1931 Homestead Grays season timeline

In 1930, first- and second-half NNL champions St. Louis and Detroit had their own championship series in the Midwest which St. Louis won. Although there was no official Colored World Series for the best teams in the East and Midwest as there had been from 1924 to 1927, Homestead did venture to Missouri in late August/early September to take on the Stars in an exhibition series. The Stars easily handled Homestead, taking four of the five games on their home field, avenging their two losses against the Grays in May, also in St. Louis.2

The lack of its own formal league in the East did not keep the premier teams from fashioning their own postseason championship series. In mid-September, the Chicago Defender noted, “after weeks of negotiations a series of ten games has been arranged between the Lincoln Giants of New York and Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh for the 1930 baseball championship of the East.”3 The series included doubleheaders in both Pittsburgh and New York along with a pair of single games in Philadelphia. After the dust settled, the Grays took the series, six games to four.4 W. Rollo Wilson of the Courier suggested, “In addition to being the more powerful team, the Grays outsmarted the Lincolns.”5 In early November, in a guest column in the Courier, Grays owner/manager Cumberland Posey chose his 1930 All-Star team and modestly selected only Judy Johnson and Vic Harris from his Grays as first-teamers.6 But the foundation for an equally good squad for 1931 was there, with Johnson, Harris, Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Bill Evans, Jake Stephens, Lefty Williams, and Smokey Joe Williams forming the core of a team that would be further strengthened by Posey’s offseason acquisitions.

Rube Foster’s death on December 9, 1930, cast a pall over Black baseball and “was a sad loss to the game,” wrote W. Rollo Wilson in the Pittsburgh Courier.7 Irreplaceable as he was, and with the indelible mark his Philadelphia and Chicago teams made on the game, the mantle now shifted to the likes of Cumberland Posey to fill the void. On the heels of a successful 1930, Posey was up for the challenge.

The Pittsburgh papers began following the Grays’ prospects as soon as the calendar flipped. Wrote the Courier, “The 1931 edition of the Homestead Grays will probably train at Hot Springs, Ark., again for the coming diamond campaign, according to a report coming from the Grays owners Tuesday. The fine results obtained last spring by Grays players at the nationally known conditioning ground and the demands of the times were given as the reasons which would prompt the return of the Grays there this year.” The article went on to “light the hot stove” league, noting that “Although the 1930 team was rated by experts as the greatest aggregation in Grays history, the management is making plans to add additional strength to the club. At least one or two new pitchers will probably be added, it was intimated.”8

 

 

First things first had the club re-signing key players from the year before. Lefty Williams, Vic Harris, and George Scales “will play again with the Homestead Grays during the 1931 season” wrote the Courier.9 A week later, Judy Johnson, Oscar Charleston, Jake Stephens, and Smokey Joe Williams were in the fold, with a late breaking “bulletin that Josh Gibson and “two new pitchers, whose names will be released soon have [also] signed with the Grays.”10 Judy Johnson, “last year’s captain and third baseman” predicted “a good season for the local club.”11 The Courier sports pages echoed Johnson’s sentiments, predicting “with last season’s infield practically intact, and a couple of changes probable in the outfield and one or two new pitchers, the team should be…possibly stronger than the 1930 outfit.”12

With the club beginning to take shape, the team left for Hot Springs on March 23. The Courier noted that Homestead “will take over the camp which is being used now by the Milwaukee club of the American Association.”13 In the same edition of the paper, a bombshell dropped. Judy Johnson “signed a Hilldale contract for the coming season and has been appointed manager of Clan Darbie [Hilldale] side by President John Drew, the new owner of the famous and ancient ‘Hilldale Corporation.’”14 Johnson reportedly wanted to be closer to his home in Delaware where he could maintain his “good, all-year round job” and play again for the team he starred for in the 1920s. However, Cum Posey did not miss a beat, and having anticipated Johnson’s move, signed Jud Wilson, third sacker previously with the Baltimore Black Sox. “Wilson will prove to be one of the most valuable of the stellar Charleston-Scales-Stephens-Wilson Gray infield.”15 Then, in what would become one of Posey’s better moves for the 1931 season, the Grays signed Ted Page to patrol the outfield. A .300 hitter for the Brooklyn Royal Giants the year before, Page’s bat would complement the already ruthless lineup now in place. A rumor that infielder Jake Stephens would follow Judy Johnson back to Hilldale was quashed, and Stevens remained on the Grays roster, albeit in a limited role due to health issues.16

And still Posey was not done. On the cusp of leaving for Hot Springs, the Courier wrote that “The latest additions to the club, as announced by club management Monday, were Roy Williams, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Crawfords [and Memphis Red Sox] last season; [Ted] Radcliffe, who was swapped in a trade [with the St. Louis Stars] for Buck Ewing; and Evans, last year’s outer gardener, who is now definitely set.”17 With the ascent of Josh Gibson, still only 19 years old, veteran catcher Buck Ewing had become expendable. And with Ted Radcliffe’s durability as both a pitcher and a receiver, Gibson would have a more than adequate backup behind the plate. The trade did not appeal to Ewing and, rather than report to St. Louis, “[Ewing] chose to return to Schenectady and Bozzi’s Mohawk Giants [where he had played in the 1920. Afterwards] He never left his adopted town where he eventually died as a respected citizen.”18

By the end of March, the squad was nearly complete. “Gibson, catcher; [George] Britt [another holdover from 1930], Joe Williams, Lefty Williams, Radcliffe, and Roy Williams, pitchers; Charleston, 1st; Scales, 2nd; Wilson, 3rd, Evans, short; Reed, leftfield, Harris, centerfield, Page, rightfield; Mitchell, utility infielder.”19 Reed [sic] was Ambrose Reid who had played for Hilldale the year before and was a capable, albeit light-hitting outfielder. And references were made to [Clyde] “Mitchell, a utility infielder, who had been signed.” The Courier lauded the team’s coming together in its Hot Springs venue, noting that “The Grays are rapidly putting on the finishing touches for what promises to be one of the best seasons in their history.”20 Little did it know.

One more signing would take place in May to round out the Grays’ pitching staff. In its May 16 paper, the Courier reported that “Willie Foster…one of the greatest pitchers in the game today, will join the Homestead Grays…He was with the Chicago [American Giants] team last year. Since Chicago is not a member of the Negro National League this year, it was found by the local club that Foster was available, and he was immediately signed by the Homesteaders.”21

With Opening Day in Pittsburgh scheduled for April 18, the Grays drew their training to a close and put the finishing touches to the team. The previously mentioned Mitchell returned home to West Virginia. “Jasper ‘Jap’ Washington worked out with the club and started the season with Homestead, but there was no room for him in the lineup and he ended up playing for the Pittsburgh Crawford Giants that year.22 Tex Burnett, veteran catcher, made the Grays’ April team photo, but did not stick with the squad. The Grays were happy with Gibson and Radcliffe as their catchers and knew that pitcher George Britt could catch in a pinch when needed. One other change in the lineup occurred in July when the Grays permitted the Crawfords to sign Ambrose Reid. A July 25 Courier article acknowledged “Reed (sic), formerly with the Grays…is a wonderful improvement at third base, besides lending additional offensive strength.”23 To replace him, Homestead signed veteran Johnny Jones, previously of the Detroit Stars, to play center field.

In March, Cum Posey authored a column in the Courier that set out the challenge that Black baseball faced during the Depression. It underscored his disciplined approach to running a sports franchise, taking on the challenges of scheduling, player salaries, expenses, conduct of the game, the role of the press, and the actions of players on and off the field. He was convinced, even in the face of the financial depression, that sports could flourish. His role in leading the Homestead franchise proved his point. The 1931 Grays would be the exemplar and sow the seeds for nearly two decades of dominance.24

Students of Negro League history are beholden to Phil S. Dixon for his research on the 1931 Grays. His book, Great Teams: The 1931 Homestead Grays, charts Homestead’s season and has helped guide this timeline.25

As the Grays season unfolded, the Grays story would be told from two angles, both offering a window on the team’s challenges and accomplishments. The Pittsburgh Courier, the city’s African American weekly newspaper was clearly the heart and soul of the community and its baseball teams, not only the Grays but the Crawfords, too, who were on the ascent. However, if the Courier was that soul, then the Pittsburgh dailies—the Pittsburgh Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph—were the backbone of the Black teams. Their daily publications afforded them the column inches to be able to incorporate box scores of nearly all the Grays’ games, not just the big matchups against other Black teams that the Courier was often limited to. It is because of these three newspapers that nearly all the box scores for the Grays’ 160-game season are available.

St. Louis, Missouri is about 400 miles northeast of Hot Springs and on the road back to Pittsburgh for the Grays. The team’s season began in St. Louis and there they played a three-game series against the 1930 Negro National League champion St. Louis Stars. Because the Stars defeated the Grays late in the 1930 season, this was a grudge match for Homestead. The two teams played three games at Stars Park at the corner of Market Street and Compton Avenue: April 11, 12, and 13.26 And so Homestead’s season began, a season of plenty of miles, lots of road trips, and 160 games against all comers. One of the greatest baseball seasons ever was off and running.

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April

Saturday, April 11: Homestead Grays 6, St. Louis Stars 3, at Stars Park, St. Louis, Missouri

George Britt kicked off the Grays season with a complete game, five-strikeout, five-hit game against the Stars. The Stars fielded a solid lineup with Willie Wells, Cool Papa Bell, Mule Suttles, Quincy Trouppe, and Dewey Creacy on display. Gibson had four hits and Jud Wilson hit a homer for the victors.27

Sunday, April 12: Homestead Grays 15, St. Louis Stars 9, at Stars Park, St. Louis, Missouri

Game two against the Stars featured three Grays pitchers—Smokey Joe Williams, Ted Radcliffe, and Lefty Williams—who benefited from the Grays’ scoring spree to surmount their having given up nine runs. “Repeating their slugging performance of Saturday’s game, the Grays bombarded Joe Strong and Bert Hunter, the Stars’ hurlers, for a total of fifteen hits.”28 Evans, Charleston, Burnett, and Washington doubled for Homestead; Charleston, Wilson, and Scales homered. The Grays tied up the game with two runs in the ninth and then scored six in the 10th for the win.29

Monday, April 13: Homestead Grays 8, St. Louis Stars 1, at Stars Park, St. Louis, Missouri

The Grays easily handled the Stars, sweeping the three-game series on Monday. “Behind four-hit pitching by their 54-year-old marvel [Smokey Joe Williams, who was actually 45], the Homestead Grays defeated the St. Louis Stars, 8-1.…Besides not allowing the Stars a hit until the eighth inning, “Smokey” Joe Williams, the dean of moundsmen, slammed out a homer and a single in four trips to the plate.”30 The Grays’ 10 hits included a pair of doubles by Ted Page, a pair of home runs from Reid and one from Wilson, in addition to Williams’ round tripper. The 19-year-old Gibson collected seven hits in the three-game series.31

 

 

Tuesday, April 14: travel day

Wednesday, April 15: Homestead Grays 7, Dayton Marcos 5, at Westwood Park, Dayton, Ohio

The Piqua Call Daily (Piqua, Ohio) proudly announced “Baseball fans of this section will be offered two fine twilight attractions on Wednesday and Thursday evenings this week at the Westwood Park in Dayton. Wednesday night the Marcos of Dayton will oppose the fast Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh while on Thursday evening the Kesslers will clash with the Homestead nine.”32 The drive to Dayton by the Grays on their Tuesday April 14 off-day was about 400 miles from St. Louis on the roads of the day. The Marcos, an inaugural member of the Negro National League, now played an independent schedule. No box score for this game has yet been found, but the Pittsburgh Press recorded a 7-5 Grays victory, reporting that “Although the Grays were outhit the winners managed to bunch their blows to best advantage. Page and Wilson lead the Grays’ attack.”33

Thursday, April 16: Homestead Grays 7, Kessler Athletic Club 4, at Westwood Park, Dayton, Ohio

The local paper was proud of semipro Kessler A.C., who “looked impressive as they lost to the Homestead Grays last night…Errors permitted most of the runs in the 7 to 4 defeat.”34

Friday, April 17: Homestead Grays v. Wilberforce College, at Wilberforce, Ohio

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported that “After completing the series with the Stars, the Grays will leave for Wilberforce, Ohio where they are scheduled next Thursday.35 No record of this game against the Black college has yet been found.

Saturday, April 18: Homestead Grays 24, Pennsylvania Railroad of Cleveland 3, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

The Grays traveled another 250 miles or so from Dayton to Pittsburgh, completing their 1,000+ mile journey from Hot Springs to play their official opener at Forbes Field. The Courier previewed the game, noting that the Grays “are reported by Manager Posey to be in the proverbial “pink” for their home inaugural at Forbes Field, on Saturday, April 18, with the Cleveland P.R.R. club forming the opposition.”36 The Grays lived up to the preseason hype, and “auspiciously pried off the lid. of the local baseball season Saturday by garnering 25 hits to defeat the Cleveland P.R.R. team by a score of 24-3.”37 Conflicting box scores from the Pittsburgh papers differed on the hit total, but the Courier showed 25 for Homestead, including eight doubles and two triples. Only Washington failed to get a hit. Radcliffe and Roy Williams scattered 10 Cleveland safeties.38

 

 

Sunday, April 19: Homestead Grays 5, Cumberland Colts 0, at Community Park, Cumberland, Maryland

Homestead headed around 110 miles southeast to Cumberland to play the Middle Atlantic C League Cumberland Colts. This was the first of several C League teams in White-organized baseball that the Grays would play during the season. The locals looked forward to the two contests scheduled between the Colts and the Grays. “The fans of this district will see the greatest aggregation of diamond performers that have worn the uniforms of the ebony-hued teams.”39 A little civic pride showed in the Cumberland Evening Times after the first match-up. “Visitors Make All Runs in Eighth Chukker At Expense of ‘Second’ Team; Varsity Holds Own with Visiting Clan” the headlines read. Whatever the storyline, the box score showed Lefty Williams shutting out Cumberland on three hits and three strikeouts. The Grays made the most of their seven hits, with Jud Wilson driving in three with a triple in the eighth.40

Monday, April 20: Homestead Grays 11, Cumberland Colts 0, at Community Park, Cumberland, Maryland

It was Smokey Joe Williams’ turn to throw an 11-0 shutout against the Colts in the second game of the series. With 11 strikeouts and only four hits, Smokey Joe bested Lefty’s performance from the day before and benefited from a 14-hit attack led by Page’s three hits, a homer by Gibson, and six doubles shared by four Homesteaders.41

Tuesday, April 21: Hagerstown Hubs 5, Homestead Grays 4, at Municipal Stadium, Hagerstown, Maryland

Off to Hagerstown 70 miles east for a game against another Middle Atlantic League competitor, where the Grays lost their first game of the season, 5-4. Homestead was up 4-3 in the middle of the seventh but could not hold on for the victory. After relieving Roy Williams, Radcliffe gave up the tying and game-winning Hagerstown tallies in the seventh and eighth and was tagged with the loss. The box score showed no extra-base hits among the 11 hits that Grays procured.42

Wednesday, April 22: no game scheduled

Thursday, April 23: no game scheduled

Friday, April 24: no game scheduled

Saturday, April 25: Homestead Grays 15, Viscose Spinners 1, at South Side Park, Parkersburg, West Virginia

After their loss in Hagerstown, Homestead backtracked 250 miles west to Parkersburg, West Virginia to play the local semipro team, the Viscose Spinners sponsored by the American Viscose Company based there. Lefty Williams dealt a four-hitter, and the Grays piled on three Viscose pitchers for 15 runs and 15 hits in a 15-1 shellacking. Gibson had two triples and a double. Jud Wilson had three hits and Lefty helped himself with three more.43

Sunday, April 26: Homestead Grays v. Sunsets of Marlboro, at Sunset Park, Alliance, Ohio

The Salem News reported that “The strong Sunset Park team of Marlboro battles the Homestead Grays at Sunset Park at 3:00 pm Sunday.”44 No record of the game being played has yet been found.

