Bibliographic Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues (New York: Carroll & Graf, 1994), 296, 302, & 669.

19 “Sidelights on the Game,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 27, 1909: PS-4.

20 Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, 100.

21 “Royal Giants and Ridgewoods Play First Game of Season,” New York Age, April 7, 1910: 6.

22 “The Baseball Spirit in the East,” above.

23 U.S. Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018. New York City.

24 Ashwill, “Phil Bradley,” Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, accessed May 29, 2025. 

25 “Ridgewoods are defeated by Lincoln Giants,” Brooklyn Eagle. September 4, 1911: 7; “Lincoln Giants beat Brightons with ease,” Brooklyn Eagle, September 24, 1911: 42.

26 “Lincoln Giants beat All-Leaguers,” Brooklyn Eagle, November 13, 1911: 23.

27 “Lincoln Stars win in ninth,” New York Press, August 18, 1911: 7, and Riley, 631.

28 Ashwill, “Phil Bradley,” Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, accessed May 29, 2025 .

29 Gary Ashwill, “1912 Paterson Smart Set,” Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, accessed April 1, 2025, https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/team.php?yearID=1912&teamID=SET.

30 “SmartSet won fast game,” Paterson Evening News, July 1, 1912: 6.

31 “Pets Win, Score 11-6,” Courier News (Plainfield, NJ), October 12, 1912: 1.

32 “Phil Bradley,” Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, accessed May 27, 2025, https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=bradl01phi.; and Keetz, Mohawk Colored Giants,12.  

33 “Phil Bradley,” above.

34 “Phil Bradley,” above; & Frank Keetz, Mohawk Colored Giants, 12.

35 “Holding Up Pay Causes Trouble at Island Park.” Schenectady Gazette, October 6, 1913.

36 “Negro Ball Stars in Box Office Raid,” Knickerbocker Press, October 6, 1913: 1.

37 “Holding Up Pay Causes Trouble at Island Park.” Schenectady Gazette, October 6, 1913.

38 “Negro Ball Stars in Box Office Raid,” Knickerbocker Press, October 6, 1913: 1.

39 Keetz, Mohawk Colored, 16.

40 Mohawk Colored, 7.

41 Ashwill, “Phil Bradley,” Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, accessed May 29, 2025

42 Howard W. Henry and The Buffalo History Museum Blog, “Icons: Grant ‘Homerun’ Johnson,” The Buffalo History Museum Blog, August 17, 2016, https://buffalohistorymuseum.com/2016/09/04/icons-grant-home-run-johnson/.

43 “Linde-Airs to play Pittsburgh Colored Stars,” Buffalo Courier. May 22, 1915: 9.

44 “Art metal lost,” Jamestown Evening Journal. September 27, 1915: 10.

45 “Pittsburgh Stars coming here Sunday to meet Bookmen,” Niagara Falls Gazette, June 29, 1916: Sports Section 1.

46 Ancestry.com – 1918 World War I Draft Registry.

47 Brian Frank, “Redding, Johnson, and Lloyd Led the Pittsburgh Colored Stars of Buffalo vs. The Toronto Maple Leafs,” HERD Chronicles, March 26, 2023, https://www.herdchronicles.com/single-post/johnson-redding-and-lloyd-led-the-buffalo-stars-against-the-toronto-maple-leafs#:~:text=In%201919%2C%20three%20of%20the%20greatest%20players%20in,the%20defending%20International%20League%20champion%20Toronto%20Maple%20Leafs.

48 “Looking on by Flash,” Niagara Falls Gazette. July 30, 1920: 16.

49 “Colored Stars even count,” Jamestown Evening Journal. August 16, 1920: 12.

50 Howard Henry, “Babe Ruth Played for the Buffalo Polish Nationals, 1920,” The Am-Pol Eagle, accessed June 7, 2025, https://ampoleagle.com/babe-ruth-played-for-the-buffalo-polish-nationals-p3671-124.htm.

51 “Knights split in two games,” Schenectady Gazette. June 20, 1921: 10.

52 “Crack Buffalo Colored Stars to oppose Stocos on Thursday,” Geneva Daily Times. June 14, 1921: sporting page.

53 “Big Crowd sees Colored Stars win,” Tonawanda Evening News. June 17, 1922: 8.

54 “Semi-Pro Baseball,” Buffalo Courier. May 3, 1923: 14.

55 “Phoenix to open season nest Sunday with Stars,” Buffalo Courier. April 8, 1923: 57.

56 “Locals meet Warren on Rotary Field,” Jamestown Evening Journal. July 28, 1923: 14.

57  “Locals meet Warren on Rotary Field.”

58 “Phoenix take two one-sided games from Pittsburgh Stars,” Buffalo Courier. June 18, 1923: 12.

59 “Pittsburgh Stars force Phoenix to divide honors,” Buffalo Courier. May 31, 1923: 11.

60 “Buffalo Colored Stars vs Indian Stars,” Batavia Daily News. May 14, 1926: 7.

61 “Died,” The Buffalo News. September 24, 1926: 39; “Arrest Woman in Raid,” Buffalo Courier. August 24, 1924: 77.