The fact that Rapid Robert accomplished the feat first is not in dispute, but the assertion that he is the only pitcher to do so is entirely in error. Six years after Feller’s accomplishment, Newark Eagles right-hander Leon Day no-hit the Philadelphia Stars on May 5, 1946, which was Opening Day for the Negro National League.

Feller’s no-hitter did not lack for thrills as he had to protect a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning. Chicago’s Luke Appling, batting with two outs, fouled off several pitches, so Feller decided to walk him in order to face the next batter in the White Sox lineup. The strategy almost backfired when Taft Wright smacked a hard grounder that “necessitated a diving play by second baseman Ray Mack, who knocked it down, whirled and made a perfect throw” to end the game.2

In spite of the thrilling conclusion to Feller’s gem, Day’s no-hitter was so filled with excitement that it made Feller’s game seem almost mundane. The fact that Newark’s tilt with Philadelphia ended with a close 2-0 score actually turned out to be only half of the action in this contest. Though it was a shining moment for Day on the mound, a near-riot in the sixth inning — precipitated by a controversial call at home plate — and the concern about the impact that the event might have on the progress of baseball’s integration received equal attention. In light of the attention the game received at the time, one might think the game would be well-remembered, but like much of Negro Leagues history it fell into obscurity for many baseball aficionados.

The 1946 opener between the Eagles and the Stars at Newark’s Ruppert Stadium was a highly anticipated event. The Wilmington Morning News previewed Newark’s season by reporting that Eagles manager Raleigh “Biz” Mackey “has whipped a host of ex-GIs into shape for the coming race and feels certain that the Newark club will be in the thick of the pennant battle.”3 Day was one of those ex-GIs, a group that included Larry Doby, Oscar Givens, Monte Irvin, Clarence “Pint” Isreal, Max Manning, Charles Parks, and Leon Ruffin. The Army had drafted Day on September 1, 1943, and he had served in the 818th Amphibian Battalion — with which he had landed at Utah Beach on D-Day — before being discharged in February 1946.4 The big question surrounding Day now was whether he could resume his stellar pitching career where he had left off prior to his military service.

In addition to the Eagles’ high hopes for their pennant chances and Day’s return to the mound, the Newark Star-Ledger noted:

“A crowd of about 15,000 is expected to watch the two National Negro League combinations launch the season. The usual pre-game ceremonies and parade will attend the occasion. Mayor Vincent J. Murphy has proclaimed today as “Newark Eagles” Day by proclamation issued earlier this week.”5

Effa Manley, who co-owned the Eagles with her husband, Abe, often solicited funds for various organizations during the team’s home games, and she had volunteers out in force to collect donations for the NAACP on this occasion.6 Before the start of the action, Deputy Mayor Barney Koplin tossed out the first pitch.7 Thus, although the crowd of 8,514 constituted little more than half the anticipated throng, the day was still a hallmark occasion.

Once the game began, the fans in attendance were not disappointed. Day admitted, “I was a little nervous, like I always was at the beginning of a game, but after I got started, everything was all right.”8 He overcame his jitters and pitched every bit as well as he had in his last all-star season of 1942. The Baltimore Afro-American enthused, “[T]he crack Bird flinger virtually handcuffed the opposition.”9 However, Day was locked in a mound duel with Philadelphia southpaw Barney Brown, who matched him zero-for-zero on the scoreboard through the first five innings.

Although Day was pitching brilliantly, the umpires and official scorer did make some questionable calls in the game. Bill “Ready” Cash, the Stars’ catcher, years later went so far as to declare about home-plate umpire Peter Strauch, “I knew he was really screwing us during the game. Nobody can tell me that Eagles owner Effa Manley didn’t offer him a little something extra to cheat us.”10 Though Cash is the only player to have engaged in a conspiracy theory about the umpiring, the game was contentious enough that the Trenton Evening Times noted it “was almost called several times due to arguments with the umpires.”11 As for the scorer’s calls, Newark shortstop Benny Felder was charged with two errors, one of which was controversial. On the questionable play, Felder fielded a grounder cleanly but hesitated on his throw and then unleashed a wild one to first as he tried to nail the runner in time. Cash was irked that the play was scored as an error, and even Day graciously conceded, “(Felder) should have had him out, but they probably should have given the man a hit.”12

Day’s no-hit bid provided the excitement through the top of the sixth inning, but the poor play-calling took center stage in the bottom of the same frame as Newark broke through with the only runs of the game. Isreal led off with a line-drive triple to right-center field and scored the first run on Doby’s single up the middle. Doby stole second base and then, after Irvin flied out, the most notorious play of the game occurred. Lennie Pearson hit a slow dribbler to Philly second baseman Mahlon Duckett, who threw to first baseman Wesley “Doc” Dennis for the out.13 In the meantime, Doby was attempting to score on the play. Cash remarked in his autobiography, “I mean, what was he thinking? Most players with good sense would’ve held at third. But Doby wasn’t most players.”14

As Doby steamed around third base, Cash received the relay throw from Dennis. Doby slid into home plate head first as Cash stretched forward and applied the tag. Although it appeared to most observers that Doby was clearly out on the play — a photo in the New York Amsterdam News’s May 11 edition later confirmed as much — Strauch called him safe.15 In the heat of the moment, Cash jumped up to dispute the call, wildly waving his arms around, and ended up hitting Strauch with his glove hand and knocking him to the ground.

Accounts of Cash’s exact action, as well as speculation as to whether or not he intended to hit Strauch, vary. The Afro-American wrote that Cash “jumped Struack [sic], nailing him to the ground.”16 Similarly, the Amsterdam News reported that Cash “hit the umpire in the left eye.”17 Cash asserted that he had accidentally hit Strauch “under his chin, knocking him to the ground,” and was adamant that he had not attacked the umpire.18 Irvin later provided the most germane observation, writing, “[R]egardless of whether it was intentional or not, the ump went down.”19

Homer “Goose” Curry, Philadelphia’s player-manager, escalated the situation when he ran from his position in right field and delivered a few kicks to Strauch as he was down. The fact that Strauch was a white man turned this baseball fracas into a potential race riot as there were also white fans in attendance. Both benches emptied as players tried to separate Cash and Curry from Strauch. Fans also spilled onto the field, and a general melee ensued. The police were called in, and it took mounted officers and foot patrolmen 30 minutes to restore order in the ballpark.

Before play resumed, Cash was ejected and was replaced at catcher by Pete Jones. Curry also was expelled, but he refused to go quietly. The Amsterdam News tried to inject some humor into its account of the action, stating that “‘Goose’ refused to vamoose after Ump Strauch had pulled the watch on him, but the Law took matters in their hand and out went the ‘Goose.’”20 After Curry had been removed, he was replaced in right field by Harry “Suitcase” Simpson.