Monday, April 27: no game scheduled

Tuesday, April 28: Bloomington Bloomers 11, Homestead Grays 10, at Fans Field, Bloomington, Illinois

Traveling from Parkersburg via Alliance to Bloomington, Illinois (nearly 650 miles), the Grays played a two-game series against the Bloomington Bloomers.”45 The Bloomers, actually known as the Cubs around this time, alluding to their affiliation with the Chicago Cubs, were in the B-level Illinois-Indiana-Iowa (Three I) League. Smokey Joe Williams led the Grays to a 9-3 lead in the middle of the sixth. Unfortunately for Homestead, the Bloomers scored a touchdown and made the extra point in the bottom of the sixth to take a one run lead, 10-9. The Grays tied it up on the seventh on a double by Williams who tried to redeem himself. But the hometown team won in the bottom of the ninth on a sacrifice fly. Wilson and Evans homered in a losing cause. The Pantagraph wrote “it was the climax to the best exhibition game of the season and sent home 200 loyal Bloomer fans happy.”46

Wednesday, April 29: Homestead Grays 9, Bloomington Bloomers 2, at Fans Field, Bloomington, Illinois

The second time was the charm for Homestead as Radcliffe scattered 10 Bloomington hits and led the hitting attack with three hits, two in the top of the fifth, one to start the seven-run inning and a second to score Gibson for the seventh run. Page homered for the Grays in the 9-3 win.47

Thursday, April 30: Homestead Grays v. North Side Civics, at Salt Works Field, Pittsburgh

The Grays realized they could not make it back in time from Bloomington to play the game on the North Side of Pittsburgh the following day, so the game was rescheduled.48

This spoke to the challenge of scheduling games during the season. Posey and his associates worked hard to fill out the calendar, mindful of the challenge of travel time between venues. Much of the scheduling had to be fluid, if not spur of the moment, exemplified by a notice the Grays no doubt requested be inserted into the April 30 Punxsutawney Spirit, a local paper in Punxsutawney in central Pennsylvania, miles from Pittsburgh. The announcement, coming at the end of an article about the Grays upcoming clashes in Jeannette, Charleroi, and Wheeling, stated “Clubs desiring to play the Grays for May 6, 7, and 8, call Homestead 0887.”49

At the end of the month, the Grays played 12 games, winning 10 and losing two.

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May

Friday, May 1: Homestead Grays 8, Jeannette Jays 7, at Jeannette, Pennsylvania

Returning to western Pennsylvania after their trip to Illinois, the Grays visited the Jeanette Jays about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh and left with a close-fought 8-7 win. Britt was ineffective for Homestead and was relieved by Lefty Williams who gave up two late runs to the Jays but otherwise held on to win. Gibson and Charleston doubled for the victors and Harris added a home run.50 The Jays were a Middle Atlantic “C” League team that relocated twice in 1931, first to Altoona and then Beaver Falls.

Saturday, May 2: Homestead Grays 11, Charleroi Governors 6, at Charleroi Baseball Park, Charleroi, Pennsylvania

The Grays drove 30 miles southwest to Charleroi for their next game. Playing another Middle Atlantic team, Roy Williams gave up six runs in the first two innings and was relieved by Ted Radcliffe who held the Governors scoreless the rest of the way in a rain-shortened six-inning contest. The Grays runs came in bunches, helped by homers from Charleston (2), Page, and Wilson.51

Sunday, May 3: Homestead Grays 14, Wheeling Stogies, 4, at Fulton Park, Wheeling, West Virginia

Playing their third Middle Atlantic League opponent in three days, the Grays returned to West Virginia to face the Wheeling Stogies. “The Grays counted 14 of their runs in the first three innings off [Carl] Sibson, who had poor support afield.”52 Oscar Charleston was the hitting star for the Grays with four hits, a triple shy of the cycle. Lefty Williams cruised through the first six innings and held the Stogies to four runs on five hits.

Monday, May 4: Homestead Grays 22, Wheeling Stogies, 0, at Fulton Park, Wheeling, West Virginia

Smokey Joe Williams had 21 more runs than he needed as Homestead crushed Wheeling in the second game of their set, 22-0. Harris and Page hit homers, and Harris added a triple to his four total hits. Scales had five base hits and every Gray had at least a pair of base knocks.53

Tuesday, May 5: Homestead Grays 10, Charleroi Governors 3, at Charleroi Baseball Park, Charleroi, Pennsylvania

Three days later, the Grays found themselves back in Charleroi, easily handling the Governors again, this time by a 10-3 margin. George Britt had Charleroi’s measure, allowing only single runs in the second, sixth, and ninth. Wilson and Gibson each had four hits for the victors with the latter a homer shy of the cycle. Wilson and Page hit four sackers. The Grays hit four triples; Gibson had two and Charleston and Wilson one each.54

Wednesday, May 6: Homestead Grays 22, Swissvale 5, at Swissvale, Pennsylvania

Homestead was now ensconced for several weeks in what the locals call the Tri-State area—Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Their treks to opposing team venues were manageable. Wheeling to Charleroi was about 60 miles east. Swissvale in the eastern fringes of greater Pittsburgh about 30 miles north of Charleroi. For all intents and purposes, the game at semipro Swissvale was a cake walk, 22-5. Roy Williams had a comfortable lead from the outset, 17-1 after three innings. The Grays hit 11 doubles of their 28 hits. Jud Wilson had a half dozen hits on his own.55

Thursday, May 7: no game scheduled

Friday, May 8: Homestead Grays 13, Verona Community 1, at Verona, Pennsylvania

The 13-1 win at Verona might have been called Josh Gibson Day. He hit two singles, a double, and a homer while catching the one-run, six-hit, six-strikeout victory by Lefty Williams.56 Verona Community, a local semipro team 10 or 12 miles up the Allegheny River east of Pittsburgh, was happy to host the strong Pittsburgh squad.

Saturday, May 9: Homestead Grays 5, Homewood 1, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

Homewood was the reigning Pittsburgh City League champion and Carl Stewart was its spitball ace. It was 1-1 after six innings in a duel between Stewart and Britt, but the former gave way in the bottom of the seventh when the Grays broke through for four runs. Gibson and Harris both had triples and two hits apiece.57 The game took place at Forbes Field after the Pirates-Cardinals afternoon National League matchup.58 The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Stewart “blew up in hit game against the Homestead Grays when the umpire ruled against Homewood on a play at first base.”59 The teams did not like each other.

Sunday, May 10: Homestead Grays 25, East Side Civics 2, at Idora Park, Youngstown, Ohio

In the old days, the road to Youngstown from Pittsburgh was probably 80 miles or so, a couple of hours’ drive. The 25 runs the Grays scored against the Semipro Civics were the most so far for the Grays during the season. Reid, Gibson, and Charleston had four hits each in the blowout. Smokey Joe Williams took the win.60

Monday, May 11: Homestead Grays v. Five Points

No box score has been found for this game. Given the inclement weather at the time, the game was likely rained out.

Tuesday, May 12: Homestead Grays v. Northside Buicks, at Wilson Avenue Grounds, Pittsburgh

The Post-Gazette previewed the next two games for the Grays; Tuesday versus the Northside Buicks and Wednesday at West Field in Homestead versus the Homestead aces. Both games were rained out.61

Wednesday, May 13: Homestead Grays v. Homestead Aces, at West Field, Homestead

The game was rained out.

Thursday, May 14: Homestead Grays 5, Northside Buicks 2, at Wilson Avenue Grounds, Pittsburgh

Their earlier meeting was rained out, and perhaps the Buicks might have hoped this one would be as well. They lost 5-2 to the Grays. It was 1-1 going into the sixth when the Grays scored four. Charleston and Scales had four hits apiece, Gibson three. Roy Williams garnered the complete-game victory.62

Friday, May 15: Homestead Grays 7, Dormont 1, at Dormont High School Field, Pittsburgh

Another one of Pittsburgh’s City League teams, Dormont recruited former big leaguer Bill Doak to pitch. Doak was a spitballer, but his tossing’s did not thwart the Grays. Propelled by Radcliffe’s eight-hit, one-run performance and Homestead’s hitting led by Wilson, Charleston, Scales, and Red produced more than enough to win 7-1.63

The Cuban House of David, not to be confused with the House of David team based in Benton Harbor, Michigan led by Grover Cleveland Alexander, came to Pittsburgh to take on the Grays in a three-game series. Sharing the hirsute characteristics of their American counterparts, promoter Syd Pollock established a Cuban version based in Santiago and recruited mostly Hispanic and Black players. Game one saw Homestead unveil their new star, Willie Foster, who scattered six hits and limited the Cubans to three runs. The Grays scored single tallies in the first, second, third, and fifth but were otherwise contained by their opponents in a low-scoring affair.64

Saturday, May 16: Homestead Grays 9, Cuban House of David 3, game two of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

In the nightcap, the Cubans led Homestead 3-0 into the sixth inning when the Grays tied it up on hits from Page, Charleston, Wilson, and Scales. The floodgates opened thereafter with Homestead plating four runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to win 9-3 behind Lefty Williams.65 A look at the Grays lineup in both games underscored the ironman consistency of the Grays sluggers in the first weeks of the season: Harris, Page, Charleston, Wilson, Scales, Reid, Gibson, and either Evans or Stevens, followed by the pitcher.

Sunday, May 17: Homestead Grays 12, Five Points 4, at Elks Park, Sharon, Pennsylvania

Sharon was about 70 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, across the border from Youngstown, Ohio. It was the place where Josh Gibson’s little-known actual debut happened on June 8, 1930, when he was recruited as a fill-in for the road weary Memphis Red Sox in a doubleheader against the Grays.66 Gibson (who had been playing for the Pittsburgh Crawford Giants) more famously began his career with the Grays six weeks on June 25 at Forbes Field in a night game against the Kansas City Monarchs when Posey and field manager Judy Johnson enticed him out of the stands to substitute for Buck Ewing who had been hurt on an errant pitch.

This time, the Grays were in Sharon to play the local semipro side Five Points. Knotted 3-3 after four innings and tied at four going into the top of the eighth, the Grays then proceeded to dispense with the proprieties and scored eight runs in the eighth, helped by three Five Points errors, to win 12-4. Smokey Joe Williams finished the game for the Grays after Britt pitched an effective seven innings.67

Offering a window on how the Grays traveled around the country to fulfill their grueling schedule, the Sharon Herald wrote “The Grays lost little time in heading back to Pittsburgh as a half hour after the game, one of the big touring cars carrying players passed us near West Middlesex.”68

Monday, May 18: Cuban House of David 3, Homestead Grays 2, at Charleroi Baseball Park, Charleroi, Pennsylvania

The Grays were actually headed to Charleroi again, to play the third and final game of the series against the Cuban House of David. This time, the Grays were on the short end of the stick, losing narrowly to Luis Tiant, Sr. The Grays’ two runs were the result of miscues by the opposition. Meanwhile, the Cubans’ seven hits off of Smokey Joe Williams were bunched sufficiently to produce three runs. The five hits Tiant allowed were spread evenly among five Homesteaders, including Wilson’s single that the Cubans misplayed into a home run.69 In their three-game series with the Cuban House of David, the Grays came out on top, two games to one.

Tuesday, May 19: no game scheduled

Wednesday, May 20: Homestead Grays v. Merchants, at Packard Park, Greenville, Pennsylvania

The Record-Argus, Greenville’s paper, happily advertised Homestead “will make their first appearance of the season here tomorrow night when they play the Merchants a benefit game for the Greenville playgrounds.”70 The following day, the Record-Argus had to report “Yesterday’s clash between the Merchants and the Homestead Grays was called off during the morning because of wet grounds. The Grays were notified by wire before they had left their Pittsburgh headquarters.”71 Having played in Charleroi, south of Pittsburgh, the conscientious hosts in Greenville saved the Grays from driving around 85 miles north of Pittsburgh to Greenville.

Thursday, May 21: Homestead Grays 15, Book Shoe Club 0, at Mt. Olympia Park, Mt. Washington, Pennsylvania

Not captured in Dixon’s book, the box score for this game has now been found in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Roy Williams tossed a five-hit shutout. Scales and Gibson homered, and the Grays collected five doubles among their 12 hits in their 15-0 victory.72

Friday, May 22: Homestead Grays v. Ingomar, at Ingomar Playground, Ingomar

The Post-Gazette advertised that the Grays would “journey to Ingomar [about 15 miles north of Pittsburgh] this evening for a game with the strong independent team of that place.”73 No result has yet been found, but it is likely that the game was rained out due to the inclement weather in Western Pennsylvania.

Saturday, May 23: Homestead Grays v. Dormont, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

A highly awaited twin bill against Pittsburgh City League standout Dormont was scheduled for Saturday. “This game holds plenty of interest, especially among the followers of the Dormont club as the Dormont pitchers will be Wilbur Cooper, former Pirate, and Bill Doak, formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Brooklyn Robins.”74

These games were not played because of the inclement weather. “The heavy overnight and all-day rain of yesterday cut heavily into the week-end sports schedules in the Pittsburgh district…all of the sandlot games [were wiped out], including a doubleheader between the Homestead Grays and Dormont at Forbes Field.”75

Sunday, May 24: Homestead Grays 18, Easter Brands, 8, game one of doubleheader, at Boli Stadium, Buffalo New York

Homestead escaped the wet weather of Western Pennsylvania and journeyed 200 miles plus to Buffalo for a series of games, beginning with a doubleheader with local semipro Easter Brands.

The Buffalo News lauded the play of “Page, local boy, playing his first season with the Grays. [Page] hit two doubles and two singles in six trips in the first game and larruped another single in twice at bat in the nightcap.” Wilson was another hero in the first game, a triple short of the cycle, but with two homers.76 Radcliffe pitched a complete game and was saved by his teammates thanks to their ability to outscore the Brands.

Sunday, May 24: Homestead Grays 12, Easter Brands, 1, game two of doubleheader, at Boli Stadium, Buffalo New York

No box score has yet been found for the second game, a five-inning, 12-1 win by the Grays.77

Monday, Mary 25: Homestead 8, Lewiston 0, at Niagara Falls, Lewiston, New York

The Post-Gazette reported in its May 25 edition that “the Grays play two games today. This afternoon they are scheduled at Niagara Falls and, in the evening, will go to St. Catherines, Ontario for a twilight game.”78 Later, the Buffalo News wrote only that the “Grays defeated Lewiston 8 to 0 Monday evening. Wilson featured the attack with three long drives.”79 Lefty Williams threw the shutout for the Grays, striking out five Lewiston batters in the process. Wilson and Gibson each had a pair of hits.80

Monday, Mary 25: Homestead v. St. Catherines, at Ontario, Canada

No result for this game has yet been found.

