September 26-October 5, 1948: Homestead Grays capture final Negro League World Series in five games

The 1948 Negro League World Series featured two of the great teams in the history of the Negro Leagues, the Homestead Grays and the Birmingham Black Barons. By the time this series was played in 1948, the performances of Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, and Satchel Paige in the major leagues had drawn attention, and the talent in the Negro Leagues had begun to thin due to the departure of players to Organized Baseball. The rosters of the Black Barons and Grays had not yet been directly affected, and in spite of the diminishing attention to the Negro Leagues, the teams soldiered on.

Final standings for the first half of the split season in the Negro National League showed that the Baltimore Elite Giants were the champions of the first half of the season with a record of 26-12 that allowed them to squeak past the Grays, who had a record of 25-12. The Homestead Grays were the champions of the second half of the season with a record of 16-7, with the Elite Giants coming in second at 19-13. For the Negro American League, the Birmingham Black Barons earned the first-half championship with a record of 38-14 (a .731 winning percentage), besting the Cleveland Buckeyes, who had a record of 31-21 (.596). In the second half of the season, the Kansas City Monarchs were named as champions with a record of 19-7 (.731), better than the Black Barons record of 17-7 (.708). Following the contentious Negro National League playoffs, won by forfeit by the Grays, and the highly competitive Negro American League playoffs, won in seven tough games by the Black Barons, the Grays faced off against the Black Barons in the World Series.

This incarnation of an annual Negro League World Series, played between the Negro National League and Negro American League champions, had been initiated in 1942. The Homestead Grays appeared in the World Series every season from 1942 to 1945 and defeated Birmingham to win their two titles in 1943 and 1944. They missed the Series in 1946 and 1947 but now returned in 1948 to face the Black Barons once more in a best-of-seven series to decide the champion of the Negro Leagues for 1948.

Although the entirety of the 1948 Negro League World Series was played in the weeks before the major-league World Series, the press coverage of the games was largely overshadowed by the impending major-league World Series, which featured the Cleveland Indians, starring former Negro Leaguers Larry Doby and Satchel Paige, and the Boston Braves. The African-American press – including the Pittsburgh Courier, the Chicago Defender, and the Baltimore Afro American – did cover the games and run stories for the Negro League World Series, but the papers failed to provide box scores and paid minimal attention to the games. For example, the front page of the October 9 issue of the Afro American featured a preview of the major-league World Series written by Sam Lacy.1 Also, a great deal of press coverage was given to the performances of Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella with the Brooklyn Dodgers, as well as Don Newcombe in the Dodgers’ minor-league system. In fact, the October 9 Afro American featured pictures of Newcombe, Sam Jethroe, and Dan Bankhead in anticipation of the Little World Series to be played between the Triple-A Montreal Royals and the St. Paul Saints, both minor-league teams in the Dodgers system.2 Meanwhile, the game story for Game Four of the Negro League World Series was relegated to the lower half of that page and lacked even a line score. Despite the lack of coverage in the press, the Negro League World Series was an exciting, well-played set of games that featured a number of great players, including future Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Buck Leonard.

Game One: September 26, 1948
Homestead Grays 3, Birmingham Black Barons 2
Blues Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Game One of the World Series was played at Blues Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on the afternoon of Sunday, September 26. The Grays played as the home team in the game, in which pitchers Jimmie Newberry of the Black Barons and Ted Alexander of the Grays faced off against each other. It was reported that the third baseman for the Grays in this game and Game Two was Dave Pope, but this was likely a reporting error, as Dave Pope had not played for the Grays since 1946 and definitely played in the Provincial League in Canada in 1948. It is likely that Dave Pope’s brother, Willie, or perhaps another player was misidentified as Dave Pope. (The player will be referred to in this account as “the third baseman.”)

The Black Barons scored the first run of the game in the second inning. Right fielder Ed Steele walked, advanced to third on left fielder Jim Zapp’s single to right field, and scored on first baseman Joe Scott’s fly ball to center field. The Grays answered in the bottom of the inning with three runs. Power-hitting center fielder Bob Thurman led off with a single and catcher Eudie Napier walked. The Grays’ third baseman then blasted a triple to right field, scoring Thurman and Napier. Newberry struck out the next two batters, but Grays leadoff hitter Luis Marquez singled to center to score the third baseman. Both pitchers then took control of the game, scattering hits but not allowing any runs for the next five innings. In the top of the eighth, Willie Mays reached first base on a fielder’s choice. He advanced to third on a single to right field by Pepper Bassett and scored on a triple by Black Barons player-manager Piper Davis; Bassett was cut down at the plate on the play. The Grays went on to win, 3-2.