The Stars continued the game under protest, but later withdrew their complaint because Isreal’s run, which provided the winning margin, was not contested. Irvin was struck by something other than the on-field fisticuffs, as he noted, “I guess the most interesting thing about that incident was that Leon Day just sat calmly in the dugout watching the whole thing until it was over. Then he went back out and finished his no-hitter.”21

Day put an exclamation point on his effort by striking out Henry McHenry, who was pinch-hitting for Brown, on “three lightning-sharp pitches” to end the game.22 He recalled that before he faced McHenry, one of his teammates told him, “Don’t throw him anything but fastballs, he’s a slow swinger.”23 Day heeded the advice, saying, “Every pitch I raised it a little. The last one was up around his eyes.”24

A final round of chaos ensued when some fans decided to celebrate the announcement of Day’s feat by throwing seat cushions into the crowds that were heading for the stadium exits. Just as umpire Strauch had been struck during the in-game insurrection, a woman was hit by one of these flying projectiles in the post-game pandemonium and was knocked off her feet. The Newark News reported, “She was knocked unconscious after her head struck the concrete floor of the grandstand, but was revived without medical attention.”25

The action of certain overzealous fans notwithstanding, there was ample reason to celebrate Day’s accomplishment. He had faced only 29 batters, striking out six and allowing three baserunners on a walk and the two errors by Felder; none of the baserunners reached second base. Effa Manley extolled her starting pitcher’s heroics in a letter to an acquaintance, relating the fact that the no-hitter had ended when McHenry “[w]ent down swinging” and exclaiming, “Can you imagine what a thrill that was?”26 However, she was also concerned about the on-field incident with Strauch, especially since controversies with umpires had become quite frequent in the Negro Leagues. In 1946 all eyes were not only on Jackie Robinson, who had just begun his first and only season in the minor leagues with the Montreal Royals, but also on the Negro Leagues’ players. In particular, some members of the African-American press were concerned that any perceived misbehavior on the part of black ballplayers would bring black baseball into disrepute and would affect how Organized Baseball chose to deal with the Negro Leagues or, worse yet, that it might stall or quash the game’s integration altogether.27

In an effort to prevent future flare-ups, Effa Manley wrote to Ed Gottlieb, the white promoter who assigned the umpires for Eagles games at Ruppert Stadium, and questioned whether Strauch should continue to work games for the team.28 She expressed concern that “[t]he Negro men are as prejudiced against the white umpires as the white people are against the colored.”29 Manley’s request to keep Strauch out of future Newark games, and thus to keep the races separate, was consistent with her long-held desire that Negro League baseball should be exclusively in the hands of African-Americans. Effa objected to white ownership of some of the NNL clubs, and she and Abe had fought losing battles to try to wrest away control of nonleague games, which were essential to the team’s financial survival, from powerful white promoters like Gottlieb. However, in spite of her separatist outlook on black baseball, she did not stand in any player’s way when a major-league team offered an opportunity, though she did fight to receive compensation from the teams that signed the Eagles players.

On May 13 the NNL office handed Cash a three-game suspension and levied a $50 fine while also announcing, “In the future any player striking an umpire will be fined $100 and will be suspended for ten days.”30 Oddly, Curry incurred no punishment for his actions even though they clearly had been deliberate and he had been forced from the field by the police. He may have escaped further repercussions because “[b]laming his conduct on the excitement of the game, Curry after the game apologized to Struack [sic] for himself and Cash.”31 In contrast to his manager, Cash remained unapologetic, asserting decades later, “And to this day, some people think the reason I didn’t make it to the majors was because I smacked a white umpire. Shoot, as bad as that call was, I should’ve stomped him.”32

As for Day, he began his comeback campaign with a flourish, but he also injured his arm during the game when he fielded a bunt and slipped while trying to throw to first for the out. According to Day, “When I threw it, I could feel something pull. … That was opening day and I never was no good the whole season.”33 He nevertheless finished the 1946 NNL season with a 14-4 record, a 2.53 ERA, and a league-leading 65 strikeouts in 174 innings pitched.34 His injury did worsen as the season progressed, though, and he was less effective in the two games he pitched against the Kansas City Monarchs in the World Series. He still was a major contributor to Newark’s championship as he made a sparkling, game-saving catch in Game Six after he had moved from the mound, where he had started the game, to the outfield.

Leon Day was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on March 7, 1995, just six days before he died of heart failure in Baltimore at the age of 78. Four other members of the 1946 Newark Eagles keep company with him in Cooperstown, New York — Doby, Irvin, Mackey, and Effa Manley — demonstrating that both the team and its feats, including Day’s Opening Day no-hitter, are as worthy of commemoration as Feller and his accomplishments.

Notes

1 Alyson Footer, “#TBT: Feller Tosses the One and Only Opening Day No-Hitter,” mlb.com/news/tbt-bob-feller-tosses-the-one-and-only-opening-day-no-hitter/c-118626392, accessed January 24, 2018.

2 Ibid.

3 “Newark Eagles to Meet Stars,” Morning News (Wilmington, Delaware), May 6, 1946: 15.

4 Gary Bedingfield, “Baseball in Wartime: Leon Day,” baseballinwartime.com/player_biographies/day_leon.htm, accessed January 24, 2018.

5 “Eagles Make Bow Today,” Newark Star-Ledger, May 5, 1946: 27.

6 James Overmyer, Queen of the Negro Leagues: Effa Manley and the Newark Eagles (Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1998), 59.

7 “No-Hit Bow: Day, Eagles Ace, Throttles Stars 2-0 in Opener,” Newark Star-Ledger, May 6, 1946: 11.

8 James A. Riley, Of Monarchs and Black Barons: Essays on Baseball’s Negro Leagues (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2012), 154-55.

9 “Day Hurls No-Hitter as Eagles Cop Opener, 2-0,” Baltimore Afro-American, May 11, 1946: 29.

10 Bill “Ready” Cash and Al Hunter Jr., Thou Shalt Not Steal: The Baseball Life and Times of a Rifle-Armed Negro League Catcher (Philadelphia: Love Eagle Books, 2012), 73.

11 “Eagles, Stars Clash Tonight,” Trenton Evening Times, May 8, 1946: 25.

12 James A. Riley, Dandy, Day, and the Devil (Cocoa, Florida: TK Publishers, 1987), 69.

13 Cash remembered the play somewhat differently in his autobiography, which was written more than 60 years after the game in question. He claimed that Irvin had hit the slow grounder to Stars shortstop Frank Austin rather than Pearson hitting it to the second baseman, Duckett. An examination of the box score shows that Cash’s memory was faulty after the long interval, his protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. Cash remembered correctly that Isreal tripled, Doby singled, and that there then was a fly out before the grounder on which Doby tried to score. An examination of the game’s box score shows that Irvin batted between Doby and Pearson in Newark’s lineup that day; thus, he had to have been the batter who flied out, and Pearson had to have been the batter who hit the grounder. Additionally, Pearson must have hit the ball to Duckett, as was reported at the time; if the ball had been hit to Austin at short, it is doubtful that Doby would have tried to advance even to third base, let alone to attempt to score on the play. (For Cash’s account, see Cash, 75).

14 Cash and Hunter, 5.

15 “Play That Caused Near Riot in Newark Eagle’s No Hit Win From Philly,” New York Amsterdam News, May 11, 1946: 12.

16 “Day Hurls No-Hitter as Eagles Cop Opener, 2-0.”

17 “Play That Caused Near Riot in Newark Eagle’s No Hit Win From Philly.”

18 Cash and Hunter, 6, 74-75.

19 Monte Irvin with James A. Riley, Nice Guys Finish First: The Autobiography of Monte Irvin (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1996), 74.

20 “Police Halt Philadelphia Stars-Newark Eagles Riot,” New York Amsterdam News, May 11, 1946: 1.

21 Irvin with Riley, 74.

22 “Play That Caused Near Riot in Newark Eagle’s No Hit Win From Philly.”

23 Riley, Dandy, Day, and the Devil, 70.

24 Ibid.

25 Jim Ryall, “Fireworks at Eagles Game/Fists Fly as Leon Day Hurls No-Hitter,” Newark News, May 6, 1946.

26 Bob Luke, The Most Famous Woman in Baseball: Effa Manley and the Negro Leagues (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2011), 124.