Tuesday, May 26: Homestead Grays 5, Eldredge 2, at THS Stadium, Tonawanda, New York

The Grays finished their New York road trip in Tonawanda, defeating Eldredge 5-2. Foster was on the hill for the Grays and limited the opposition to two runs. Wilson had a double and a triple.81

Wednesday, May 27: Homestead Grays 9, Dormont 5, at Dormont High School Field, Dormont, Pennsylvania

Back home after their road trip, Dormont kept things close through the first three innings, 1-1, thanks to the pitching of Bill Doak. However, the Grays proceeded to score in every inning afterwards in the seven-inning game, amassing nine runs to Dormont’s eventual five. Roy was the Williams on the mound for the Grays. Wilson, Harris, and Evans were responsible for six of the Grays’ nine runs.82

Thursday, May 28: Homestead Grays 18, Rasnick Majestics 4, at League Park, Akron, Ohio

In yet another superlative pitching performance, Smokey Joe Williams struck out 12 locals while his teammates collected 20 hits, six for extra bases including two doubles by Scales and a pair of triples by Gibson. Every Grays batsman had two more hits in the 18-4 slugfest, except for Williams himself who went hitless. He had better things to do.83

Friday, May 29: Homestead Grays 8, Cincinnati Tigers 0, at Parnassus, Pennsylvania

Parnassus, up the Allegheny River about 15 miles from downtown Pittsburgh hosted the first of three games against Dizzy Dismukes’ Cincinnati Tigers. Lefty Williams dominated, allowing only two hits while striking out six. Gibson was the star, a single short of the cycle with his three-run homer coming in the sixth inning. Wilson also homered in the 8-0 cakewalk.84

Saturday, May 30: Homestead Grays 10, Cincinnati Tigers 4, game one of doubleheader, at Edgar Thompson Field, Braddock, Pennsylvania

Game two in the three-game set was in Braddock a few miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh on the Monongahela River. It was the afternoon game of a doubleheader that would be concluded at Forbes Field. George Britt started and finished for the Grays. After four innings, the Grays were up 7-0. Five Grays had a pair of hits each.85

Saturday, May 30: Homestead Grays 13, Cincinnati Tigers 2, game two of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game two featured the dominance of Willie Foster and the aging stature of Dizzy Dismukes. Foster stuck out nine and gave up six hits. Dismukes “a decade ago an outstanding pitcher in Negro baseball”86 gave up five runs early and took himself out for McCracken, otherwise unidentified, who did not fare much better. Gibson and Foster doubled, Stevens tripled, and Charleston homered for the Grays.87 The three game set with the Tigers was in the books, Homestead 3, Cincinnati 0.

 

Sunday, May 31: Homestead Grays 22, Alliance 2, game one of doubleheader, at Alliance, Ohio

A little under 90 miles from Pittsburgh, Alliance, Ohio’s semi-pro team procured the services of former big leaguer Bill Doak who had previously pitched unsuccessfully for Dormont against the Grays. He fared even worse in Alliance, “The Homestead Grays hammered Bill Doak’s delivery for 25 hits here today to score an easy 22-2 victory.”88 Suffice it to say, every Gray had a hit; Charleston and Reid led the way with five each, both hitting homers, and Charleston with two. Radcliffe toed the rubber for Homestead.

Sunday, May 31: Homestead Grays 8, Cleveland Cubs 2, game two of doubleheader, at League Park, Akron, Ohio

Less than 40 miles away, the Grays made their way to Akron to play Negro League rival the Cleveland Cubs. A comparison of the lineups for games one and two in the twin bill shows that the team fielded the same eight position players—Page in right, Scales at second, Charleston at first, Wilson at third, Harris in center field, Gibson behind the plate, Reid in left, and Stevens at short. From time to time, Evans would spell Stevens. Once in a while, Radcliffe or Britt might catch. But this was the lineup, day in and day out, in the first part of the season.

With that same lineup, but this time with Smokey Joe Williams on the mound, the Grays finished the sweep convincingly, 8-2. Williams scattered seven Cubs hits and struck out 11. The bottom of the third did Cleveland in. Four hits and two walks produced six runs to eliminate any uncertainty regarding a Grays victory. Wrote the Akron Beacon Journal, “It was a chilly night, but the two teams played good ball and pleased a fairly large crowd.”89

At the end of May, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sports Editor Havey J. Boyle offered impression of the Homestead Grays.

A harder working group than the Homestead Grays would be hard to find in sports. Their schedule is always a backbreaker, yet every performance sees them full of pepper and eager to win. Consider this weekend of the Grays. They play four games in two days with three different clubs, on four different fields, in two different states. Braddock and Forbes Field will see them tomorrow afternoon and then tomorrow night they will play in Akron, and they’ll likely win all four games.90

Boyle was right. The Grays went undefeated in those four games. For the month, Homestead was a remarkable 26-1, with a cumulative season record of 36-3.

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June

Monday, June 1: Homewood 6, Homestead Grays 4, at Homewood Playgrounds, Homewood, Pennsylvania

Carl Stewart, Homewood’s spitball pitcher avenged his earlier loss to the Grays by tossing a nine-hit, complete-game victory. The Courier reported on the inability of Homestead pitching to keep Homewood in check. “Roy Williams started for the Grays, Britt followed Roy and finally Willie Foster was sent to the mound, the latter finally silencing Homewood’s big guns.”91

Tuesday, June 2: Homestead Grays 10, Reliance Life 4 at Langley Field, Sheraden (suburban Pittsburgh)

The Grays defeated West Penn Semi-Pro League member Reliance 10-4. Dixon’s research had not found a result to this game at the time of his book’s publication. A story in the Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph in its June 3 edition offers the following. “The Reliance Life nine dropped its second game in as many starts last evening when the Homestead Grays, recovering from their setback the evening before at the hands of Homewood, defeated the Lifers 10 to 4.”92

Wednesday, June 3: Homestead Grays 6, Butler All-Stars 6, at Butler, Pennsylvania

In a rare tie, Butler’s County League All-Stars deadlocked the Grays at 6 each after nine innings. Lefty Williams had only himself to blame, giving up five runs in the bottom of the eighth, blowing a 6-1 lead. A Butler triple cleared the bases in eighth to tie the score. The Grays had their standard lineup in place and produced 14 hits, but only six runs.93

Thursday, June 4: Altoona Works 5, Homestead Grays 4, at Cricket Field, Altoona, Pennsylvania

Altoona was a frequent venue for the Grays, what with two local teams they often played in the central Pennsylvania town. One was the semipro team of Altoona Works of the Pennsylvania Railroad, a massive facility in the city. Altoona took its baseball seriously. The local papers helped build up the rivalry and promoted the games that would be played in Altoona against Homestead during the summer. Noted the Altoona Tribune, “scheduling this club [the Grays] cost the local management to promise a large guarantee. And it is worth it as the brand of baseball dished out by the Homestead Grays is excelled only in the bigger leagues…The Posey gang will arrive at Altoona at noon Thursday and the Cricket Field gates will be thrown open promptly at 4:00 pm.”94

When it came to the game itself, 9,000 showed up to successfully cheer on the home team. Local star Herb Bolger pitched a four-hitter, giving up a pair of runs in the first and third to Homestead, quelling the Grays’ bats the rest of the way. A three-run seventh by the locals off Willie Foster, who had a rare off-day, sealed the 5-4 win for Altoona. It was a big deal for the city. “The margin of victory was small, but beating the Grays by any margin is a rare feat.”95

Friday, June 5: Homestead Grays 7, Northside Buicks 0, at Salt Works Field, Northside, Pittsburgh

George Britt’s tossing’s kept the Buicks in neutral, allowing a measly three hits while striking out 11. The Grays scored in four of the first five innings and then coasted to a 7-0 win. Gibson had a double and a homer. Wilson and Harris each hit a triple, and Page added a pair of doubles to contribute to the victory.96

Saturday, June 6: Homestead Grays 10, Dormont 7, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

City League entrant Dormont recruited the talents of former Pirate Wilbur Cooper to quell the Grays’ bats, but to no avail. Wrote the Sun-Telegraph “Cooper, former Pirate southpaw pitching ace returned to the scene of many of his diamond triumphs to oppose the Grays but had to leave the contest because of a sore arum at the end of three innings.”97 After three, Homestead was up 2-0, and in the fourth, Dormont briefly came level with the Grays at 2 all, but Homestead had no difficulty with Leo Carroll, Cooper’s replacement, and plated eight runs the rest of the way. Lefty Williams took his foot of the gas in the latter innings, yielding five runs, including four in the top of the ninth, too little too late for Dormont. The Grays spread their runs across five different innings. Reid was the hitting star for Homestead, garnering five, including two doubles.98

Sunday, June 7: Homestead Grays v. Forest Towels, at Neil Park, Columbus, Ohio

“The Towels were scheduled to play the Homestead Grays last Sunday [June 7] at Neil Park, Columbus, but rained forced cancellation of the game.” So wrote the Times-Recorder of Zanesville, Ohio.99 This was to have been the first of a brief two-game road trip to Ohio for the Grays.

Monday, June 8: Homestead Grays 6, Goodyear Miners 2, at Duncanwood Diamond, West Virginia

The Goodyear Miners were part of the Ohio-Indiana-Pennsylvania Industrial Association as were some of the other teams the Grays were playing in eastern Ohio. No box score has yet been found for this game, only the score of 6-2 that was printed in the Wheeling Intelligencer. The game was played on a field near the Goodyear Company coal mine between Wheeling, West Virginia and Cadiz, Ohio.100

Tuesday, June 9: Homestead Grays 16, Northside Civics 2, at Salt Works Field, Pittsburgh

The Grays handily defeated City League Northside, 16-2. Roy Williams threw a six-hitter and, led by Harris’s four safeties, the Grays smashed 11 hits including doubles by Scales and Page, and homers from Charleston, Page, Harris, and Reid. In a rare day off, Evans spelled Wilson at third.101 Batting second and playing left field for the Civics was Art Rooney, future owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rooney got a hit off Williams.102

Wednesday, June 10: Homestead Grays 11, Coraopolis 0, at Montour Field, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania

It was Willie Foster’s turn to throw a gem, an 11-strikeout, five-hit shutout against the local semipro team. The Grays scored in six of the nine innings, led by Evans (subbing again for Wilson at third) and Page with three hits each. The young catcher, Gibson, had another homer.103

Thursday, June 11: Homestead Grays 17, Hans Wagner’s Carnegie All -Stars 1, at Carnegie, Pennsylvania

A half-dozen miles southwest of Pittsburgh, the Grays took their talents to Carnegie and obliterated the Carnegie All-Stars managed by Hans Wagner, aka Honus Wagner, Carnegie native and Pirates great. Carnegie could have used Wagner, striking out seven times and collecting only five hits and a single run in the bottom of the eighth off George Britt. Britt chipped in with three hits and three runs. Surprisingly, there was only one home run, by Page.104

Friday, June 12: Homestead Grays 8, P.J. Cauls 3, at Blanariks Field, Ambridge, Pennsylvania

Ambridge is less than 20 miles down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh and the Grays took their talents to this steel town to take on the locals. Lefty Williams was on the mound again for the Grays, yielding six hits and striking out seven. Charleston and Harris had three hits apiece, followed by Scales, Reid, and Radcliffe with two each. Gibson had the day off and Radcliffe did the catching.105

Saturday, June 13: Homestead Grays 5, Edgewood 4, game one of doubleheader, at Edgewood, Pennsylvania

Edgewood, less than 10 miles east of downtown Pittsburgh, was another team in Pittsburgh’s City League, and it was their turn to lose at the hands of the Grays. Roy Williams started for the Grays, but when he gave up a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, he was pulled in favor of Ted Radcliffe to preserve the one-run victory. Wilson’s three hits and Scales homer helped Homestead score just enough to win.106

Saturday, June 13: Homestead Grays 6, Homewood 1, game two of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

In another one of the Grays’ “day-night’” doubleheaders in different venues against different teams, Homewood was again the opposition, this time at Forbes Field after the Pirates game. Carl Stewart was once again on the mound for Homewood, with a 1-1 record in Homewood’s two previous contests against the Grays. Homewood made a game of it, down only 3-1 after seven. The Sun-Telegraph lauded Stewart’s pitching in a losing cause: “the Grays found Stewart for 11 hits, but the Homewood spitball artist kept them pretty well scattered.”107 Well, he did until Gibson hit “a terrific home run to the gates in centerfield with one on base in the bottom of the eighth.” Final score behind the efforts of Smokey Joe Williams, 6-1, Homestead.

Sunday, June 14: Sweaney Bakers 10, Homestead Grays 9, game one of doubleheader, at Lakeside Stadium, Canton, Ohio

Talk about excitement for the upcoming doubleheader with the Grays! The Evening Independent of Massillon, Ohio wrote “Management of the Canton Sweaney Bakers, members of the Ohio-Indiana-Pennsylvania Industrial Association, is preparing to handle one of the largest crowds in local baseball history here Sunday when the Homestead Grays, Negro champions of the world, invade Lakeside Stadium for a doubleheader with the Bakers…Not the least important angle of one of the two games will be the appearance of Carl ‘Lefty’ Rosche, Massillon boy, on the hillock for the Bakers.”108

Up 6-4 in the ninth, Willie Foster gave up two runs to the Bakers to push the game to extra innings. The Grays went ahead 9-6, scoring three in the top half of the 11th. But the dual efforts of Foster and Smokey Joe Williams could not contain the locals in the bottom half of the 11th when the Bakers pushed across four runs to win the game 10-9. Local favorite Rosche came on in the 10th and gave up the three-spot to the Grays but was the winning pitcher.109

Sunday, June 14: Homestead Grays 10, Sweaney Bakers 2, game two of doubleheader, at Lakeside Stadium, Canton, Ohio

Game two turned out to be much better for the Grays. Britt was on form, giving up six hits and striking out five. Lefty Rosche started the second game and gave up four in the first and then opened the gates to Homestead with his errant pitching in the fourth when Homestead scored five more runs. Gibson had two hits, both home runs.110

Monday, June 15: travel day

The Grays had to make it from Canton, Ohio to Altoona, Pennsylvania, a journey of well over 200 miles on the roads of the day. The off-day probably helped make the trip bearable.

Tuesday, June 16: Homestead Grays 6, Penn Central 0, at Maple Avenue Diamond, Altoona, Pennsylvania

Back in Altoona to play their other main competition in the city, Penn Central’s semipro squad, the Grays made up for their loss in Altoona earlier in the month. In what the Altoona Tribune called “a whitewash,” the Grays scored all their runs off local stalwart Jim Skelton who was not helped by his defense. Smokey Joe Williams got the complete-game 6-0 victory. The score could have been worse; the Grays left seven on base. Emblematic of how games like this would be scheduled, the Tribune wrote, “Cum Posey was challenged to play the game ‘winner take all’ by E.J. Plunket, executive manager of the Penn Central nine, after the two managers failed to agree on a game for the early part of the season. The Grays immediately accepted the challenge and returned to Pittsburgh last night with the entire gate receipts for the game.”111

Wednesday, June 17: Homestead Grays 20, Wally Smith’s Club 3, at Ammon Field, Hill District, Pittsburgh

The local semipro side was no match for the Grays, with Homestead spotting them a run in the bottom of the first and then scoring 10 in the second. Lefty Williams gave up eight well-scattered hits and the Grays pounded 20 of their own, including eight doubles by five Grays and a homer by Charleston. The Grays scored nine in the top of the fifth. The slaughter rule must have been applied thereafter and the game ended after five.112

Thursday, June 18: Homestead Grays 18, Edgewood 4, at Edgewood, Pennsylvania

Back to the site of their victory the previous weekend, the Grays continued their dominance of Edgewood with an 18-3 win. Josh Gibson hit not one but three homers, Scales had a double and a homer, and Ted Radcliffe helped himself with two hits of his own, including a double. The game was called after seven innings.113

Friday, June 19: Homestead Grays 9, Pittsburgh Crawford Giants 0, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

Finally, the two Black baseball teams of Pittsburgh squared off. And what better place than Forbes Field? The Crawford Giants were still in nascent form, only recently purchased by Gus Greenlee, but they had promise and little did Josh Gibson know that he would be playing for the Crawfords next year. But for now, the Grays had the Crawfords’ number. Willie Foster held Pittsburgh to five hits. Sam Streeter allowed double that to the Grays and the single tally Homestead scored in the first would have been enough. The Courier noted that “while Streeter’s pitching was of a high caliber, his teammates’ ragged support was largely responsible for the Crawfords defeat.”114

Saturday, June 20: Cleveland Cubs 4, Homestead Grays 2, game one of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

In their second consecutive game against a Black professional team, the Negro National League Cleveland Cubs, the Grays came up short. Tied at 2 apiece going into the top of the fifth, Britt gave up a two-spot that ended up being the Cubs’ margin of victory, 4-2. The game summary did not offer details on how the Cubs scored their runs, but did draw attention to Gibson’s double and two triples in a losing cause.115

Saturday, June 20: Homestead Grays 6, Cleveland Cubs 3, game two of doubleheader, Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

Game suspended after four innings due to rain.