Both Newberry and Alexander threw complete games. Despite taking the loss, Newberry pitched well, striking out six, walking just one, and giving up six hits. Alexander struck out four, walked three, and gave up eight hits in gaining the win. It was reported that a crowd of 5,370 attended the game, which was played in 2 hours and 5 minutes. It is curious, and in retrospect disappointing, that this game was the only one in the series documented by a box score.3

Black Barons: Newberry 9 IP; Grays: Alexander 9 IP.

Game Two: September 29, 1948
Homestead Grays 5, Birmingham Black Barons 3
Rickwood Field, Birmingham, AL

The second game of the series was played at Birmingham’s Rickwood Field on the night of Wednesday, September 29. Grays hurler Bob Thurman faced off against the Black Barons’ Bill Powell. The Black Barons scored first, plating two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Piper Davis singled and advanced to second on an error. Ed Steele then reached on a walk, and the bases were loaded after Jim Zapp singled. First baseman Jim Scott followed with a two-run double, scoring Davis and Steele, before Thurman was able to get out of the inning without further damage. In the fifth inning the Grays exploded for five runs. Luis Marquez led off with a single and moved to third on a double by Luke Easter. Next up was Grays slugging first baseman Buck Leonard. The Black Barons apparently chose to pitch around Leonard whenever possible throughout the series, and he was intentionally walked, loading the bases. Wilmer Fields hit into a fielder’s choice, erasing Leonard but scoring Marquez. Napier doubled and Easter and Fields scored. The Grays’ third baseman followed with a homer over the right-field fence, scoring Napier ahead of him. Newberry was brought in to relieve Powell and closed out the inning, but the damage was already done. In the ninth inning the Black Barons scored one run, but it was not enough to match the Grays, who won, 5-3, putting them up two games to none. It was reported that 4,159 fans were in attendance at the game.4

Grays: Thurman 9 IP; Black Barons: Powell 5⅓ IP, Newberry 3⅔ IP.

Game Three: September 30, 1948
Birmingham Black Barons 4, Homestead Grays 3
Rickwood Field, Birmingham, AL

Game Three of the series was played the following night, Thursday, September 30, at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Pitcher Tom Parker started for the Grays against Alonzo Perry of the Black Barons. The Black Barons scored first with a run in the bottom of the third. In the top of the fourth inning, Grays slugger Luke Easter smashed a long home run to tie the game. In the bottom of the inning Parker pulled a muscle and was relieved by R.T. Walker. Walker pitched well until he surrendered two runs in the sixth that gave the Black Barons a 3-1 lead. Walker was relieved by Ted Alexander in the seventh. Meanwhile, Perry put up a strong performance for the Black Barons until he gave up two runs in the eighth inning that tied the game, 3-3. Perry was relieved by Bill Greason, who held the Grays in check in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Greason singled with one out. Artie Wilson flied out and third baseman John Britton walked, bringing up 17-year-old Willie Mays. With two out and two men on base, Mays promptly drove a ball up the middle, reportedly through the pitcher Alexander’s legs, to score Greason with the game-winning run. The Black Barons were back in the Series, albeit they were still down two games to one.5

Grays: Parker 3 IP, Walker 3 IP, Alexander 3 IP; Black Barons: Perry 7 IP, Greason 2 IP.

Game Four: October 3, 1948
Homestead Grays 14, Birmingham Black Barons 1
Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, LA

The Series shifted to New Orleans for Game Four. This game had originally been slated to be played at Rickwood Field, but it was bumped by the Dixie Series, which pitted the Southern Association champion Birmingham Barons against the Texas League champion Fort Worth Cats. Having been displaced by this Double-A championship tilt, the Negro League World Series moved to New Orleans and was played at Pelican Stadium on the afternoon of Sunday, October 3. The Birmingham News reported that Black Barons president Tom Hayes and a large contingent of fans traveled with the team from Birmingham to New Orleans on the day before the game in order to be there to root for their team.