27 Pittsburgh Courier sportswriter Wendell Smith took Newark and both the NNL and NAL league offices to task after the Eagles walked out on a July 21, 1946, exhibition game against the NAL’s Cleveland Buckeyes because a controversial call went against them. When it became apparent that neither league office intended to penalize Newark, Smith wrote a scathing column in which he admonished:

“This attitude simply substantiates Branch Rickey’s charge that ‘Negro leagues do not actually exist.’ When the presidents of the two leagues refuse to step in and crack down on teams that take the baseball law into their own hands, it simply means that the rules and regulations governing the game mean absolutely nothing.

Consequently, the fans never can be sure that they’re going to get what they pay for. …” (See Wendell Smith, “The Sports Beat: What Happens When a Team Quits?” Pittsburgh Courier, August 3, 1946: 16.)

Upon reading Smith’s article, Effa Manley responded with a letter in which she attempted to explain why manager Biz Mackey had led the Eagles off the field without completing the game. She concluded her missive to Smith, which was printed in his next column, by asserting, “I will never condone any unsportsmanlike conduct from the Eagles. On the other hand, I do not expect them to accept decisions like this one without protesting.” (See Wendell Smith, “The Sports Beat: Mrs. Manley Has Her Say,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 10, 1946: 16.)

Manley’s justifications for her team’s actions notwithstanding, Smith’s column reflected the concerns of most observers who wanted to ensure that Negro League players did not behave in a manner that would give Organized Baseball’s leagues a convenient excuse to discontinue the integration of the game.

28 Luke, 124. Ed Gottlieb, in addition to being one of the prominent white promoters of black baseball games, was also a part-owner of the Philadelphia Stars. In light of this fact, Cash’s accusation that Effa Manley had paid off Strauch to call the opener in Newark’s favor has little credence, if it ever had any at all. Strauch stood to lose more money by showing bias against the Stars and displeasing Gottlieb, who had the power not to assign him to work future games, than he had to gain by accepting a one-time bribe from Manley.

29 Ibid.

30 “8 Players Get 5-Year Suspensions, Elites Lose Star to Grays in NNL Action at Philly,” Baltimore Afro-American, May 18, 1946: 30. In his autobiography, Cash gives the fine as $25 (See Cash, 6 and 76), but the contemporary newspaper account reported a $50 fine.

31 “Day Hurls No-Hitter as Eagles Cop Opener, 2-0.”

32 Cash and Hunter, 6.

33 Riley, Dandy, Day, and the Devil, 70.

34 John Holway, The Complete Book of Baseball’s Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History (Fern Park, Florida: Hastings House Publishers, 2001), 436. It should be noted that — as is often the case with Negro League ballplayers — different sources list different statistics for Day in 1946. Often the discrepancy results from the fact that one source includes both league and exhibition games while another source includes only league statistics. In other instances, more recent research that has been able to make use of newly available source material, such as digitized newspaper archives, may have turned up additional games that have been added to the statistical record.

While Satchel Paige is by far the most notable name among pitchers in the Negro Leagues, Day was no slouch in pitching greatness. Larry Doby, his teammate who would one day break the color barrier in the American League, thought Day was even better than Paige. Day certainly didn’t have Paige’s flare for the dramatic; he just went quietly about his business, including a simple no-windup delivery. Lost to history but fresh in Day’s memories in later life were his historic matchups with Paige. Day was believed to have beaten the icon three of four times. Justifiably, both men are celebrated as Baseball Hall of Famers today.

Day had returned in 1946 from serving his country in World War II. Rejoining the Eagles, he threw a no-hitter in his return game on May 5, which was Opening Day for the Negro National League. That was just one of the great memories Newark fans would have of this championship season.

On August 11 the Grays sent Eugene Smith to the mound to oppose Day. Phil Cockrell umpired the contest along with two other umpires, one by the last name of Moore and Peter Strauch, whose controversial call as the home-plate umpire for Day’s no-hitter had precipitated a riot at Ruppert Stadium.2

The Eagles jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Grays countered with two runs in the third, but the Eagles put four more on the board in the fourth, grabbing a 5-2 lead. The Grays got a run back on the eighth, and the score was 5-3 in favor of Newark heading into the ninth. Smith, Jerry Benjamin, and Sam Bankhead each singled to load the bases for the Grays. Howard Easterling crushed a grand slam to propel the Grays into the lead, 7-5. But the game was far from over.3

In the bottom of the ninth, Day drew a walk, and when Smith threw another ball to Jimmy Wilkes, his wildness forced his removal in favor of Wilmer Fields. Wilkes flied out to left. Pat Patterson, however, sent the game into extra frames when he clubbed a home run to right, tying the score, 7-7.

Day had new life on the mound and the workhorse threw an additional six scoreless innings. The Eagles finally broke through when Day decided it was time to call it a day … well, at least until Game Two. He clubbed a 350-foot home run to left field off reliever Bob Thurman, who initially had entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the 11th,  to seal the Eagles’ 8-7 win as the “Newark fans went wild with glee.”4

Day finished his long outing with 10 strikeouts while surrendering 14 hits. Benjamin and Easterling led the way with three hits each for Homestead. Lennie Pearson and Leon Ruffin had three hits each to spark the Eagles. The Grays used hurler Bob Thurman, who would have a five-year span as a utility outfielder and pinch-hitter for the Cincinnati Reds late in his career, in addition to Smith and Fields. The trio allowed 12 hits between them.5

The Grays swept the doubleheader with a 3-1 victory in the nightcap behind the strong pitching of Leniel Hooker and a 450-foot home run by Monte Irvin. The standings posted in the Courier through August 11 showed Newark in first place in the Negro National League with a 12-3 record, 1½ games over the New York Cubans, while the Grays occupied the basement at 3-8. The Grays would rally to finish second by season’s end, but they were far behind the Eagles.

Sources

 “Fair Weather: Continued Moderate Temperatures Loom,” Newark Star-Ledger, August 12, 1946: 1.

 Kern, Thomas.  “Leon Day,” SABR BioProject. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/f6e24f41. Retrieved January 11, 2019.

Notes

1 “Newark Tops Grays in 15 Inning Tilt; Increase Lead in Negro Nat’l Loop,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 17, 1946: 16.

2 “Police Halt Philadelphia Stars-Newark Eagles Riot,” New York Amsterdam News, May 11, 1946: 1.

3 “Day Eagles’ Hero in Twin Victory,” Newark News, August 12, 1946.

4 Ibid.

5 “Newark Eagles Defeat Grays, By 8-7 in 15th,” New York Amsterdam News, August 17, 1946: 11.

The low turnout for the game was disappointing, however, as the Pittsburgh Courier had enthused on August 3 that the sluggers of the East team were likely “to scalp the West and lure a record crowd of sports history, probably 30,000 fans to the stadium.”2 The low attendance was attributable in part to the absence of Satchel Paige, who initially had been expected to start for the West team but who did not participate in the game. Without Paige, the Courier’s anticipated matchup of “the exceptional pitching of the NAL [West] against the power hitters of the NNL [East]” did not materialize.3

The Courier’s prediction of an East-team victory proved to be correct as a quartet of high-flying Newark Eagles — Leon Day, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, and Lennie Pearson — sparked the East to a 6-3 win over the West. Batting second and playing second base, Doby had two hits, two runs scored, and a stolen base, Irvin scored one run and knocked in another, while Pearson added an RBI of his own. On the mound, Day, described by Irvin as “cat-quick and a great pitcher,”4 picked up the save with one inning of one-hit ball. Newark catcher Leon Ruffin also played but went hitless in his lone plate appearance.