Too bad this game was not official. It was a contest between Smokey Joe Williams and a young Satchel Paige.116

Sunday, June 21: Homestead Grays 5, Cleveland Cubs 1, game one of doubleheader, at Kinsman Hardware Field, Cleveland, Ohio

The teams traveled to Cleveland’s home turf to play a second doubleheader. If ever there was justification for the Grays carrying so many starting pitchers compared to their rivals, their ability to send Lefty and then Smokey Joe to the mound in the two games offered it. Game one’s 5-1 win for the Grays was straightforward, given Lefty’s 11 strikeouts and well-distributed 10 Cubs hits. On the other hand, the Grays had two fewer safeties yet assembled many of them together in the fifth to push four runs across.117

Sunday, June 21: Homestead Grays 16, Cleveland Cubs 1, game two of doubleheader, at Kinsman Hardware Field, Cleveland, Ohio

Game two didn’t have much drama. Homestead scored in four of the first six innings and then punctuated the contest with nine tallies in the top of the seventh. Gibson and Scales homered. Page, Charleston, and Gibson doubled and everyone in the lineup except Jud Wilson contributed to the team’s 19 hits. The game was called after seven with the Grays on top 16-1.118

The five-game series with the Cubs ended in Homestead’s favor, 3-1 with one rainout.

Monday, June 22, Homestead Grays 6, Homewood 1, at Homewood Playgrounds, Homewood, Pennsylvania

Homewood’s luck ran out; after defeating the Grays on June 1, it was no contest this time. Foster gave up a token run in the first inning but held the home side scoreless the rest of the way. Gibson led the Grays with two hits and he, Scales, Evans, Foster, and Charleston all doubled.119

Tuesday, June 23: Dormont 9, Homestead Grays 7, at Dormont High School Field, Dormont, Pennsylvania

“Dormont baseball fans last evening were celebrating their club’s 9 to 7 victory over the Homestead Grays. The victory was the first Dormont ever achieved over the hard-hitting Negro aggregation.” Jimmy Bradley was the unlikely hero for Dormont. He had previously lost twice to Homestead, but “while nicked for 11 hits, managed to hold the Grays in check from the fifth inning on.” Gibson homered in a losing cause.120

Wednesday, June 24: Altoona Works 7, Homestead Grays 6, at Cricket Ground, Altoona, Pennsylvania

For the second consecutive contest with the Altoona Works, the Grays lost in a close one, 7-6. Overall, it was Altoona’s 10th win in a row against all comers. Altoona pushed five runs across the plate in the bottom of the third off George Britt, helped by a combination of walks, hits, and Grays miscues. Gibson and Wilson homered for the Grays.121

Thursday, June 25: travel day

This was a rare day off for the Grays as they made their way back to Pittsburgh to take on instate rivals Hilldale.

Friday, June 26: Homestead Grays v. Scottdale Cardinals, at Scottdale, Pennsylvania

Game was rescheduled for July in light of the more recently arranged Hilldale series.

The Connellsville Daily Courier wrote that the Grays would be taking on nearby Scottdale Cardinals of the Middle Atlantic League on June 26. However, as an example of how tentative the schedules were, when the Grays could schedule a series with Hilldale encompassing the June 26 date, the game with Scottdale was postponed.122

Friday, June 26: Hilldale 4, Homestead Grays 2, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

The Grays suffered their third consecutive loss, this time to Negro League powerhouse Hilldale. It might be said that this was their first significant opponent all season. Owners Posey and Drew organized a five-game series between the two teams, taking place in Pittsburgh, Washington DC, and Wilmington, Delaware. The July 4 edition of the Pittsburgh Courier offered this summary of game one: “Porter Charleston won the opening game here 4 to 2 at Forbes Field, pitted against Lefty Williams of the Grays mound staff. The game was a thriller from start to finish, featuring sparkling bits of baseball and a consistency throughout.”123

Saturday, June 27: Hilldale 5, Homestead Grays 4, game one of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

Yet another loss, four in a row, for the Grays. The score was tied going into the ninth when Hilldale pushed across a run to take the victory 5-4. Foster and Hilldale’s Oscar Levis dueled evenly, but Martin Dihigo’s three hits made the difference for the winners.124

Saturday, June 27: Homestead Grays 9, Hilldale 3, game two of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

Finally, the Grays emerged as the victors, 9-3, after losing the first two games of the five-game series to Hilldale. Smokey Joe Williams contained Hilldale to seven hits and three runs while his battery mate Gibson, and Scales, both homered.125

Sunday, June 28: Homestead Grays 5, Hilldale 2, at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC

Homestead tied the series at two apiece at what would become a future home—Griffith Stadium. It was a George Britt/Martin Dihigo pitching duel with Britt getting the upper hand. Dihigo could not keep the Grays off the bases. Their four extra-base hits—doubles by Scales and Charleston, a triple by Page, and a Gibson homer made the difference in the 5-2 Grays win.126

Monday, June 29: Hilldale 11, Homestead Grays 7, at Wilmington, Delaware

In Wilmington, Judy Johnson’s neck of the woods, Hilldale took the deciding game of the series, 11-7. Johnson had two hits for Hilldale, but it was Martin Dihigo and Rap Dixon who provided enough fireworks for Hilldale to outscore the Grays. Dihigo hit a homer as did Wilson for the Grays.127 Johnny Jones made his first appearance for the Grays, helping to provide depth in the outfield. Jones replaced Ambrose Reid who the Grays released and was picked up by the Crawfords. Roy and Lefty Williams pitched ineffectively for Homestead.

The Philadelphia Tribune shined a light on what was the play of the game, if not the season, for Hilldale. “Local fandom is still raving about the marvelous catch Rap Dixon executed on Gibson. Dixon picked Gibson’s seeming homer right off the fence after a hard run.”128

Tuesday, June 30: Homestead Grays 10, Altoona Works 6, at Lewistown, Pennsylvania

This third contest between the Grays and the Altoona Works was held in the town of Lewiston, 75 miles or so east of Altoona. The train service, an hour and a half or so journey each way, was arranged for Works fans to make to Lewistown.129 Meanwhile, the Grays, losers of five of the last ten, were coming from Wilmington, Delaware around 200 miles away to the east.

Finally, the Grays took one from Altoona and finished the month on a winning note. Lefty Williams die the honor for Homestead. It was 10-1 in the middle of the seventh when Williams took his foot off the gas and allowed five Works runs to score. But the Grays’ hitting attack (everyone but Charleston had a hit) and some good defense won it for Homestead. The Altoona Mirror reflected on the game, noting “Evans’ shortstop play saved the game for the Grays, three Works runners being cut off at the plate, while three were on the paths when the game ended.” And about the Altoona fans? “A large delegation of Altoona fans made the trip to Lewistown for the contest, several extra cars being added to the train bearing the Works team.”130 It pays to work for the railroad. The end of June, but not the end of the road trip. Next stop, another game against the Works in Altoona.

Homestead’s record in June was 21-9-1. For the year to date, they were 57-12-1.

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July

Wednesday, July 1: Homestead Grays 10, Altoona Works 4, at Cricket Field, Altoona, Pennsylvania

The two teams traveled from Lewiston to Altoona for their fourth matchup of the season. Oscar Owens debuted for the Grays in left field, given Vic Harris’s recent injury. Smokey Joe Willams started the game against the local star Herb Bolger. The Grays came out of the box on fire, scoring four runs in the first inning. Bolger did not last the fifth, after giving up seven of Homestead’s eventual ten runs. Gibson drove in five runs for the Grays. Smokey Joe Williams pitched the first four innings and Roy Williams went the rest of the way with each pitcher giving up two runs. In an example of how box scores conflicted with one another, the Altoona Tribune credits the Grays with 18 hits, including two doubles by Gibson. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette recorded 16 hits and just one double by Gibson.131

Thursday, July 2: Homestead Grays v. Crafton Church League All-Stars, at Crafton, Pennsylvania

The July 2 Pittsburgh Post Gazette announced that “Crafton Stars Meet Grays This Evening” but no record of the game being played has yet been found.132

Friday July 3: Homestead Grays 9, Baltimore Black Sox 2, at Fulton Park, Wheeling, West Virginia

Afro-American columnist Bill Gibson put it this way. “If you have the carfare, and the writer does not, this pillar drops the hint that you make Pittsburgh your destination this weekend for the two days, July 4 and 5. For on those days Frank Warfield and his tribe will seek to convince Cum Posey that the Homestead Grays are not such-a-much after all. Both teams like each other as a rabbit loves a hound, and when they meet you can bet your boots that there will be some ‘bearing down.’”133 The Pittsburgh Courier elaborated that “The famous Baltimore Black Sox will oppose the locals in a six-game series in this district” In addition to the two doubleheaders on the Fourth of July weekend, “the opening game between the two crack clubs will be played at Wheeling on Friday…on Monday night a night game at Charleroi will be featured, closing the series….The coming of the famous Baltimoreans has long been awaited by local fans.”134

The series got off to a good start for Homestead, thanks to Willie Foster’s 10-strikeout, five-hit performance. Baltimore pitcher Laymon Yokely faltered in the fifth as the floodgates opened for the Grays hitters. The Grays scored four in the fifth, two in the seventh, and then two more off a mammoth home run to center by Gibson with one on.135

Saturday, July 4: Baltimore Black Sox 6, Homestead Grays 0, game one of doubleheader, at Edgar Thompson Park, Braddock, Pennsylvania

“[Darltie] Cooper’s masterful pitching had the Grays baffled all the way at Braddock. He held the Posey sluggers to three hits and despite his wildness, issuing eight bases on balls, the Grays succeeded in getting only one runner to third.”136 So wrote the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph about the 6-0 afternoon game. Dave Thomas had a homer off Radcliffe for the winners.

Saturday, July 4: Homestead Grays 4, Baltimore Black Sox 3, game two of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

The Grays fared better in game two behind the offerings of George Britt, but it took 10 innings. Radcliffe caught the game after having pitched the first, meriting his “Double Duty” moniker. Gibson was in left field. The Grays were up 3-1 in the ninth when Baltimore tied it up. “Victory came to the Grays in the tenth inning…through Evans’ single to left, an infield hit by Page, a fielder’s choice on Wilson, and Charleston’s sacrifice fly.”137

Sunday, July 5: Baltimore Black Sox 2, Homestead Grays 0, game one of doubleheader, at Elks Park, Sharon, Pennsylvania

The Sox and Grays played their second doubleheader of the weekend in Sharon, north of Pittsburgh, a prior venue for Homestead. It was a pitchers’ duel in both games. Script Lee held the Grays to four hits in game one. A double by Pete Washington and a single by player-manager Frank Warfield garnered one run for Baltimore in the seventh. Doubles by John Beckwith and Mickey Casey in the ninth plated the other run in Baltimore’s 2-0 win.138

Sunday, July 5: Homestead Grays 1, Baltimore Black Sox 0, game two of doubleheader, at Elks Park, Sharon, Pennsylvania

Another shutout, this time, thanks to the tossing’s of Lefty Williams; it was Homestead’s turn to blank the opposition. The Grays scored their one and only run of the doubleheader in the bottom of the eighth, having been held scoreless by Lee and Willis “Pud” Flournoy for 16 innings that day. The Grays scored their single run on a double by Charleston, a single by Page, and a Wilson sacrifice fly.139

Monday, July 6: Baltimore Black Sox 9, Homestead Grays 8, at Charleroi Baseball Park, Charleroi, Pennsylvania

John “Neck” Stanley soldiered for Baltimore against the Grays’ Foster. The game was tied at three after three innings, but Baltimore then scored six over the next three frames to go up 9-4 leading into the bottom of the sixth. By then, Foster was relieved by Oscar Owens while Stanley gave way to Laymon Yokely in the eighth after giving up homers to Gibson, Jones, and Wilson in the sixth, seventh, and eighth successively. It was not enough; Baltimore outlasted the Grays 9-8 to even the six game series at three wins each. The local paper noted that “Josh Gibson hit the hardest home run ever seen here in the sixth inning.”140 Gibson played left field that day and Radcliffe was behind the plate.

Tuesday, July 7: Homestead Grays 8, Sewickley 1, at Sewickley, Pennsylvania

Earning a respite after the tough series with Baltimore, Homestead traveled to nearby Sewickley to take on the local side. Roy Williams held Sewickley to six hits and a single run in the second. Newcomers Jones and Owens continued to prove their worth, each collecting two hits. Scales had a double and a triple in the 8-1 win.141

Wednesday, July 8: Homestead Grays 15, Klein Chocolate 7, at Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania

On the way to Philadelphia for a series with Hilldale, the Grays stopped off in Elizabethtown to sweeten their record with a win against Klein Chocolate. A semipro team since 1913, Klein had a meltdown against Homestead. The local paper put it mildly “the visitors got off to a good start with six runs in the opening inning.”142 Scales hit for the cycle in his four hits. Lefty Williams got the win.143

Thursday, July 9: Homestead Grays 6, Hilldale 3, at Hilldale Park, Philadelphia

Posey anointed Radcliffe to open the series against Hilldale in Philadelphia and he was not disappointed. Double Duty limited Hilldale to seven hits and after a shaky first inning that included some fielding lapses by the Grays when he gave up all three runs Hilldale would get. He otherwise kept the game in check. The Grays scored a pair of runs in three different innings, the first and second, and then, for insurance, in the eighth, to win 6-3.144

Friday, July 10: Homestead Grays v. Hilldale, at Hilldale Park, Philadelphia

The Pittsburgh Courier reported that “the Grays open with Hilldale on Thursday [July 9] and play games on Friday [July 10] and Saturday [July 11] with the Darbyites after which they go to Baltimore for a doubleheader with the Blacksox Sunday [July 12].”145

“The Friday battle was knocked out by rain.”146

Saturday, July 11: Homestead Grays 5, Hilldale 4, at Hilldale Park, Philadelphia

Just about every account drew attention to Oscar Charleston’s homer, even as far distant as the New York Age. “A rousing home run wallop off the bat of Oscar Charleston with Slim Evans on second was the deciding blow that swung the margin of victory to Cum Posey’s Homestead Grays in a hectic pitchers’ battle between Porter Charleston and Willie Foster.”147 The teams had traded three spots in the first inning, after which Hilldale recorded a single run in the bottom of the third before Charleston decided things in the seventh. As the headlines offered, the Grays completed the season series four games to three.