Unfortunately for the Black Barons and their fans, the Grays’ offense exploded for their best game in the Series. Wilmer Fields was Homestead’s starting pitcher, and Bill Greason took the mound for Birmingham. Greason did not last long; he was one of four pitchers to appear for the Black Barons that day. He was joined by Jehosie Heard, Jimmie Newberry, and Nat Pollard in trying to hold back the Grays. The Grays scored four runs in the second inning, five in the fourth, three in the fifth, and two in the eighth. Four of the five runs scored in the fourth inning were accounted for by a grand slam by the Grays’ slugging left fielder, Luke Easter, his second home run of the Series. Fields gave a strong performance to get the win, allowing just one run on seven hits. The Grays scored their 14 runs on 19 hits. By winning the game, they went up three games to one in the best-of-seven Series.6

Black Barons: Greason, Heard, Newberry, Pollard; Grays: Fields 9 IP

Game Five: October 5, 1948
Homestead Grays 10, Birmingham Black Barons 6
Rickwood Field, Birmingham, AL

The series returned to Birmingham’s Rickwood Field for Game Five on the night of Tuesday, October 5. R.T. Walker got the start for the Grays and Bill Powell started for the Black Barons. The game was a slugfest, with both teams holding leads twice through the first eight innings. Greason, appearing in his third straight game, relieved Powell in the sixth inning. Going into the ninth trailing 6-5, the Grays scored a run on doubles by Marquez and Easter to tie the game. Then, in the 10th, the Grays scored four runs on three walks, two singles, and a double. The Black Barons eventually brought in Sam Williams to relieve Greason, but the damage was done. The Grays brought in Fields, who had pitched a complete game only two days earlier, to pitch the 10th. Fields closed out the game, giving the Grays the win and the Series championship.7

Grays: Walker 9 IP, Fields 1 IP; Black Barons: Powell 5 IP, Greason 3 IP, Williams 1 IP.

After the 1948 Season

The 1948 season was in many ways the last great season for the Negro Leagues. After the season the Negro National League disbanded, with a few teams, including the New York Cubans and Baltimore Elite Giants, merging into the Negro American League Eastern Division. Other teams, including the Grays, continued to barnstorm. Several of the Grays signed major-league contracts; of those, Luke Easter, Luis Marquez, and Bob Thurman went on to play in the majors. In 1949 the Grays defeated the Richmond Giants in the Negro American Association Championship Series, and they hung around through the 1950 season before they disbanded.8 The Black Barons continued to play in the Negro American League through 1954; however, they also saw an exodus of their players to the major leagues, including Artie Wilson and Bill Greason. The youngest player to appear in the 1948 Negro League World Series, Willie Mays, of course signed with the New York Giants and went on to become one of the greatest players in the history of professional baseball.

Sources

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

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

Fields, Wilmer. My Life in the Negro Leagues (McLean, Virginia: Miniver Press, 2013).

Klima, John. Willie’s Boys (Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 2009).

Leonard, Buck, with James A. Riley. Buck Leonard: The Black Lou Gehrig (New York: Carroll and Graf, 1995).

Notes

3 For Game One the following references were used: “Grays Score Win in World Series,” Afro American, October 2, 1948: 9; “National League Champions Clinch Game in Second With 3-Run Rally,” Kansas City Call, October 1, 1948: n.p.

4 For Game Two the following references were used: “Grays Shade Black Barons By 5-3 Score,” Birmingham Age-Herald, September 30, 1948: n.p.; “Black Barons Seek Initial Win Tonight,” Birmingham News, September 30, 1948: n.p.

5 For Game Three the following references were used: “Black Barons Nip Grays, 4-3, for First Series Win,” Birmingham Age-Herald, October 1, 1948: n.p.; “Black Barons Nip Grays, 4-3,” Birmingham News, October 1, 1948: n.p.

6 For Game Four the following references were used: “Black Barons, Grays Tangle in N.O. Today,” Birmingham News, October 3, 1948: n.p.; “Grays Hold 3-1 Lead in Series,” Afro American, October 9, 1948: 8; “Grays Rout Birmingham in Series,” Pittsburgh Courier, October 9, 1948: 12; “Homestead Grays Swamp Black Barons, 14-1,” Chicago Defender, October 9, 1948: 10.

7 For Game Five the following references were used: “Black Barons Take On Grays,” Birmingham News, October 5, 1948: n.p.; “Grays Nip Black Barons, Win Series,” Birmingham Age-Herald, October 6, 1948: n.p.; “Grays Blast Black Barons,” Birmingham News, n.p.; “Grays Win, 10-6 in World Series,” Afro American, October 16, 1948: 8.

8 “Grays, Giants Clash Monday,” Washington Post, September 3, 1949: 10.