Before the Eagles’ stars could soar, they first had to wait out a delay of the game as “Players of the West squad … held up the all-star game for 15 minutes … in a baseball version of the sitdown strike. The group left the field en masse at the conclusion of the pregame practice and refused to go through with the contest until an understanding was reached under which they would get more money.”5 Dr. J.B. Martin, president of the Negro American League, which composed the West team, later explained that the West players had been guaranteed $50 each for their participation in the game, but they had demanded $100. The Baltimore Afro-American pointed out that a similar strike had been staged by the East team’s players before the 1944 all-star game in Chicago. New York Cubans owner Alex Pompez pointed to this strike while castigating the West players, telling them, “This sort of thing every time we have an all-star game has got to stop. You’re doing nothing but sending your own baseball to ruin.”6 The matter was settled in a locker-room negotiation session, but neither side would reveal the outcome of the deal.

Once the action finally got under way,  the East grabbed a quick lead by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning off the “fireball pitching”7 of “Dan Bankhead, ace of the Memphis Red Sox … [who in regular-season play had] four wins and no losses, with 50 strikeouts in 36 innings, and 11 walks.”8 On this day, however, Bankhead walked the leadoff batter, Baltimore’s Henry Kimbro, and surrendered back-to-back singles to Doby and Howard Easterling (of the Homestead Grays) that resulted in a 1-0 deficit. Easterling tried to stretch his hit into a double and was retired in a rundown, but Doby advanced to third on the play and scored the second run of the inning on a groundout by Homestead’s Buck Leonard. 

Philadelphia Stars lefty Barney Brown was the East team’s starter and, according to reporter Sam Lacy, “the American League [West] bats were woefully impotent before the offerings of Brown.”9 After pitching three scoreless innings, Brown gave way to Pat Scantlebury of the New York Cubans.10 Scantlebury faced just five batters, retiring only one and giving up three hits and an error by shortstop Sam Bankhead of the Homestead Grays.

In the top of the fourth, Birmingham’s Artie Wilson led off with a single. Scantlebury then retired the Cleveland Buckeyes’ Archie Ware before inducing what should have been a double-play grounder by Cleveland’s Sammy Jethroe to Bankhead, “who came up with one of his rare bobbles,” leaving both runners safe.11 Now in a bind, Scantlebury faced Birmingham’s Piper Davis, who “shot a sizzler down the left-field foul line that Monte Irvin of Newark held to a single by some fast fielding.”12 Wilson scored and Jethroe went to second. Yet another Buckeye, Willie Grace, lashed a single that scored his teammate Jethroe to tie the game. Baltimore’s Bill Byrd relieved Scantlebury, but the East fell behind when Byrd “watched Davis cross the plate as he was vainly trying to throw out Cowan [Bubba] Hyde, Memphis, at first.”13

The West’s lead was short-lived. The East scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth off Cleveland’s Vibert Clarke to retake the lead, 4-3. Easterling led off the inning with a bunt single and moved to second on a sacrifice by Leonard. Irvin smacked a single that plated Easterling and tied the game once more. After a basehit by Josh Gibson (Homestead), Pearson batted for Philadelphia’s Gene Benson and drove in Irvin, his Newark teammate, with the go-ahead run.

Another Newark player, Doby, was at the forefront of the East’s next rally, in the bottom of the fifth inning, when the East scored the final two tallies of the game. Kimbro led off with a bunt and reached safely after he “dived on his stomach and eluded [West first baseman] Ware’s outstretched hand. At the finish of his slide, Kimbro was resting on first base while Ware was looking around with unbelieving eyes.”14 Kimbro’s derring-do went for naught when he was erased from the basepaths on Doby’s fielder’s-choice grounder. Doby stole second base, advanced to third on an Easterling hit, and scored on a wild pitch by Gentry Jessup of the Chicago American Giants. Easterling scored on another Leonard RBI groundout. Leonard’s second RBI of the game produced the sixth and final run, and was the last of his record 14 RBIs in Negro League All-Star Games.15

Day pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up the save in support of Byrd, the winning pitcher. Clarke took the loss for the West. The majority of these players would meet again for the second East-West All-Star Game three days later at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the traditional venue for the annual highlight of the Negro League season.

Photo credit

Larry Doby, courtesy of Larry Lester.

Notes

1 Sam Lacy, “16,000 See East Top West in All Star Diamond Tilt,” Baltimore Afro-American, August 17, 1946: 26. The 1946 season was not the first time two East-West Games were played, but the previous East games had not been nearly as successful as the annual showcase game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. In 1939 an estimated crowd of 20,000 attended the game at Yankee Stadium in New York, which was only half of the estimated 40,000 that attended the Comiskey Park game. The disparity in attendance was even greater in 1942 when only 10,791 spectators showed up for the game at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, compared with the 45,179 who packed Comiskey Park that year.

2 “Top Stars to Clash Before Record Throng in Washington All-Star Tilt,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 3, 1946: 17.

3 Ibid.

4 Monte Irvin, “Introduction,” Mark Chiarello and Jack Morelli, Heroes of the Negro Leagues (New York: Abrams, 2007), 6.

5 Sam Lacy, “All-Star Classic Delayed by West’s Pay Demands,” Baltimore Afro-American, August 17, 1946: 1.

6 Sam Lacy, “All Star Classic (Continued From Page One),” Baltimore Afro-American, August 17, 1946: 27.

7 “Negro All-Star Teams Tangle at Griffith Stadium Tonight,” Washington Post, August 15, 1946: 19.

8 “Negro All-Stars Play Thursday,” Washington Post, August 10, 1946: 11.                          

9 Lacy, “16,000 See East Top West in All Star Diamond Tilt.”

10 “The last black player who stepped directly from a Negro team into a major-league uniform was veteran … Pat Scantlebury, who pitched in eight games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1956.” Robert Peterson, Only the Ball Was White (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1984), 203.

11 Lacy, “16,000 See East Top West in All Star Diamond Tilt.”

12 Ibid.

13 Ibid.

14 Ibid.

15 Larry Lester, Black Baseball’s National Showcase: The East-West All-Star Game, 1933-1953 (Lincoln:  University of Nebraska Press, 2001), 426, 448.

The West held a 7-to-6 edge in the previous classics, and a crowd of 45,474 packed the ballpark to see if the East team could even the ledger.4 After winning the first of two All-Star Games in 1946 and “[w]ith an announced starting lineup of hitters averaging close to .333 in Negro National league completion, the East rules [as] the favorite. … The presence of the ‘home run twins of Negro baseball’ — Catcher Josh Gibson and First Baseman Buck Leonard of the Homestead Grays — apparently gives the East the offensive edge.”5 Once anticipation gave way to action, Birmingham Black Barons shortstop Artie Wilson turned in a star performance that helped lead the West to its fourth consecutive triumph over the East at Comiskey Park.

Philadelphia Stars pitcher Barney Brown started for the East and, just as he had done on August 15, hurled three scoreless innings. The difference between this game and the first clash in D.C., however, was that the West’s Felix Evans accomplished what his Memphis Red Sox teammate Dan Bankhead had been unable to do in Washington, match Brown zero for zero.