Sunday, July 12: Baltimore Black Sox 8, Homestead Grays 7, game one of doubleheader, at Maryland Park, Baltimore

Game one had all the drama one would want. It was 6-4 Baltimore after six innings, 8-5 after eight, and then a Grays rally that came up short in the ninth; their two runs came close, but just short, 8-7. The Grays had the bases loaded with one out in the deciding frame, but Wilson popped out and Evans struck out to end the rally.148

This game is better known by the fight between the two teams’ managers, Cumberland Posey and Frank Warfield. Posey, upset by a series of calls that went against the Grays, had enough in the eighth inning when Scales was called out at the plate on a grounder to the shortstop by Evans. Posey rushed to the field to defend Scales who was arguing vehemently with the umpire about the call. Warfield ran in from third base where he had been playing to ask Posey to leave the field. This led to fisticuffs and the arrival of police. Tempers finally diminished and the game resumed.149

Sunday, July 12: Homestead Grays 5, Baltimore Black Sox 1, game two of doubleheader, at Maryland Park, Baltimore

The nightcap benefited from Ted Radcliffe’s calming influence. He held Baltimore to four hits and just a single run that Baltimore plated in the top of the ninth. His teammates followed through. Scales and Wilson had homers, according to Baltimore’s Afro-American, but the Post-Gazette showed no homers for them. These discrepancies underscore the challenge of accurately collecting statistics from newspaper box scores.150 151 The series between the two teams now stood at four wins each.

Monday, July 13: Homestead Grays 23, Bacharach Giants 6, at Lewistown, Pennsylvania

The Grays were back in Lewistown where they had previously defeated the Altoona Works. This time, despite Bacharach’s storied Negro League history, the Grays dismantled the opposition 23-6. The slugfest included two players with five hits each, Owens and Charleston. Charleston and Gibson both smacked two homers. Six Grays had doubles. Oscar Owens’ pitching allowed three spots in the first and seventh, but with 23 runs in his favor, there was no cause for concern.152

Tuesday, July 14: Homestead Grays 11, Penn Central 1, at Maple Avenue Field, Altoona, Pennsylvania

Following the same road that took them from Lewiston to Altoona on the first of the month, the Grays took on Penn Central back in Altoona. Winning for the second time in two games against Penn Central, the Grays won on the pitching prowess of Smokey Joe Williams who struck out six in the seven innings he pitched. He was aided by the Homestead hitting attack where all the Grays except Page and reliever Roy Williams got at least one hit. Scales starred with four hits including a double and a triple and four runs batted in.153

Wednesday, July 15: Homestead Grays v. Goodyear Miners, at Duncanville, Ohio

This was to be the Grays’ second foray against Goodyear, having defeated them 6-2 on June 8. The Post-Gazette announced this road trip in its July 15 edition: “The Homestead Grays returned home from their eastern trip but will not tarry long as they leave this morning for a two-day jaunt into Ohio. The Grays are scheduled at Cadiz this afternoon, and Thursday will appear at Roseville.”154 No record of the Goodyear game has yet been found.

Thursday, July 16: Homestead Grays v. Roseville Brick Plant, at Roseville, Ohio

The locals really hyped up this game. The Zanesville Signal wrote “This attraction is probably the noblest baseball offering of the year in this immediate locality and should draw a capacity crowd. Extra seating accommodations have been provided by the Roseville management.”155 Unfortunately, the “Game at Roseville is Rained Out” proclaimed the local headlines the following day. “The game between Roseville State Brick Plan and Homestead Grays was rained out after four innings of play. The Grays were leading 5 to 0, when the game was called. Four of the Grays’s runs were homers.”156

Friday, July 17: Homestead Grays 5, Homewood 2, at Homewood Playgrounds, Homewood, Pennsylvania

After their aborted two game trip to Ohio, the Grays returned to a familiar opponent, Homewood of the Pittsburgh City League. Recent addition Oscar Owens struggled and “Ted Radcliffe went to Owens’ rescue in the first inning.” After Owens gifted the opposition a two spot, Radcliffe held them scoreless the rest of the way and his teammates pushed across enough runs for the 5-2 win. Radcliffe himself had three hits including a double. Gibson also had three, and Charleston legged out a triple for the winning side.157

Saturday, July 18: Homestead Grays 3, Pittsburgh Crawfords 1, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

 

The Grays outperformed the Crawfords in their second meeting of the season, albeit with a closer 3-1 outcome than the previous 9-0 whitewash. It was Foster v. Streeter in a solid pitching matchup. Small ball contributed significantly to the Grays’ three runs. The Crawfords’ only score came on a triple and fielder’s choice in the ninth. Each team had five hits.158

 

Sunday, July 19: Homestead Grays 17, Forest Towels 7, at Neil Park, Columbus, Ohio

Their previous game was a washout, this time it was a Grays wipeout of the Towels, thanks to a 22-hit barrage by Homestead hitters. Charleston and Page both had five hits; Gibson hit a homer. Britt toed the slab for the Grays and had little difficulty except for the fifth and ninth innings when the Towels scored three runs each.159

Monday, July 20: Homestead Grays 12, Crafton All-Stars 4, at Crafton, Pennsylvania

The Grays had been scheduled to play Crafton on July 2, but no record of the game being played has been found. This time there was no gray—July 20—the sun and stars aligned and Homestead, behind the dealings of Smokey Joe Williams, outperformed the All-Stars 12-4. Williams seemed to have run out of gas as the game wore on, allowing Crafton to make all four of their runs in the last three innings. But the extra-base-hitting talents of the Grays commandeered a lead they never relinquished: doubles by Harris, Scales, and Johnny Jones; a triple also by Jones; and three homers, two by Gibson and one off the bat of Scales.”160

Tuesday, July 21: Homestead Grays v. Northside Civics, at Salt Works Ground, Pittsburgh

In its July 20 edition, the Post-Gazette wrote “Tuesday evening, the Grays will make another trip to the Salt Works ground on the Northside to meet the Northside Civics.”161 No record of this game has yet been found.

Wednesday, July 22: Homestead Grays v. Parker’s Landing, at Parker’s Landing, Pennsylvania

Likewise, in its July 20 edition, the Post-Gazette wrote “Wednesday they [the Grays] travel to Parker’s landing.”162 Parker’s Landing is around 70 miles north of Pittsburgh on the Allegheny River. No record of this game has yet been found. It may have been rained out.

Thursday, July 23: Homestead Grays 8, Verona Community 2, at Verona, Pennsylvania

As an indication of how fluid scheduling could be, the same July 20 edition of the Post-Gazette went on to state that “Thursday is open for any club desiring the date.”163 Sure enough, the Post-Gazette announced two days later “on Thursday evening the Grays will travel to Verona to meet Bill Bright’s club.”164 Their second trip to Verona, the Grays made short work of the locals again, scoring six runs in the first three innings and then coasting their way to victory. Roy Williams scattered nine Verona hits and allowed a token pair in the bottom of the ninth. Harris and Scales led the hitting attack with two hits apiece.165

Friday, July 24: Homestead Grays 23, J.L. Thomas 6, at Bloom Field, Pittsburgh

Relative newcomer Oscar Owens got the call and held the City League Thomases to six hits that produced an amazingly efficient six runs. Gibson continued his extremely proficient hitting tear with a pair of doubles and a homer. Scales also had a round tripper.166

Saturday, July 25: Homestead 14, Greenville 3, at Packard Park, Greenville, Pennsylvania

The Grays were on a roll, winning another game with ease against the local semipro team, 14-3 who they were to have played earlier in the season except for the weather. Greenville is about 80 miles north of Pittsburgh. Lefty Williams did the honors for Homestead, ably assisted by a hitting machine that produced eight runs in the first two innings and then four in the fifth and two in the seventh. Page and Gibson both had four hits, Page a double and homer, Gibson a triple and homer.167 No contest.

Sunday, July 26: Homestead Grays 10, Jamestown Spiders 4, at Celoron Park, Jamestown, New York

The Grays were not far from the New York border, so they drove to Jamestown about 70 miles from Greenville for a Sunday game against the semipro Spiders. Jamestown had famously defeated the National League Boston Braves in an exhibition the year before.168 The Grays offered a similar challenge. But it was not to be. Behind the pitching prowess of Double Duty Radcliffe, the Grays out-scored and out-hit Jamestown, 10-4 and 14-9 respectively. However, it was a close contest through six with the score Homestead five and Jamestown 4. Scales had a solo homer in the second and Gibson obliged in the seventh with a two-run shot.169

Monday, July 27: Homestead Grays 9, House of David 5, at League Park, Cleveland, Ohio

The original House of David, not to be confused with Syd Pollock’s Cuban creation whom the Grays played earlier in the season, originated from a religious colony founded in Benton, Michigan in the early 1900s. The baseball team emerged at the institution in the 1910s and took on a barnstorming schedule, originally to raise funds for the colony. Over time, it hired professional baseball players like Grover Cleveland Alexander, Mordecai Brown, and Satchel Paige to improve their competitiveness and increase attendance at games and gate receipts. It was with this team that the Grays played a two-game series in Ohio. In the Cleveland match, Grover Cleveland Alexander himself started for the Davids, but “was batted all over League Park last night…Alexander was nipped for five hits and three runs in the first inning, then was batted out in the second.”170 Local reports identified the crowd as more than 5,000. The House of David brought its portable lights to League Park, making this the first night game for the Indians’ home field.171 Four Grays had doubles; Jud Wilson had a homer, and Foster and Smokey Joe Williams shared the pitching duties for Homestead.172

Tuesday, July 28: Homestead Grays 9, House of David 1, at Sunset Park, Alliance, Ohio

Equipped again with their lights, this was the first night game at Sunset Park. But despite the lights, the Grays kept the Davids in the dark, winning easily before a crowd of 3,000. Britt pitched well for Homestead, allowing the House of David’s only run in the bottom the eighth. Alexander did not pitch in this game and the Grays battered his replacements Pearson and Hardin. The Grays’ 15 hits produced nine runs with Scales, Page, and Evans the stars.173

Wednesday, July 29: Homestead Grays 12, Scarazzos 0, at Centennial Field, New Castle, Pennsylvania

The Grays made their way back to Pittsburgh via New Castle, about 50 miles east of Alliance. New Castle had always been a proud baseball town, and attracting the Grays to play the local semipro Scarazzos was a big deal. The build up to the game made the game itself anticlimactic. “One of the biggest baseball attractions of the season will take place on next Wednesday night at Centennial Field when the famous Homestead Grays will meet the Scarazzos, leaders of the Lawrence County League. The Grays are recognized as one of the best colored aggregations in baseball today.”174 It really wasn’t a contest, even viewed by the hometown paper New Castle News. “The Grays looked dangerous in the first inning, hammering in three runs, and they came back in the second with three more runs. To put the game away, they scored two more in the fifth and four more in the sixth.”175 Wilson had a double and a triple; Charleston, Harris, and Evans each had two baggers. Roy Williams struck out eight and scattered six hits in a winning cause.

Thursday, July 30: Homestead Grays 12, Crucible 2, at Crucible, Pennsylvania

Yet another example of when the Grays traveled in the hinterlands, the excitement and hype that ensued. Crucible is in the southwest corner of the state, smack in the middle of the region known to produce coke from coal which was essential for making steel. Wrote the Morning Herald of Uniontown, “Cum Posey and his Homestead Grays will play their first engagement of the current season in the coke region Thursday evening meeting the Crucible team of the Tri-County league at Crucible at 5 o’clock. Crucible has enjoyed a banner year and is confident of giving the Grays a trouncing.”176

In the event, Oscar Charleston alone was enough to extinguish the coke ovens, what with his double, triple, and homer. Scales had three hits and Page and Gibson two apiece. Lefty Williams did the honors in the 12 to 2 win, only giving up single runs in the third and ninth.177

Friday, July 31: Homestead Grays 12, Ingomar 3, at Ingomar Playground, Ingomar, Pennsylvania

Oscar Owens, now a regular in the starting rotation to help ease the wear and tear on the others, pitched a complete-game, eight-strikeout, 12-4 victory for Homestead, giving up six hits and several runs, the latter in the late innings after the Grays were comfortably ahead. Once again, Scales and Gibson homered for the victors.178 The Grays were to have played the semipro team here on May 22, but that game was rained out.

Well into the season, the Grays performed solidly in July, going 24-4. So far, they were now 81-16-1, an .827 winning percentage.

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August

Saturday, August 1: Pittsburgh Crawfords 10, Homestead Grays 7, game o of doubleheader, at Cycler Park Diamond, McKeesport, Pennsylvania

The Crawfords got their revenge against the Grays, having lost both previous games that year. It was a time of transition for the Crawford Giants, thanks to owner Gus Greenlee’s wheeling and dealing. And the Crawfords were a very different team to the ones the Grays played earlier in the season. In June, Greenlee procured the services of Satchel Paige and catcher Bill Perkins from the Cleveland Cubs, but this was Paige’s first appearance against Homestead in a Crawfords uniform whereas Perkins had played in the 3-1 loss to the Grays on July 18.179

Talk about jumpstarting a team. In this game, Paige relieved the struggling Harry Kincannon in the fourth to stop the bleeding when Homestead tied the Crawfords at seven. Paige held serve the rest of the way. Wrote the Courier, “The feature of the game, which was marred only by the rough, uneven Cycler Park diamond, was the masterful and sensational pitching of Paige.”180

Also, in the lineup for the Crawfords were former Grays Jap Washington and Ambrose Reid, obtained by Greenlee over the summer. Paige was with the Cleveland Cubs in the spring and was reportedly on the mound for Cleveland against the Grays in one of the games they played, but no box scores have been found to substantiate it. So this may have been the first time that Paige and Josh Gibson faced one another.181 The box score allocates no hits to Gibson for the entire game although he scored a run. He would have batted at least once against Paige, given that Satchel entered the game in the fourth as the game summary stated (it is unclear how many outs there were at the time). Paige had six strikeouts; neither of the Grays pitchers Radcliffe and Britt had their good stuff that day.

Saturday, August 1: Homestead Grays 8, Dormont 1, game two of doubleheader, at Dormont High School Field, Dormont, Pennsylvania

In game two of one of the Grays’ occasional doubleheaders in the Pittsburgh area at different venues against different teams, Homestead defeated City Leaguers Dormont easily, 8-1. With Radcliffe and Britt both having been used in the first game, Willie Foster stepped in and held Dormont to a single run in the bottom of the eighth while striking out 10. Harris homered for the Grays and Charleston, Page, Scales, Harris, Foster, and Gibson (2) doubled.182 The Grays and Crawfords did not play again in 1931 with the series ended in favor of Homestead, two games to one.