This time Bankhead took the mound in the fourth inning and had better success as he kept the East off the scoreboard for an additional three frames. Meanwhile, the West batters broke through against Baltimore’s Bill Byrd, beginning in the bottom of the fourth inning. Byrd’s troubles began when, after retiring leadoff hitter Sam Jethroe of the Cleveland Buckeyes, he walked Birmingham’s Lorenzo “Piper” Davis. Cleveland’s Willie Grace knocked a base hit to right field that Philadelphia’s Gene Benson bobbled for an error that allowed Davis to advance to third and Grace to second. Benson’s error was uncharacteristic for someone considered to be “a truly great defensive outfielder.”6 A sacrifice bunt by Memphis’s Alec Radcliffe enabled Davis to score the game’s first run, and then fellow Red Sox Cowan “Bubba” Hyde singled to drive in Grace for a 2-0 West lead.

In the bottom of the fifth, the West added two more runs against Byrd. Wilson singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice by Cleveland’s Archie Ware. Jethroe reached first safely when he hit a grounder that New York Cubans shortstop Silvio Garcia misplayed for an error. The lead grew when the “West worked that double steal like a clock. Sammy Jethroe broke for second and stopped halfway down the line. Gibson threw to Garcia at second and Wilson came charging home from third. Garcia tried to peg him out, but Art slid in safely and Jethroe took second.”7 Davis followed with a single to center that scored Jethroe to double the West’s lead to 4-0. Baltimore Elite Giants lefty Jonas Gaines relieved Byrd at this point and retired the side.

The East, which had tallied six runs at Griffith Stadium, managed only one run at Comiskey. The score came against Johnny “Nature Boy” Williams of the Indianapolis Clowns in the top of the eighth inning. Williams hit the leadoff batter, Philadelphia’s Murray Watkins, and then surrendered a single to the Cubans’ Pat Scantlebury, who was pinch-hinting for Gaines, with Watkins advancing to third on the play. Baltimore’s Tom Butts ran for Scantlebury but was erased on a fielder’s choice by his Elite Giants teammate Henry Kimbro as Watkins had to hold at third. Newark’s Larry Doby flied out to left field, which allowed Watkins to score, but Hyde, the left fielder, got the third out by gunning down Kimbro attempting to advance to second base.

While Wilson’s steal of home highlighted the game, the West took the rematch 4-1 because “Chin Evans and Dan Bankhead, both of the Memphis Red Sox, and John Williams of the Indianapolis Clowns, subdued the eastern stars of the Negro National League with four hits.”8 Bankhead “got the win for the West with three scoreless innings. He finished the year with a 7-3 record that far outshone his team’s 24-36 mark.”9 Williams got the save for his three innings of one-run ball.

In a game that featured no extra-base hits, Gibson and Leonard had but one single and one walk between them in eight plate appearances. Leonard’s was “a corking blow to right center [but he was] out trying to stretch it into a two-base hit. With none out, fans believed Buck should have been stopped at first.”10

Two of the four hits registered by the East team belonged to Doby and Monte Irvin of the Newark Eagles, who each singled once. Their Newark teammate Leon Day closed the game for the East, giving up one hit and fanning a batter in his lone inning of work.     

The West had used just 11 players — eight fielders and three pitchers.  Although a newspaper report places pitcher Gentry Jessup, third baseman Clyde Nelson, and manager Jim Taylor (who served as a coach) of the Chicago American Giants on the West squad,11 neither Jessup nor Nelson played in front of their hometown fans.

The two 1946 All-Star Games had settled nothing. Both the East and the West had won one game, with each squad scoring seven runs. A rubber match did not take place that year, but a third All-Star game did occur. This contest split the West into North and South teams, and this time Jessup not only played, but starred as he “pitched and batted the North Negro All-Stars to an 8 to 2 victory over the South All-Stars at Comiskey Park on September 22. He drove in four runs with two singles and restricted the losers to five hits. The North team was selected from the Chicago American Giants and Cleveland Buckeyes, with the South being chosen from the Memphis Red Sox and Birmingham Black Barons.”12

Sources

The play-by-play recap contained here was reconstructed primarily from the game account found in the following article:

Segreti, James. “West Defeats East All-Star Negro Nine, 4-1: Gains 8th Victory Before 45,474,” Chicago Tribune, August 19, 1946: 27.

Photo credit: Artie Wilson, National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.

Notes

1 In some seasons, two East-West Games were played — such was the case in 1946, with the first game having been played at Griffith Stadium — but the true showcase game was always the one held in the West at Comiskey Park.

2 Wendell Smith, “The Sports Beat,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 17, 1946: 16.

3 “Rosters Set for ‘Dream Games’ in D.C. and Chicago: East-West Classic in Chicago on August 18,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 10, 1946: 16.

4 The record for the East-West Games given here is for the games played at Comiskey Park games; the August 15, 1946, game played at Griffith Stadium is not included in this tally.

5 “Negro All-Star Nines Assemble for 14th Game,” Chicago Tribune, August 17, 1946: 17.

6 Mark Chiarello and Jack Morelli, Heroes of the Negro Leagues (New York: Abrams, 2007), 124.

7 Wendell Smith, “The Sports Beat: Dream Game Star Dust …” Pittsburgh Courier, August 24, 1946, as reprinted in Larry Lester, Black Baseball’s National Showcase: The East-West All-Star Game, 1933-1953 (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2001), 277.

8 “Negro West Stars Win,” The Sporting News, August 28, 1946: 32.

9 Rory Costello, “Dan Bankhead,” sabr.org/bioproj/person/62db6502 (accessed July 14, 2015). An online source lists Bankhead’s 1946 record at 5-3. baseball-reference.com/nlb/player.cgi?id=bankhe001dan.

(accessed July 16, 2015).

10 Fay Young, “Ace West Hurlers Beat East, 4-1,” Chicago Defender, August 24, 1946, as reprinted in Larry Lester, Black Baseball’s National Showcase, 275.

11 “Name West Nine for 14th Negro All-Star Game,” Chicago Tribune, August 11, 1946: A5. A follow-up article asserted, “Gentry Jessup, right handed pitching star of the Chicago American Giants, who starred in the East-West game the last two years, has been named as the West’s starter on the mound. …” “East vs. West Today in 14th Negro Game,” Chicago Tribune, August 18, 1946: A2.

12 “Negro North All-Stars Win,” The Sporting News, October 2, 1946: 33.

The Series was closely contested, going the full seven games, and is one of the most interesting focal points in the history of the Negro Leagues. In many ways it represented in microcosm the later, transitional, history of the Negro Leagues. Attendance varied wildly, depending on where and when the games were played. Often the distances between venues were so far that the Eagles and Monarchs traveled between cities by airplane instead of by train. The series featured future Hall of Famers and a number of others who went on to play in the major leagues.

However, the talent pool in the Negro Leagues was already being diminished as former Monarch Jackie Robinson was now playing with the Montreal Royals and would move to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Don Newcombe, who pitched as a 19-year-old for the Eagles in 1945, had been signed away to the Dodgers organizations as well. Although there was solid coverage of the Series in the African-American press, the games were often overshadowed by minor-league games in which Robinson played. Less than three seasons later, the Newark Eagles relocated to Houston before their, and the Negro Leagues’, inevitable demise.

In 1946 both the Eagles and Monarchs were powerhouse teams that won their respective leagues to earn the right to play in the World Series. The Monarchs were owned by J.L. Wilkinson and managed by Frank Duncan. They featured a number of star players including Hank Thompson at second base and often hitting in the leadoff spot, Ted Strong in right field, Willard Brown in the outfield and batting cleanup, and Buck O’Neil at first base. The Monarchs had a great pitching staff, with future Hall of Famer Hilton Smith, Connie Johnson, Jim LaMarque, and the one and only Satchel Paige. Including team owners, managers, players, and an umpire, 10 future Hall of Fame members were directly involved in the Series.1

Game One: September 17, 1946
Kansas City Monarchs 2, Newark Eagles 1
Polo Grounds, New York, NY

The opening game of the World Series was played on Tuesday night, September 17, at the Polo Grounds in New York City. The pitching matchup featured a pair of future Hall of Famers, with Hilton Smith starting for the Monarchs and Leon Day for the Eagles.

The game got off to a fast start as Hank Thompson led off with a single to right field that went through the legs of Bob Harvey, allowing Thompson to advance to third base. He scored on a single to right by Herb Souell. Ted Strong followed with another single, advancing Souell to third. Leon Day was able to strike out Willard Brown, but loaded the bases when he walked Buck O’Neil. However, Day was able to pitch out of the jam, striking out John Scott and inducing a weak groundout from Jim Hamilton.

The Eagles threatened in the bottom of the first frame when, with two outs, Larry Doby used his speed to first beat out a bunt for a hit and then steal second. Monte Irvin followed, but popped out to short to end the inning. The Eagles had another scoring opportunity in the second inning when Lenny Pearson and Johnny Davis reached base to lead off, but Bob Harvey fouled out to third. Leon Ruffin, on a hit-and-run play, knocked the ball up the middle to Monarchs shortstop Hamilton, who was covering second base on the play and was able to field the ball, touch second, and throw to first to convert the hard-hit ball into a double play that ended the inning.

Leon Day pitched in and out of trouble through the first five innings of the game, allowing four walks and five hits. Aided by two double plays turned by his fine infield, Day was able to keep the Monarchs from scoring any further runs until he left the game in the bottom of the fifth. Rufus Lewis pitched the remainder of the game for the Eagles.

In the top of the sixth, the Eagles tallied their first run. Larry Doby led off the inning with a walk, which led Monarchs manager Frank Duncan to bring in Satchel Paige in relief. It was reported that Paige was met with “mingled cheers and boos” from the Polo Grounds crowd when he entered the game. Paige proceeded to strike out Irvin and Pearson, but he allowed Doby to swipe second. Doby then scored when Johnny Davis banged a single off the right-field wall.

In the top of the seventh, Paige hit the ball up the middle off pitcher Lewis’s glove. Doby made a play on the ball, but threw it past first, allowing Paige to advance to second. Herb Souell singled to left, driving in Satchel for the second Monarchs run of the game. In his only appearance in the series, Eagles manager Biz Mackey pinch-hit in the eighth inning but failed to reach base. Paige was able to shut down the Eagles for the remainder of the game, striking out eight batters in four innings, and was awarded the win. The game was played in 3 hours and 5 minutes and drew 19,423 fans.

The game was marred by two serious injuries. Eagles third baseman Clarence “Pint” Isreal dislocated his knee when he fell into the box seats chasing a fly ball. Isreal would return later in the Series. A more serious injury befell Monarchs rookie shortstop Jim Hamilton. In the fifth inning, Hamilton was attempting to turn a double play when Bob Harvey took him out in what Afro-American sportswriter Sam Lacy described as a “play-smearing slide.” The 24-year-old Hamilton suffered a broken right leg in what was essentially a career-ending injury.2

Game Two: September 19, 1946
Newark Eagles 7, Kansas City Monarchs 4
Ruppert Stadium, Newark, NJ

Game Two of the World Series was played at Ruppert Stadium in Newark, New Jersey, on the night of Thursday, September 19, before a crowd of 9,787. In a pregame ceremony, heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis threw out the first pitch. The pitching matchup featured Ford Smith for the Monarchs against Max Manning of the Eagles. Both pitchers started strong, with Smith allowing a run in the third inning but otherwise holding the Eagles in check over the first six innings. The Monarchs scored once in the fourth, and then extended their lead to 4-1 on Willard Brown’s three-run homer in the top of the fifth.

In the bottom of the seventh, Larry Doby hit a two-run home run off Smith to bring the Eagles within a run. The Monarchs went to their bullpen and brought in Satchel Paige, hoping he would replicate his fine performance from the previous game. However, after Monte Irvin singled, Lennie Pearson drove a ball well over the left-field fence, only to have the blast called foul by umpire Bullet Rogan. After an extended argument over the foul-ball call, Pearson drove the ball to left, where it was bobbled by Johnny Scott, allowing Irvin to score and tie the game. Paige then gave up successive hits to Davis, Ruffin, and Manning, and when the inning finally ended, the Eagles had scored six runs and won the game, 7-4. Max Manning pitched a complete game, striking out eight for the win, with Paige taking the loss.3

Game Three: September 22, 1946
Kansas City Monarchs 15, Newark Eagles 5
Blues Stadium, Kansas City, MO

The third game of the World Series was scheduled for Sunday, September 22, but was rained out, taking away a big Sunday crowd and payday for the teams. The series resumed instead on Monday, September 23, at Blues Stadium in Kansas City. Jim LaMarque toed the slab for the Monarchs while Len Hooker started for the Eagles.

The game quickly became a blowout for the hometown Monarchs, who scored runs in six of the eight innings in which they batted. They tagged Len Hooker for nine hits and six runs before chasing him after the fourth inning. Suffering worse was Eagles reliever Cotton Williams, who gave up 11 hits and 9 runs in 3⅔ innings of work.

Chico Renfroe, Herb Souell, and Hank Thompson each had four hits, and Ted Strong hit a 360-foot home run to right field in the Monarchs’ seven-run barrage in the eighth inning. LaMarque benefited from the run support, as he gave up five runs to the Eagles but struck out eight in going the distance for the win.4

Game Four: September 24, 1946
Newark Eagles 8, Kansas City Monarchs 1
Blues Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Game Four of the Series was played on Tuesday, September 24. It was again a night game played at Blues Stadium. A sparse crowd of 3,836 was in attendance. Rufus Lewis started the game for the Eagles against Ted Alexander for the home-team Monarchs. The Monarchs struck first, scoring a run in the second inning. The run came when Willard Brown singled, stole second, advanced to third on an infield out, and scored on Buck O’Neil fly ball to center field.

After that run, the remainder of the offense belonged to the Eagles. Newark scored two runs in the third and again in the fifth, chasing Alexander from the game. Satchel Paige came on in relief once more and again was ineffective, giving up three runs to the Eagles in the sixth and a soaring home run over the right-field fence to Monte Irvin in the seventh. Larry Doby also slugged the ball, collecting a double and triple along with a stolen base. But the offensive star of the game for the Eagles was leadoff hitter Jimmy Wilkes, who went 4-for-5 with two doubles and four runs scored. The overall star of the game, however, had to be Eagles hurler Rufus Lewis. Lewis dominated the Monarchs in pitching a complete game, scattering four hits and walking none while striking out six.

With their victory, the Eagles tied the series at two games apiece as the teams now moved on to Chicago for Game Five.5

Game Five: September 25, 1946
Kansas City Monarchs 5, Newark Eagles 1
Comiskey Park, Chicago, IL

The fifth game of the series was played on the evening of Wednesday, September 25, before 4,000 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Monarchs played as the home team and sent Hilton Smith to the mound to start the game against the Eagles’ Max Manning. Both pitchers started strong, blanking their opponents over the first three innings.