Sunday, August 2: Homestead Grays 13, Alliance 12, game one of doubleheader, at Sunset Park, Alliance, Ohio

Another weekend doubleheader, this time back in Alliance, Ohio. The first game was extremely competitive. The Homestead hurlers who appeared in the game were particularly ineffective, Roy Williams and Smokey Joe. They were lit up for 22 hits by the Sunsets. An interesting footnote was that Radcliffe caught the first eight innings and then pitched the ninth to close out Alliance. The Grays plated seven runs in the first, but found themselves behind after eight innings, 12-9. A ninth-inning rally was needed and the Grays loaded the bases and manufactured four runs to take the win.183

Sunday, August 2: Homestead Grays 6, Alliance 4, game two of doubleheader, at Sunset Park, Alliance, Ohio

Game two was a little more sedate, but after two innings, Alliance was up 4-3. The Grays assembled three different one run innings to win, 6-4 in a seven-inning game. Lefty Williams took the win, and Gibson had a home run.184

Monday, August 3: Beaver County League All-Stars 2, Homestead Grays 1, at Beaver, Pennsylvania

A low-scoring affair, the Grays could not handle Stan Zaneiski’s talents. Oscar Owens’ fine performance was squandered. Scoreless after six, both teams put up a run in the seventh. But it was Zaneiski himself who drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to take the win. Only Charleston and Harris could master a response to Zaneiski; together they garnered five of the Grays’ seven hits.185

Tuesday, August 4: Homestead Grays 11, Glassport 1, at Glassport, Pennsylvania

From Beaver on the Ohio to Glassport on the Monongahela, the Grays traded rivers to meet the local semipros in Glassport. The home side didn’t have a chance. Radcliffe was in fine form, “yielding only three hits and fanning nine.” Although the Grays “only” had eight hits, they made them count, spewing four homers – by Scales, Charleston, Page, and Wilson – for the 11-1 win.186

Wednesday, August 5: Homestead Grays 12, Butler County All-Stars 3, at Butler, Pennsylvania

This county’s all-star team was no match for Smokey Joe Williams and the Grays. Williams gave up just five hits and had nine strikeouts. The Grays scored three in the first and were matched by Butler after three innings, 3-3. However, a five-run fifth did the damage to put the game away. No homers for the Grays; Wilson and Williams both had three hits, and Gibson was responsible for three runs in the 12-3 beatdown.187

Thursday, August 6: Homestead Grays 5, Vandergrift 0, at Vandergrift, Pennsylvania

Another old Pennsylvania steel town a little less than 40 miles east and a bit north of Pittsburgh, the locals welcomed Homestead in a contest against their hometown team. Foster breezed through the Vandergrift nine, giving up only two hits while striking a mammoth 16. Gibson had three hits, all singles. The Grays won 5-0.188

Friday, August 7: Homestead Grays 11, Homewood 1, at Homewood Playgrounds, Homewood, Pennsylvania

In their sixth and final game against local rivals Homewood, the Grays won for the fifth time, 11-1. Britt pitched and held Homewood to three hits. Seven doubles by the Grays with a triple by Scales thrown in ensured Homestead had plenty of runners in scoring position to be driven home. Homewood, despite its 1-5 record against the Grays, were nonetheless the cream of the City League and finished the season as League champions.189

Saturday, August 8: Homestead Grays 14, W.A. Schrovers Sons 4, at Dayton, Ohio

The Pittsburgh Press captured the 14-4 win, noting “the feature was the hard hitting and fielding of the Poseymen who collected 18 bingles. Page had four safeties.”190 Wilson had three hits, including a homer.

Sunday, August 9: Homestead Grays 12, Columbia Cement 1, at Columbia Park, Zanesville, Ohio

Continuing their August road trip in eastern Ohio, the Grays took on Columbia Cement, winning easily behind Ted Radcliffe. Gibson had the day off, spelled by Britt behind the plate. Charleston, Wilson, and Harris drove in eight of the Grays’ 14 runs. Zanesville’s Time Recorder recounted “the score was 12 to 1, the Grays pounding the offerings of three Cement hurlers for 16 hits, including five doubles, a triple, and a home run.”191 Columbia Cement was a major manufacturer in Zanesville and a division of Pittsburgh Plate Glass. A major employer in town, it fielded a very competitive semipro team.

Monday, August 10: Homestead Grays 3, Portsmouth Eagles 0, at Portsmouth, Ohio

Smokey Joe was on the mound again for Homestead, yielding three paltry hits and striking out three of the opposition. The Grays scored single runs in the first, seventh, and ninth, more than enough to soar over the Eagles, 3-0.192

Tuesday, August 11: Homestead Grays 13, Scottdale Cardinals 7, at Scottdale, Pennsylvania

Scottdale was a Middle Atlantic League entry and all in the area looked forward to a game against the Grays, rescheduled when the planned June contest gave way to Hilldale. The Daily Courier painted the background: “Baseball fans of Scottdale and vicinity will have the opportunity on Tuesday, August 11 of seeing Cum Posey’s Homestead Grays…Announcement of this attraction being booked to oppose the Scots in an exhibition game means there will be a fine turnout of fans on hand. The game will begin at 5 o’clock.”193 With over 1,000 fans in attendance, the local paper suggested that the Cardinals beat themselves. “Manager Clay Hopper’s proteges outhit the crack negro outfit 13 to 11, but the misplays were costly…Six errors by the Little Cardinals permitted the Homestead Grays to chalk up eight unearned runs” in the 13-7 victory. Charleston, Gibson, Harris, and Evans had two hits each. Gibson drove in four and Foster took the complete game win as the Grays scored in each of the first five innings against the locals.194

Wednesday, August 12: Homestead Grays 7, Parker’s Landing 1, at Parker’s Landing, Pennsylvania

A game here earlier in the season was washed out, but this time, the game happened and might have been labeled as the Lefty Williams show. But the events beforehand also merit mention. The Simpson’s Leader-Times of Kittanning proudly noted “the city…celebrated the opening of the new Parker-Foxburg highway [about four miles in length]. More than 2,000 people took part in the celebration. There was an automobile parade over the new highway…and the day was climaxed with a baseball game at 5:30 pm between the Homestead Grays, famed colored nine and the Parker team.”195

Back to the game and Lefty; “Besides hurling a three-hit, 7-1 victory, Williams figured in the hitting and scoring. He clouted four hits, one a homer, and scored three runs.”196

Thursday, August 13: Homestead Grays 6, Latrobe 0, at Athletic Park, Latrobe, Pennsylvania

Latrobe was a small town in Westmoreland County a little under 50 miles east of Pittsburgh. A member of the region’s Wagner Semi-pro League, the chance for the Cardinals to play the Grays was much appreciated. The local Kiwanis club arranged for the proceeds to benefit its Underprivileged Children’s Fund.197 In addition, “The Latrobe Legion band will head a parade through the downtown section tomorrow evening, just prior to the Kiwanis Club benefit game between…the Grays and the Latrobe Cards.”198 The rest of the news article was a reminder that the Grays’ travels were well-known and widely reported. “The Grays are playing at Parker’s Landing today and will make the trip here in two sedans.”199 The drive would be about 75 miles, and thanks to the Grays’ mode of travel in the good-sized touring cars of the day, it would be a passable journey.

The pre-game hype probably made the game itself a bit anti-climactic. Roy Williams easily contained the Cardinals on three hits in a complete-game 6-0 shutout. The Grays scored five of their six runs in the first three innings and coasted from there. The Latrobe paper’s description of Josh Gibson’s homer is worth citing. “Gibson went to the plate with instructions to bring Charleston in [he walked and was on second base in the first inning] and he followed them explicitly, knocking a beautiful home run over the left field fence. The ball was sufficiently high in clearing the fence that none of the fans roosting on top of it had to duck to get out of the way.”200

Friday, August 14: Homestead Grays 11, Akron All-Stars 10, at League Park, Akron, Ohio

The Grays made the long drive to Ohio for a benefit game against all-stars from several local semipro teams in Akron. U.A. Fitt, a long-time baseball personage in the Akron area, would be the beneficiary to help him pay his hospital bills incurred from a long illness. The game was highly competitive; five lead changes in total. The Grays claimed the lead for good in the sixth, 9-7 and pushed across two more in the eighth to forestall the All-Stars’ comeback, 11-10. The Grays needed three pitchers, Owens, Lefty Williams, and Foster to claim the win. In a rare move, Gibson played center field. Gibson tripled and Wilson homered in the winning effort.201

Saturday, August 15: Homestead Grays 9, Altoona Works 3, game one of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

Having played the Altoona Works squad in their neck of the woods on three previous occasions, the Grays invited Altoona to Pittsburgh to round out the season series. Altoona was the only semipro team to have defeated the Grays twice in 1931. At Forbes Field that Saturday, the Grays reminded Altoona that those wins were probably flukes, sweeping the doubleheader convincingly. In game one, a familiar face for Altoona, Herb Bolger, started, “but was the victim of bad errors, this coupled with several solid singles sent Herbie to the showers at the end of the second inning [down 5-0].” There were no homers for the Grays, but Charleston made the highlights with a double and a triple behind Foster’s adequate performance.202

Saturday, August 15: Homestead Grays 11, Altoona Works 5, game two of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

The Loguemen, as Altoona was called, named after their long-time manager John “Dewey” Logue, showed up for the second game with virtually the same lineup. Down 5-4 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Grays scored a touchdown and made the extra point to put the game out of reach 11-5. The Altoona Tribune gave full credit to the Grays’ fielding as another factor in the game. “The Works registered nine hits in the second game, but Feigert and Bergen were each robbed…on plays that were nothing less than spectacular.”203

Sunday, August 16: Homestead Grays 7, Baltimore Black Sox 5, at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC

In the first game of their extended series with the Black Sox that would take them to three states and the District of Columbia, the Grays outlasted Baltimore 7-5. Although Radcliffe limited the Black Sox to six hits, they used them prudently to score five. Homestead had doubles from Gibson and Jones, and triples from Charleston and Scales against what seemed like a bullpen game by Baltimore who used four pitchers.204

Monday, August 17: Homestead Grays v. Baltimore Black Sox, at Wilmington, Delaware

This game was rained out.

Tuesday, August 18: Baltimore Black Sox 5, Homestead Grays 4, at Island Park, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

The Post Gazette summed it up well, “Lefty Williams had one bad inning here this afternoon and the Baltimore Blacksox scored a 5 to 4 victory over the Homestead Grays.”205 Neck Stanley gave up more hits to the Grays (12) than Williams allowed Baltimore (8), but the second inning damage was enough to withstand the Grays’ late-inning comeback effort.206

Wednesday, August 19: Homestead Grays v. Baltimore Black Sox, at Edgar Thompson Park, Braddock, Pennsylvania

The Friday August 20 edition of the Post-Gazette updated its readers on the Grays-Black Sox series. “The Homestead Grays and the Baltimore Blacksox were prevented from playing their game at Braddock last evening by rain, but the teams hope to resume at Akron, O. tonight, where a nocturnal game will be played at League Park. On Friday night, the Grays and Blacksox will get together in a second night game at Idora Park, Youngstown, O. and then the teams will return to Pittsburgh for a doubleheader at Forbes Field on Saturday afternoon.”207

Thursday, August 20: Homestead Grays 16, Baltimore Black Sox 0, at League Park, Akron, Ohio

The two teams scheduled two of their planned eight-game series in Ohio. The Akron game took place at a familiar venue for Homestead, League Park, where they had played previously. The Grays bunched six runs in the first and two in the second to stake an 8-0 lead. The local paper drew attention to Baltimore’s struggles with the portable lighting. “None of the hits [in the Grays’ six run first] was legitimate. All should have been taken by the Black Sox fielders. As they came to the bench when the inning finally ended, they [said] they simply couldn’t see the balls coming at them in time to be able to field them.”208 Foster had 10 strikeouts, gave up four hits, and kept the Black Sox off the board. Homestead had seven doubles and a triple as part of their 17-hit attack; Wilson led the team with four hits, followed by Scales and Harris with three each. The Akron Beacon Journal, which posted the full box score, incorrectly included a six-run third for Baltimore, although its headline correctly identified the 16-0 score.

Friday, August 21: Homestead Grays 9, Baltimore Black Sox 2, at Youngstown, Ohio

The Grays continued their Ohio-based dominance of the Black Sox, defeating them 9-2, thanks to Smokey Joe Williams’ six hitter. He also contributed seven strikeouts and found time to collect a hit. It was 5-2 after seven, but the Grays left no doubt about the win when they scored four more in the eight off Stanley who had relieved Laymon Yokely.209

Saturday, August 22: Baltimore Black Sox 8, Homestead Grays 2, game one of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

In the last two games of the series, the Black Sox and Grays squared off at Forbes Field. Baltimore had the better of Homestead in game one with Scrip Lee out pitching Ted Radcliffe for an 8-2 result. “The Grays outhit the Black Sox in the first battle, but Lee, on the mound for the Sox, kept the Grays’ hits well scattered.” Baltimore’s three runs in the third would have been enough for the win.210

Saturday, August 22: Homestead Grays 14, Baltimore Black Sox 2, game two of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

The Grays found their form in the last game of the series with Baltimore, handily dispensing their opponents 14-2. Lefty Williams was in control throughout. There was only one home run that day at cavernous Forbes Field that day and it was off the bat of Josh Gibson. The Grays otherwise put on a clinic, 16 hits with contributions from everyone in the lineup, including two by Lefty.211

Sunday, August 23: Homestead Grays 8, Sweaney Bakers 0, game one of doubleheader, at Lakeside Park, Canton, Ohio

The Grays made a quick trip to Canton, Ohio, probably a hundred miles or so on the roads back then, to play the Sweaney Bakers. These games were so important to the hometown side that they sometimes recruited ringers to bolster their lineup. Sweaney brought in a pitcher from Alliance’s Sunset Parks team, Walt Sharkey, to help out. Too bad they didn’t try to bolster their hitting. Roy Williams had a no-hitter through 8 2/3 innings when Sweaney’s left fielder Lau hit a single up the middle. Gibson had three hits including a double and Harris had three as well. The final score was 8-0.212

Sunday, August 23: Homestead Grays 8, Sweaney Bakers 2, game two of doubleheader, at Lakeside Park, Canton, Ohio

Second verse, nearly the same as the first, with the Grays taking the nightcap 8-2. Sweaney scored first to take a brief lead, 1-0, but the Grays put two on the board in the second, followed by six more in the middle innings, to give Oscar Owens a comfortable lead. Everyone but Charleston and Owens had hits for the Grays.213

Monday, August 24: Homestead Grays 15, Rocky Grove 1, at Miller Sibley Field, Franklin, Pennsylvania

Homestead could have taken the sequence of games after the big series with Baltimore lightly, but it didn’t show. Franklin, about 85 miles north of Pittsburgh was the venue against Rocky Grove, a team in the Intercity League of northern Pennsylvania. The local storylines are often the most revealing. Wrote the News-Herald of Franklin, “The largest crowd of the season, gathered at Miller-Sibley Field on Monday evening, did not see a ball game, but they did see some big-league technique as the Homestead Grays defeated Rocky Grove 15-1 and apparently could have made it 100-1.”214

The more compelling narrative from the paper, one that did not surface much in the reporting of the Negro League game by the papers generally was this: “The lineup of the team brought here by Manager Cum Posey undoubtedly boasts quite a number who would be in the National or American League were it not for the color line.”215 As for the game itself, there were plenty, Wilson, Scales, and two by Harris. And two triples by Wilson. Rocky Grove scored a single run in the first off Willie Foster, who was the only Gray not to get a hit. Maybe his 15 strikeouts atoned for it.

Tuesday, August 25: Homestead Grays 15, Beaver 6, at Beaver, Pennsylvania

The Grays made up for their early August loss at the same ballpark by defeating the Beaver Grays 15-6. Smokey Joe was on the mound for Homestead, and other than allowing five runs in the third, cruised. Homestead had 14 hits, with everyone in the line up getting at least one, including homers by Scales and Gibson.216 The game was called after five innings due to rain.

Wednesday, August 26: Homestead Grays 3, Washington Eagles 0, at Washington, Pennsylvania

Washington is about 30 miles southwest of Pittsburgh and was the venue for a game against the local semipro team Washington Eagles. The game was a rain-shortened, official five-inning contest. It was important to say it was official because Double Duty Radcliffe threw a no-hitter. The Grays, for their part, scored all their runs in the first when the rain first began. “Josh Gibson’s homer in the first inning provided the Grays’ tallies.”217

Thursday, August 27: Homestead Grays 16, Frank Harl’s 5, at Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania

Yes, that Punxsutawney, the home of Groundhog Phil, even in 1931. Eighty miles northeast of Pittsburgh, and an even longer drive since the Grays were coming from Washington, Pennsylvania south of Pittsburgh. The Grays came to Punxsutawney to play the local semipro team, Frank Harl’s nine. After the 16-5 demolition, the local paper, Spirit, wrote “The Harl team played a good game, but were simply outclassed.”218 Gibson had the day off, Radcliffe caught, and Lefty Williams played in left. Oscar Owens substituted for Harris in center. And Roy Williams, the 17-year-old bookend to Smokey Joe who was three times Roy’s age, struck out 10. Scales and Owens cleared the fences.