In the fourth, Hank Thompson walked, stole second, and then advanced to third on a hot shot to short that was knocked down by Monte Irvin. Ford Smith then singled to drive Thompson home. Smith was playing right field in place of Ted Strong, who had left the team after the fourth game of the Series to play in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

In the sixth inning, Thompson again got things started for the Monarchs, this time with a double. He advanced to third on a groundout by Willard Brown and then scored on a squeeze bunt executed by Buck O’Neil. Then John Scott tripled and scored on a wild pitch by Manning to give the Monarchs a 3-1 lead. In the seventh the Monarchs scored two more. Hilton Smith and Chico Renfroe both singled and were then driven home on a two-run double by Willard Brown.

Although they had 10 hits in the game, the Eagles were limited to one run. They scored in the eighth inning when Monte Irvin singled and scored on a double by Lennie Pearson. Despite giving up 10 hits, Hilton Smith walked only one and struck out eight to earn the complete-game win. Max Manning struck out seven and took the loss. The Monarchs now led three games to two and needed but one more win to take the Series.6

Game Six: September 27, 1946
Newark Eagles 9, Kansas City Monarchs 7
Ruppert Stadium, Newark, NJ

For Game Six of the World Series, the teams traveled back to Newark, where they played on Friday night, September 27, at Ruppert Stadium. Leon Day, who had been given extra rest after his Game One start, pitched for the Eagles against Jim LaMarque, who had started Game Three for the Monarchs. However, neither pitcher went beyond the first inning.

The Monarchs started hot, scoring five runs in the first inning, including a three-run clout over the center-field fence by Willard Brown. After the Monarchs’ first-inning offensive explosion, Leon Day was relieved by Len Hooker. Day, however, did not leave the game. He moved to center field, which he manned for the rest of the game. In the Eagles’ half of the first, LaMarque walked the first three batters. Len Pearson and Leon Ruffin followed with singles to score a total of four runs, and bring the score to 5-4 after the raucous first inning.

Steve Wylie relieved LaMarque, and gave up two more runs to the Eagles on Monte Irvin’s home run in the bottom of the second. The Eagles scored two more runs in the fourth on Pearson’s home run, to make the score 8-5. Wylie was relieved by Ted Alexander in the fifth. The Eagles tacked on one more run in the sixth on Monte Irvin’s second home run of the game, making the score 9-5.

The Monarchs tried to come back once more in the seventh, on a single by Willard Brown and a home run by Buck O’Neil, his first round-tripper of the season. However, Len Hooker was able to otherwise shut down the Monarchs and get the win for the Eagles, thanks to the support he received from his fellow moundsman Day, who was now manning center field. Monte Irvin recalled that “Buck O’Neil hit a deep line drive to right center field and Leon made a great over-the-shoulder catch to save the game.”

As for Irvin, he scored four runs in the game as the Eagles staved off elimination and forced a seventh and final game for the Series.7

Game Seven: September 29, 1946
Newark Eagles 3, Kansas City Monarchs 2
Ruppert Stadium, Newark, NJ

The seventh and deciding game of the 1946 Negro League World Series was played on Sunday afternoon, September 29, at Ruppert Stadium. A total of 7,200 fans were in attendance for the game to see who would be crowned the champions of the Negro Leagues for 1946. Among those in attendance were scouts from the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers. The pitching matchup featured Ford Smith, starting his second game of the Series for Kansas City, against Newark’s Rufus Lewis, also starting his second game after his dominant performance in Game Four.

An intriguing twist to this game was the absence of both Willard Brown and Satchel Paige, who failed to appear at the ballpark for the game. Brown apparently missed the game because he was in New York City signing a contract to play winter ball in Puerto Rico. Paige likely was making plans for the barnstorming tour that he was soon going to lead, going up against a team led by Bob Feller. Buck O’Neil, in his autobiography I Was Right on Time, said, that Paige had been slated to start the game. However, he also opined that Ford Smith was pitching better in the series than Paige and believed that Paige’s absence might not have made any difference.8

The Eagles got things started right away, scoring a run in the first inning. Pat Patterson reached on an error by Monarchs second sacker Hank Thompson, moved to second on a walk to Larry Doby, and scored on a single by Monte Irvin. After this tally, both starters held the other team in check until the sixth inning.

In the top of the sixth, Buck O’Neil hit a solo home run, his second round-tripper of the Series, to tie the game. In the bottom of the sixth, Ford Smith lost his control for a time, walking Larry Doby and Monte Irvin on eight straight pitches. Johnny Davis then drove both men home on a double, giving the Eagles a 3-1 lead. The Eagles collected only three hits in the game, but they made the most of their opportunities.

In the top of the seventh, Jim Green, Ford Smith, and Herb Souell each singled, but the Monarchs were able to score only one run, leaving the Eagles ahead, 3-2. The Monarchs tried to rally in the ninth. Leading off the inning, Monarchs catcher Earl Taborn singled to right but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. The Monarchs put two more men on base, but Rufus Lewis was able to battle through and prevent the Monarchs from scoring, giving the Eagles the 3-2 victory in the game and a four-games-to-three victory in the Series.9

Postscript

Monte Irvin led the Eagles in the series, batting .462 with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs. Rufus Lewis pitched two complete-game victories and had an ERA of 1.23 in 22 innings. On the Monarchs’ side, Willard Brown hit three home runs and Buck O’Neil hit two.

It was reported by Monte Irvin that each Eagles player received $600 for winning the Series and that Eagles co-owner Effa Manley was the happiest woman in Newark.10 Many of the Eagles, along with a number of the Monarchs, joined the Satchel Paige All-Stars immediately after the Series.

The players on the All-Stars included Eagles Monte Irvin, Rufus Lewis, Max Manning, and Lennie Pearson; the Monarchs were Frank Duncan, Willard Brown, Hank Thompson, Hilton Smith, and Buck O’Neil (in addition to Paige himself). Their barnstorming tour started in Pittsburgh on September 30, just one day after the end of the World Series.

Sources

Box scores for the 1946 Negro League World Series can be found at Retrosheet.org: https://www.retrosheet.org/NegroLeagues/1946PS.html

Clark, Dick, and Larry Lester, eds. The Negro Leagues Book (Cleveland: Society for American Baseball Research, 1994).

Moore, Joseph Thomas. Pride Against Prejudice: The Biography of Larry Doby (New York: Praeger, 1988).

Overmyer, James. Queen of the Negro Leagues: Effa Manley and the Newark Eagles (Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1998).

Riley, James A. The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994).

seamheads.com.

Notes

1 This list includes, from the Monarchs: Willard Brown, Satchel Paige, Hilton Smith, and J.L. Wilkinson; and from the Eagles: Leon Day, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, Biz Mackey, and Effa Manley. Wilber “Bullet” Rogan, former Monarchs pitcher, served as an umpire for several of the games in the Series as well.

2 For Game One, the following references were used: “Eagles Bow,” Newark News, September 18, 1946; Sam Lacy, “19,423 Fans See Paige in Brilliant Performance,” Afro-American, September 21, 1946: 13.

3 For Game Two, the following references were used: “Eagles Win, Even Series,” Newark News, September 20, 1946; Sam Lacy, “Birds Rap Paige to Even Series,” Afro-American, September 21, 1946: 13.

4 For Game Three, the following references were used: “Eagles Beaten at Kansas City,” Newark News, September 24, 1946; “Monarchs Take Lead in Series,” Afro-American, September 24, 1946: 17.