Friday, August 28: Kansas City Monarchs 6, Homestead Grays 5, at League Park, Akron, Ohio

The Pittsburgh Courier offered its readers their roadmap for the long-awaited series between the Grays and the Kansas City Monarchs. “The strong Kansas City Monarchs…will be the guests of honor Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader at Forbes Field which promises to bring out the banner crowd of the season. The two games here will be part of a five-game series, the first of which will be played at Akron, O. Thursday night [sic, it was Friday August 28], and the fourth and fifth in Cleveland’s new stadium.”219 The Monarchs featured a solid lineup managed by Bullet Rogan with Turkey Stearnes and John Donaldson supported by Frank Duncan, Newt Allen, Newt Joseph, Dink Mothell, and pitchers Charlie Beverly, Chet Brewer, and Army Cooper.

Game one was close, four all after eight innings. The Grays scored their first four runs on homers, a solo shot by Charleston in the first and a three-run homer by Gibson in the third. Miscues by the Grays contributed to Kansas City’s scoring in both the fourth and ninth, putting KC up 6-4. Although the Grays scored a run on a double by Evans and a single by Jones in the bottom of the ninth, poor baserunning had Owens out at second trying to stretch a single into a double and Jones out at home on Charleston’s grounder to third. Final score, 6-5 KC.220

Saturday, August 29: Homestead Grays 9, Kansas City Monarchs 3, game one of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

The two teams drove back to Pittsburgh for their Saturday doubleheader at Forbes Field. Willie Foster had the better of the pitching duel over rival Chet Brewer. The Grays scored in four of the first five innings on Brewer, who gave up four triples to Homestead – Wilson (2), Charleston, and Scales. Foster threw eight of nine innings without a tally, giving up all three runs to KC in their half of the seventh, winning the game 9-3.221

Saturday, August 29: Homestead Grays 8, Kansas City Monarchs 1, game two of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

Game two had Homestead’s teenagers – Roy Williams and Josh Gibson – as battery mates in the 8-1 Grays triumph. Army Cooper pitched for the Monarchs and ceded the eight runs on eight hits, facilitated by Cooper’s three walks and two errors by Newt Allen. Gibson’s only hit was a triple and Page doubled in the second game as he had in game one.222

Back to Ohio, this time Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium for a Sunday doubleheader. It was all Homestead in game one – 9-1, led by Oscar Charleston’s four-hit game including three doubles, shared the hitting highlights with Evans who had a pair of triples. Lefty Williams kept the Monarchs in check on five hits and a single run in the sixth. Everyone in the Grays lineup except Gibson and Williams had one or more of Homestead’s 15 hits.223

Sunday, August 30: Kansas City Monarchs 8, Homestead Grays 1, game two of doubleheader, at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Southpaw Charlie Beverly, on one day’s rest, was the star in game two, spreading out the Grays’ nine hits and limiting them to a token run in the first in the Monarchs’ 8-1 victory. Newt Allen had four hits including two doubles. The Courier lauded the twin bill in its September 5 edition. “The doubleheader in Cleveland Sunday developed baseball of a highly sensational order; baseball of the kind seldom uncorked in the big leagues.” It cited a handful of highlights that substantiated their claim, noting that the fans “saw ’Turkey’ Stearnes crash a triple (it would have been over the fence at Forbes Field), the longest hit of the series, to the fence in right center.”224

It was quite a five-game series, with the Grays taking the match three games to two. The fans could not wait for the second installment in Kansas City in September.

Monday August 31: Homestead Grays 2, East Palestine 0, at East Palestine, Ohio

On the way back from Cleveland and their game with the Monarchs, Homestead stopped in East Palestine, Ohio, around 100 miles away, to play the local side. Worn down from their series against KC, the Grays coasted on Britt’s two-hit, five-strikeout, shutout performance. The box score showed no extra-base hits for Homestead, but did register two-hit performances by Harris, Wilson, and Gibson.225

The vicissitudes of scheduling games was exemplified by a report in Harrisburg’s Patriot News on August 19, stating that “a night game will be played on the Island, Monday August 31, between the Homestead Grays and the House of David traveling club.”226 It turns out the Grays went to Palestine instead.

The dog days of August were over with the Grays producing a 31-6 record, making their season totals 112-22-1.

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September

Tuesday, September 1: Homestead Grays 2, Kansas City Monarchs 1, at Lakeside Park, Canton, Ohio

In a nail-biter with both teams tallying a single run in the first, the Grays prevailed over KC in Canton, Ohio, 2 to 1. Army Cooper and Willie Foster threw gems, and it was the Grays that prevailed, scoring both of their runs in the first and the ninth on sacrifice flies.227

 

 

Wednesday, September 2: Homestead Grays v. House of David, at Island Field, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

For some reason, Cum Posey scheduled this game against the House of David in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 200 miles east of Pittsburgh, smack in between the Grays’ road trips to Ohio and Missouri. The Harrisburg papers originally had this game scheduled for August 31. The September 2 edition of Harrisburg’s Evening News promoted that evening’s contest. “For the first time since baseball players started to cavort over its spacious grounds, the Island Field will be bathed in artificial light as the House of David traveling club and the Homestead Grays, world-colored champions, meet tonight weather permitting at 8:30 o’clock in this city’s first night contest.”228

Weather did not permit. “A steady rain throughout yesterday afternoon and evening soaked the grounds to such an extent as to cause cancellation of the scheduled night game between the House of David and Homestead Grays baseball teams.”229

Thursday, September 3: Homestead Grays 10, Pittsburgh All-Stars 1, at Pittsburgh

Assuming the Grays made the trip to Harrisburg, only to find there would not be a game, they would have put quite a few miles on their touring cars going from Tuesday’s game against Kansas City in Canton to Harrisburg and then return to Pittsburgh. Back in Pittsburgh, the Grays thumped a collection of All-Stars from Pittsburgh teams, 10-1. Details on where the All-Stars were recruited from, and the location of the game are absent. Roy and Smokey Joe Williams shared pitching duties with the latter giving up the opposition’s only run in the bottom of the last frame. Homestead smashed 15 hits, including seven doubles. Harris led the way with three hits.230

Friday, September 4: travel day

In the Stars-Grays series preview, the September 4 St. Louis Argus headlined that the Grays would be playing a six-game series with the Stars. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirmed the six-game schedule, noting that after the Labor Day doubleheader between the two teams (games three and four of the series so far), “the teams are scheduled to play night games Tuesday and Wednesday at 8 o’clock.”231 The Pittsburgh Courier announced the Grays “western tour” in its September 5 paper, noting that the Grays were “opening a series in St. Louis Saturday [the number of games to be played was not identified]. From there they go into Kansas City for a series before heading this way again.”232 These storylines set the context for the series that was to follow.

Saturday, September 5: St. Louis Stars 19, Homestead Grays 2, at Stars Park, St. Louis

Somehow, the Grays made it to St. Louis, 600 miles away to play the Stars on Saturday. The journey delivered an exhausted Homestead squad unable to compete against St. Louis and the Grays suffered their worst loss of the season, 19-2. The St. Louis Argus headlines previewing the upcoming series hyped that “Oscar Charleston and Pittsburgh Team to Test Stars in Six Games.”233 In the Argus’s view, “ the outcome of the games [including a matchup between Kansas City and St. Louis the night before the series with the Grays] should determine the rightful claimant to the colored baseball championship of the world.”234 Happily, the Argus celebrated St. Louis’s first victory in its September 11 edition, declaring that the Stars “completely outclassed the Homestead Grays to carry off a 19-2 victory at Stars Park.”235 The loss was a Grays team effort; little hitting aside from a Wilson homer, a host of errors and misplays, and lackluster pitching by Roy and Lefty Williams. Radcliffe mopped up after having caught most of the game. Gibson played in center.236

Sunday, September 6: Homestead Grays 6, St. Louis Stars 2, at Stars Park, St. Louis

There was no rest for the weary, so the Grays took the field again on Sunday to try to even things up. Thanks to Smokey Joe Williams’ effective performance on the mound and at bat, the Grays took game two, 6-2. The Pittsburgh Courier conveniently omitted the 19-2 box score from the day before but found room in the paper for the summary of the Grays’ victory in the second game. “The sterling pitching of Smoky Joe Williams” wrote the Courier, “was the feature of the Sunday tilt, the Old Master holding the hard-hitting Missourians to two hits. Wilson helped out the speed artist with his bat, by smashing a home run and a double. Scales also hit a four-base wallop.”237

Monday, September 7: St. Louis Stars 9, Homestead Grays 5, game one of doubleheader, at Stars Park, St. Louis

In game one of the Labor Day doubleheader, Stars hurlers Leroy Matlock and Ted Trent held the Grays to seven hits, including a homer by Willie Foster. Foster gave up a dozen hits to the Stars, including home runs by Mule Suttles and Cool Papa Bell. The game was reasonably close after six innings, 5-3 in favor of St. Louis, but the Stars put the game away in the late innings with two runs each in the seventh and eighth to win 9 to 5.238

Monday, September 7: Homestead Grays 8, St. Louis Stars 5, game two of doubleheader, at Stars Park, St. Louis

The Grays took the second game of the doubleheader by winning the nightcap, 8-5. Charleston’s two hits were extra bases – a triple and a homer. Britt threw a four-hitter and kept the Stars contained well enough to ensure the victory. Another example of conflicting box scores allotted Cool Papa Bell either one or two hits.239 Phil Dixon’s account of the game noted that the Grays took a bus (rather than use their touring cars) after the series to Kansas City to take on the Monarchs.240

Tuesday, September 8: Homestead Grays 24, St. Louis Stars 12 at Stars Park, St. Louis

The St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported on the doubleheader split on the 7th in its September 8 paper, ending the story by writing, “the same clubs will clash tonight.”241 The September 12 Courier carried a front-page story that stated “The Homestead Grays defeated the St. Louis Stars at St. Louis Tuesday [September 8], 24 to 12, thus making the count three wins for the locals and two for the Stars.”242 The 24-12 outpouring of runs was pretty significant, but no box score for this game has yet been found and there is no indication of who might have contributed to the offensive production from both teams.

Wednesday, September 9: Homestead Grays Win, St. Louis Stars Lose, at Stars Park in St. Louis (final score not available)

The September 19 Pittsburgh Courier wrote “after taking four out of six from the St. Louis Stars, the invincible Homestead Grays made their western swing a perfect victory loop by winning six of the nine games played against the strong Kansas City Monarch nine.”243 In the September 18 edition of the St. Louis Argus, Richard Jackson’s column “Sports Highlights,” refers to the six-game series, noting “local baseball fans were disappointed by the poor showing of the St. Louis Stars in their series with the Homestead Grays last week, in which they lost four games out of six.”244 Jackson was particularly frustrated with Stars manager John Reese for his leadership, or lack thereof. The Argus did not offer scores of the missing fifth and sixth games.

Given that the hometown papers of both teams noted a Grays victory in the sixth and final game of the series, despite the absence of a score, the Grays get credit for the win.

Thursday, September 10: travel day

The Grays traveled over 250 miles westward on the roads of the day (no interstate from them) to Kansas City for a three-game series with the Monarchs.

Friday, September 11: no game scheduled

Saturday, September 12: Kansas City Monarchs 8, Homestead Grays 7, at Muehlebach Field, Kansas City

KC outlasted the Grays in the first game of the series, 12-8, accumulating five runs in the first helped by five hits and four Grays errors. Down 8-2 going into the eighth, the Grays made a game of it, chasing starter Army Cooper and his replacement Brown. But the Grays, while managing five runs in the inning, were stifled by the Monarchs’ third pitcher of the day, Beverly, to hold on for the KC win. Lefty Williams took the loss.245

Sunday, September 13: Homestead Grays 7, Kansas City Monarchs 5, game one of doubleheader, at Muehlebach Field, Kansas City

“Indifferent outfielding was responsible for the loss of both games, hits that should have been held to singles being allowed to trickle through for expensive doubles and triples.”246 The Kansas City Times lamented the Monarchs’ twin-bill loss to the Grays, disinclined to credit the Grays for the wins as much as disparage the Monarchs for beating themselves. Willie Foster pitched well, other than being nicked for four in the sixth by some timely Monarchs hitting. None of the three pitchers for KC could contain the Grays.

Sunday, September 13: Homestead Grays 8, Kansas City Monarchs 4, game two of doubleheader, at Muehlebach Field, Kansas City

Once again, according to the Kansas City Times, the Monarchs “beat themselves.” “The box score tells the story of the second game. Outhit eight to six, the Monarchs also made four expensive errors to none by the Grays.”247 The box score also showed a solid performance by Williams and then Britt, six hits allowed, as mentioned and only a four-spot in the bottom of the fifth. The Grays and Monarchs played a total of nine games in 1931 with the Grays winning two-thirds of them for a 6-3 margin.

Monday, September 14: travel day

Tuesday, September 15: travel day

Wednesday, September 16: Homestead Grays v. Altoona Penn Central, at Maple Avenue Grounds, Altoona

After making their way back from Missouri, the Grays arrived in Altoona only to see their game with Penn Central rained out. Wrote the Altoona Tribune “Old Sol forgot to keep his date with the Homestead Grays and Penn Central teams last evening at the Maple Avenue field, with the result that the game scheduled was not started on account of the showers and wet grounds.”248

Thursday, September 17: Homestead Grays 2, Penn Central 1, at Saxton, Pennsylvania

Inclement weather continued in central Pennsylvania, curtailing the second of the two scheduled games with Penn Central, this time in Saxton, Pennsylvania a little over 30 miles southeast of Altoona. Saxton was a coal mining town and had a railroad hub to go with it. Despite its small size, 4,000 fans gathered to watch the rain-shortened game between the two sides. According to the Altoona Tribune, “Jim Skelton and George Britt staged a pitcher’s battle for six innings and then the rain broke up the game with Homestead Grays leading Penn Central 2-1.”249 Both teams scored their runs in the fifth. Homestead assembled a single, double, and a walk, before Wilson plated two runners on a fielding error by PC. The home team’s rally in the bottom of the frame came up short. And then the rain came. “It had been sprinkling, and it was getting dark,” wrote the Tribune. Game over after six innings.

Friday, September 18: Homestead Grays 21, Ernest 0, at Ernest, Pennsylvania

Ernest, Pennsylvania was a little over halfway back to Pittsburgh, around 80 miles from Saxton, and a convenient stopping point for a game against the local semiprofessional outfit. The game was a one-sided slugfest in favor of Homestead, 21-0. Proud as it probably was of the local squad, the Indiana Gazette from nearby Indiana, Pennsylvania did not mince words. “The Ernestians failed to garner even one little lonesome run and only five hits. The Grays came across with 21 runs and 19 hits. Home runs there were a plenty.”250 The homers came off the bats of Gibson (2), Scales, Page, and Charleston. Roy and Smokey Joe Williams split pitching duties, Radcliffe caught, and Gibson played in left.

Saturday, September 19: Homestead Grays 12, Baltimore Black Sox 10, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland

The season was drawing to a close and left on the calendar there was one more big series against arch-rivals Baltimore. The teams organized a gargantuan 11-game series in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, beginning on Saturday September 19 in Cleveland and concluding a week later in Pittsburgh. Records for either a single game or a doubleheader in Charleston, West Virginia on Thursday September 24 have not yet been found, although the Charleston Gazette announced a game was to take place that evening.