5 For Game Four, the following references were used: “Series Is Tied as Eagles Win,” Newark News, September 25, 1946; “Monarchs Take 3-2 World Series Lead,” Afro-American, September 26, 1946: 31. (Note that this article combines the stories for Games Four and Five for the series).

6 For Game Five, the following references were used: “Eagles Returning Here, Trailing 3-2,” Newark News, September 26, 1946; “Monarchs Take 3-2 World Series Lead,“ Afro-American, September 26, 1946: 31; “Monarchs Take Lead,” The Call (Kansas City), September 26, 1946; Frank Young, “Monarchs Win 5th Game of World Series Played in Chicago, 5-1,” The Call, September 27, 1946.

7 For Game Six, the following references were used: “Eagle Homers Knot Series,” Newark News, September 28, 1946; “Eagles Beat Monarchs, Square Negro Series,” News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware), September 28, 1946: 10; Monte Irvin with James A. Riley, Nice Guys Finish First: The Autobiography of Monte Irvin (New York: Carroll & Graf, 1996), 106.

8 Buck O’Neil with Steve Wulf and David Conrads, I Was Right on Time (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996), 176-179.

9 For Game Seven, the following references were used: “Eagles Hit in Clutches,” Newark News, September 30, 1946; “Newark Eagles Win World Series Crown: Whip Monarchs, 3-2, Before 7,200,” Afro-American, October 5, 1946: 17.

10 Irvin with James A. Riley, 107.

Since 1942, one of the league’s highlights had been the Negro World Series, a postseason series between the champions of the Negro National League and Negro American League. In 1946 the series matched the Negro National League’s Newark Eagles against the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League.

The Series schedule called for the first game to be played at the Polo Grounds in New York and the second at Newark’s home field, Ruppert Stadium, followed by two games in Kansas City’s Blues Stadium. If necessary, a game in Chicago’s Comiskey Park and then a return to Newark would follow in a best-of seven series. It wasn’t uncommon then for African-American teams, including barnstorming teams during the offseasons, to pursue opportunities to play in major-league ballparks, where they could draw bigger crowds and showcase Negro Leagues talent.

The World Series reportedly attracted dozens of major-league scouts who came to identify the top African-American talent in anticipation of further steps toward integration.1 Indeed, several of the stars of these two teams would eventually be among the first group of African-American players signed by Organized Baseball.

The Monarchs were without Jackie Robinson, who had played for them in 1945 before signing with the Dodgers organization for the 1946 season. However, Buck O’Neil, Hank Thompson, and Willard Brown rejoined the team in 1946 after returning from military service. Thirty-nine-year-old Satchel Paige, Connie Johnson, and Jim Lamarque were the star pitchers.

The Eagles’ lineup featured a middle-infield combination of second baseman Larry Doby and shortstop Monte Irvin. Leon Day, Max Manning, and Rufus Lewis were the Eagles’ best pitchers.

Newark had evened the series in Game Four in Kansas City on September 24 with an 8-1 victory. Irvin had four hits including a three-run home run.2

Game Five was played on September 25 at Comiskey Park, which had also been the site of one of two Negro Leagues East-West All-Star games in August.3 Kansas City newspapers reported a crowd of 4,000 attended the Wednesday night game, in which Kansas City was designated the home team.

Manning drew the starting assignment for the Eagles. He had pitched a complete game in Game Two in Newark (heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis threw out the first pitch), and held the Monarchs to two hits. Kansas City countered with 39-year-old Hilton Smith as its starter.

The Monarchs’ regular right fielder, Ted Strong, was absent from the team; he had left to begin his Puerto Rican Winter League assignment.4 Ford Smith, who was the starting pitcher in Game 2, took his place in the starting lineup.

Hilton Smith held Newark scoreless through the first four innings.

Thompson walked to lead off the bottom of fourth inning for the Monarchs. Brown fouled out to catcher Leon Ruffin and Thompson stole second base as O’Neil struck out. John Scott hit a hard drive to shortstop Irvin, who was unable to throw him out at first. Ford Smith singled to center field, scoring Thompson. Mickey Taborn lined out to right fielder Bob Harvey to end the inning.

Thompson again got things started for the Monarchs in the bottom of the sixth when he doubled to left field. Brown was retired on a grounder to second baseman Doby, with Thompson advancing to third base. O’Neil then executed a squeeze bunt to first baseman Lennie Pearson, which scored Thompson. Scott tripled down the left-field line. After an intentional walk to Ford Smith, Scott scored on Manning’s wild pitch, making the score 3-0.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Monarchs scored two more runs. Hilton Smith opened with a single to right field. Chico Renfro drove a pitch that fell a foot within the left-field foul line for a single. Herb Souell fouled out to Irvin. Thompson struck out, but Brown doubled to right, scoring Smith and Renfro. O’Neil fanned to end any further threat.

Newark scored its only run in the top of the eighth when Irvin singled with one out and scored on Pearson’s double to center. That ended the scoring; the Monarchs won, 5-1.

Winning pitcher Smith, who went the distance for the Monarchs, gave up 10 hits struck out eight and walked one. Manning took only his second loss of the season, yielding nine hits and three walks, while striking out seven in eight innings.

For the fourth time in five Series games, Newark had more hits than Kansas City but couldn’t piece together enough of them to generate more runs. Jimmy Wilkes, Irvin, and Pearson accounted for six of the Eagles’ hits, with two apiece. Monarchs shortstop Renfro played flawlessly in the field, handling six hard-hit chances.

The Eagles were facing elimination as the Series moved back to their home field, Newark’s Ruppert Stadium, on September 27. But they evened the series again in Game Six with a 9-7 win and went on to capture the championship with a 3-2 victory in Game Seven on September 29.

Several of the players from the two teams went on to play in the majors. Doby became the first African-American player in the American League with the Cleveland Indians in 1947. Thompson and Brown made their major-league debuts that year, with the St. Louis Browns. Paige got to the big leagues in 1948 with Cleveland and Irvin in 1949 with the New York Giants, while Connie Johnson reached the majors in 1953 with the Chicago White Sox. O’Neil, Paige, Doby, Irvin, Hilton Smith, and Day have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Newark manager Biz Mackey and Monarchs owner J.L. Wilkinson were inducted into the Hall of Fame as early pioneers of the Negro Leagues.

Owned by businesswoman Effa Manley and her husband, Abe, Newark won its only Negro World Series title that year. Effa Manley became the first woman elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, for her leadership and vision in creating respect for Negro League baseball.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted the following:

“Monarchs Take Lead,” Kansas City Times, September 26, 1946.

Irvin, Monte, and James A. Riley. Nice Guys Finish First (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1996).

Luke, Bob. The Most Famous Woman in Baseball (Washington: Potomac Books, 2011).

O’Neil, Buck, Steve Wulf, and David Conrads. I Was Right on Time (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996).

Overmyer, James. Effa Manley and the Newark Eagles (Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1993).

Seamheads Negro Leagues Database. seamheads.com/blog/category/negro-lgs/, accessed May 17, 2018.

Young, Frank. “Monarchs Win 5th Game of World Series Played in Chicago, 5-1,” The Call (Kansas City), September 27, 1946.

Notes

1 Baseball Reference Bullpen, baseball-reference.com/bullpen/1946_Negro_World_Series, accessed May 17, 2018.

2 Ibid.

3 James Segreti, “West Defeats East All-Star Negro Nine, 4-1,” Chicago Tribune, August 19, 1946: 27.

4 Baseball Reference Bullpen.