From Homestead’s perspective, a lot was riding on this series. According to the Courier, “After beating Hilldale in the East, Kansas City and St. Louis in the West, rated as outstanding teams in their particular sectors, if the Grays are able to decisively beat the Blacksox who claim for recognition, they will have an unquestioned claim to the mythical colored national baseball championship.”251

Sunday, September 20: Homestead Grays 5, Baltimore Black Sox 1, game one of doubleheader, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland

In the huge expanse of Municipal Stadium, the Grays took game one from Baltimore 5-1. Smokey Joe Williams had one of his best games of the season, yielding just a single run in the fifth. Britt finished the game for Homestead to serve up a combined seven-strikeout five-hitter against a Black Sox team fortified with Martin Dihigo and Rap Dixon. In the only two games captured by Seamheads for him in 1931, Orville Singer appeared in both games as the left fielder for Homestead, garnering a hit in each.252

Sunday, September 20: Baltimore Black Sox 15, Homestead Grays 5, game two of doubleheader, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland

Game two was a different story. The Black Sox made mincemeat of the three Grays pitchers they faced, Roy Williams, Lefty Williams, and Radcliffe. They were shelled for 19 hits that Baltimore used to assemble its 15 runs, scoring at will. Another recent Baltimore recruit, pitcher Henry Gillespie, justified his salary by keeping the Grays in check.253

Monday, September 21: Homestead Grays 11, Baltimore Black Sox 0, at Fair Grounds, Clarion, Pennsylvania

The 11-0 win put the Grays up three games to one in the season-ending series. Roy Williams threw a gem, allowing eight hits, just one for extra bases. Only Martin Dihigo, one of Baltimore’s imported ringers performed at the plate with a pair of hits. The Grays’ only homer came from an unlikely source, Ted Radcliffe. Gibson was in left, as he sometimes was late in the season, and had two hits. The Grays’ four-run fourth was more than enough for the win against Yokely and Lee.254

Tuesday, September 22: Homestead Grays 8, Baltimore Black Sox 6, game one of doubleheader, at Norwood Park, Clarksburg, West Virginia

Clarksburg, West Virginia is 100 plus miles south of Pittsburgh and on the way to Parkersburg where the following game of the series was to take place. According to Phil Dixon, the doubleheader was sponsored by the American Legion’s local chapter. Seamheads has confirmed that a box score for this game has not yet been found. Homestead won the first game 8-6, shortened by rain to a seven-inning contest.255

Tuesday, September 22: Homestead Grays 18, Baltimore Black Sox 6, game two of doubleheader, at Norwood Park, Clarksburg, West Virginia

Seamheads has likewise confirmed that no box score has yet to be found for this game; the score in the local papers was an 18-6 blowout by the Grays. It sure would be good to know how the Grays produced their combined 26 runs for the two games.256

Wednesday, September 23: Baltimore Black Sox 5, Homestead Grays 1, at Parkersburg, West Virginia

Baltimore’s acquisition of Rap Dixon paid off, for this game anyway. Dixon figured out Lefty Williams early, hitting a triple and a homer. The top four Black Sox each nabbed a pair of hits from Williams, concentrated in the first two innings, when Baltimore scored all their runs. Williams put a lid on things afterwards, but the Grays could only manage a single run on four singles and Evans’ double off Gillespie, falling to Baltimore 5-1.257

 

Thursday, September 24: Homestead Grays v. Baltimore Black Sox, one or two games, at Kanawha Park, Charleston, West Virginia

The Charleston Gazette wrote on September 4 “One of four games to be played for the Colored baseball championship of the east will take place tonight at Kanawha Park when the Homestead Grays will meet the Baltimore Black Sox.”258 No record for either one or two games has yet been found.

Friday, September 25: travel day

 

 

Saturday, September 26: Homestead Grays 3, Baltimore Black Sox 2, game one of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

In a fitting finale to the season, the Post Gazette wrote that “The Homestead Grays are going to write some more sandlot baseball history this afternoon and tonight when they will participate in three games. They will meet the Baltimore Blacksox in a doubleheader this afternoon at Forbes Field, the first battle to commence at 2:15 o’clock, and as soon as the twin bill is completed the Poseymen will head for Johnstown where a night game will be staged with a team of Mid-Atlantic league players on the Point Ground.”259 Johnstown is about 70 miles from Pittsburgh, more than an two-hour drive back in the day. It could be done!

Things got off on the right foot for Homestead, tweaking the Black Sox in game one of the doubleheader, 3-2. It was the debut of Satchel Paige as a Gray, signed in part due to Willie Foster’s departure to the Kansas City Monarchs for the remainder of the season.260 The Courier announced Paige’s signing in its September 26 weekly paper. “Satchell Paige former Pittsburgh Crawford ace, who beat the Grays this season, will appear in a Grays uniform and oppose Baltimore in one of the games here Saturday.”261

Saturday, September 26: Homestead Grays 2, Baltimore Black Sox 2, game two of doubleheader, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh

There were no lights at Forbes Field, requiring the game to be called due to darkness tied at two. Only the second tie score for the Grays all season, the tie meant that the Grays-Black Sox season ended in favor of Homestead, 14-8-1. Both pitchers performed well, Roy Williams for Homestead and Laymon Yokely for Baltimore. The Black Sox got the early lead, but Homestead tied the game in the fifth to salvage the tie. Gibson was the only Gray to collect two hits.262

And it now meant the Grays could jump into their touring cars and head to Johnstown for the third game of the doubleheader. Baltimore and Homestead played 23 games against each other in 1931, and would have played more, weather permitting. The heavyweight battle ended in the Grays’ favor, 14-8-1.

Saturday, September 26: Homestead Grays 4, Johnstown 2, at Point Stadium, Johnstown, Pennsylvania

There were lights at Point Stadium so that the game could be played, but there was no explicit mention of them in the game stories. The contest may have started around 9:00 pm. The Grays faced an amalgam of all-stars from the Middle Atlantic League, including Mule Watson, who accounted for all Johnstown’s scoring with two solo homers in the seventh and ninth. George Scales hit his own round tripper in the third to drive in two in a three-run inning after Gibson tripled and scored on a pass ball in the second. After a long day of baseball, Britt was able to contain the opposition, save for Watson’s homers, for a 4-2 win.263

Sunday, September 27: Homestead Grays v. Erie, at Erie, Pennsylvania

The Post Gazette wrote in its Saturday September 26 paper that “Sunday the Grays will play at Erie.”264 No record has yet been found for this game.

Monday, September 28: no game scheduled

Tuesday, September 29: no game scheduled

Wednesday, September 30: Homestead Grays 3, Yatesboro 1, at Yatesboro, Pennsylvania

The Post Gazette wrote in its coverage of this game “The Homestead Grays, playing their final game in the Pittsburgh district, yesterday defeated the team at Yatesboro by the score of 3 to 1.”265 Yatesboro was a little over 50 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in rural PA. As was happening from time to time in the latter half of the season, Radcliffe spelled Gibson behind the plate. Gibson did not skip a beat while in left field, collecting a double. Both teams had 10 hits, but Britt did a better job of spreading out Yatesboro’s while the Grays scored single runs in the first, second, and third innings, enough to ensure victory.

September was now in the books and the Grays scrabbled for a 16-5-1 record with all their losses coming against Negro League teams. This now brought their season record to 128-27-2, a winning percentage of an otherworldly .815.

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October

A glorious season was in the books. All that was left for Cum Posey was to find a postseason matchup for his Grays against a White all-star team. This was common for teams—Black and White—to schedule games against one another after the end of the regular season. It was a way to create more publicity, generate more revenue, and to establish bragging rights.

First reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and after the conclusion of the Grays-Black Sox series that had validated Homestead’s claim as national colored champions: “A team composed of Clevelanders who are playing or have played major and minor league ball will meet the famous Homestead Grays at the Stadium Sunday afternoon [October 3] at 2:45.”266 The team would be led by former major leaguers George Uhle and Steve O’Neill. “Uhle and ‘O’Neil (sic) armed a great Cleveland Indian battery several years ago,” added the Plain Dealer.267

The Cleveland Press’s story listed the All-Stars who would play against the Grays and what their affiliations were. The article is worth reproducing in full to identify the Grays’ opposition.

The baseball season in Cleveland isn’t over yet. Sunday afternoon [October 3] the famous Homestead Grays colored team will be opposed in the Stadium by an all-star team organized by former Cleveland catcher Steve O’Neill.

Among those who will play O’Neill’s team will be George Uhle, former Indian; Frank Doljack, Cleveland sandlotter and now with Detroit; Dutch Henry, local pitcher with St. Paul; Elmer Smith, the Indian who hit the home run with the bases full in the 1920 series; Frank Brower, local sandlotter who belongs to Detroit, Johnny Mihalic who made good with Toronto this year; Glenn Liebhardt, Cleveland boy owned by the Athletics, and other professional players.

The Homestead Grays, one of the greatest teams in the history of the game, are recognized as national-colored champions.268

Having just played the Black Sox in Cleveland, and given its frequent appearances in northern Ohio, Posey’s quick arrangement to take on an “easy to assemble,” Cleveland-centric White team was understandable. He might have been exploring other options as well, but there is no evidence of it. The ensuing 18-0 rout by the Grays didn’t say much about the assembled all-stars, except that they weren’t up to the challenge.

Halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh is East Palestine, Ohio. On the way home from their win against O’Neill’s All-Stars, the Grays played one more game. It was against a team styled as Mickey Flynn’s Independents played at Peace Valley Park. Anticlimactically, the Grays lost this game 7-5. They were down 7-1 until scoring four runs in the top of the ninth to make it close. There is only a line score available from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and therefore no indication of who played for Homestead. The brief story in the Post-Gazette listed R. Williams and H. Williams as the battery, indicating that Josh Gibson was not behind the plate and may not have played in the game at all. The East Liverpool Review ran a longer story with no line nor box score, adding only that Smokey Joe Williams started the game for the Grays and was eventually relieved by Roy Williams.269

 

 

A more competitive game between a Black baseball team and White all-stars took place the day after the Grays won in Cleveland. The game was in Kansas City when the Monarchs, now fortified by lefty Willie Foster, defeated “Cot” Tierney’s All-Stars. The All-Stars included Heinie Meine and Lloyd Waner and Paul Waner, all of the Pirates. Foster tossed a complete-game nine-hitter, holding the All-Stars to three runs in the Monarchs’ 4-3 victory.270 Big-leaguer Babe Herman was also in the lineup for the All-Stars, who outhit the Monarchs nine to six, but came up short in the run column against Foster.271

It was rumored that Negro League rivals Hilldale wished to have another series with the Grays to decide which team was the best. According to W. Rollo Wilson, Pittsburgh Courier sports columnist “Philadelphia fans would like to see the Grays in a few more games…and the writer, too, would love to see such a series, but Posey long ago took the stand that he would play no “championship” series with any team which was bolstered by the addition of players who had not been with the team throughout the season. In other words, he would object, and rightly so, to the added presence of [Red] Ryan and [Webster] McDonald in the Hilldale lineup [as intended by Hilldale].272

Back to the 18-0 shellacking. Not all the Grays either wanted or could assemble for the October 3 game in Cleveland. In fact, four Pittsburgh Crawfords joined forces with the Grays holdovers to make up a side. They included pitcher Sam Streeter, first baseman Pete Washington, second baseman John Henry Russell, and third baseman Chester Williams. Homesteaders Radcliffe, Stevens, Gibson, Evans, and Page rounded out the starting nine. The box score from the Pittsburgh Courier offered a good look at the one-sided affair. The Grays had 20 hits, including two homers by Gibson, a double and a triple by Pete Washington, a triple by Page, and doubles by Stevens and Russell. Streeter held the All-Stars scoreless on eight hits Not much more could be said. None of the All-Stars were contemporary stars. The battery of Uhle and O’Neill had seen better days with the Indians. Dutch Henry, who played for the Browns, Dodgers, Giants, and White Sox and was not currently on a big-league roster, took over the pitching duties for the All-Stars in the fourth inning. Shootz [Carl Schoof] came in and pitched the final three innings to mop up. Both fared as poorly as Uhle, who had given up six runs in his three frames.273

The Cleveland game may have embellished the Grays’ accomplishments, but it was not necessary to garner the accolades that began to roll in. They started with Posey’s own pronouncement in the Courier, “For the first time since Hilldale defeated Kansas City in the Colored World Series of 1925, there is an undisputed National Championship team of the United States. And there is occasion for a little vanity when I say the Homestead Grays were the champions of 1931.”274

Posey used the Courier platform to announce, as he did from time to time, the Colored All-Star team, chosen from Black clubs around the country. Unlike 1930, when he named only two Grays to the assemblage (Vic Harris and Judy Johnson), this year’s team had six Grays: Gibson, Charleston, Wilson, Foster, Radcliffe, and Smokey Joe Williams. Baltimore, Hilldale, Kansas City, and St. Louis together only had six. And in a nod to up and coming cross-town rivals, the Crawfords, he named pitchers Streeter, Paige, and Flournoy to the squad. To be fair, one could not make an argument against any of the six Grays on the list.275

Bill Gibson, sportswriter for the Afro-American in Baltimore where Negro League rivals the Black Sox resided had no beef with Cum Posey. “Posey claims the national baseball championship for the Grays. I throw my hat into the air at the selection for I believe the Pennsylvanian team of 1931 to be undisputed claimant to these mythical honors.”276

Perhaps the last word on the Grays season should come from Kansas City, the home of an equally proud baseball franchise, the Kansas City Monarchs. Its unsigned column on October 15 reflected on Kansas City’s reasonably successful season. “Recently they played a team made up of All-Stars from the Major leagues and made them sick and sorry [see the 4-3 game previously described]. The Monarchs have mastered every white team against whom they have played. The only bunch of Athletes showing superiority over the Monarchs is the famous Homestead Grays of Pennsylvania, also Negroes. If given a sportsman’s chance, ten to one, the greatest baseball players of today and for the past ten years would be found among the Negro clubs.”277

SEASON SUMMARY

In the October 29, 1931, edition of the Philadelphia Tribune, the city’s Black weekly, the paper ran an article titled “Hilldale Shuns Eastern League for New Circuit.” The article read in part “Posey is manager of the 1931 Homestead Grays team which won 143 games, lost 22, and tied 2 last season including victories over the best colored clubs in America.”278 How did the Tribune arrive at this record? Phil Dixon’s assiduous study of the Grays 1931 season identified 128 victories, plus “seven more encounters which are assumed to be Grays’ victories were also located. Thus, we are unable to account for only eight wins from the 1931 season.”279 Regarding the losses, Dixon continued “According to our research, 1931’s Homestead Grays lost twenty-nine games.”280 His calculation for tie games agreed with the Philadelphia Tribune: June 3, a 6-6 tie against the Butler All-Stars and September 26, a 2-2 tie against the Baltimore Black Sox.

All owe Phil Dixon a debt of gratitude for his trailblazing work. The timeline in this book, mindful of Dixon’s framework, has benefited from and was created, game by game using contemporary online archival resources and the work of Seamheads, which has established a baseline for Negro League level games that can be substantiated for record keeping purposes. As needed, Dixon’s work offered important context and the basis for comparison, where needed, when accounts diverged. The variance between this timeline and Phil Dixon’s 128 identified Grays wins relates to five games.

First, contemporary resources have unearthed two semipro games the Dixon’s book had not been able to locate at the time:

• May 21: Homestead Grays defeated Book Shoe, 15-0, based on the box score found in the May 22, 1931 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.281
• June 2: Homestead Grays defeated Reliance Life, 10-4, based on the box score found in the June 3, 1931 edition of the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph.282

These two wins are added to the total Grays wins and losses against semipro teams.

Second, is the exclusion of a speculated Grays victory of the Baltimore Black Sox in the cluster of Homestead-Baltimore games beginning on September 19 and ending on September 26. The timeline credits the Grays with a record of 6-2-1 in that last sequence of Grays/Black Sox games, based on currently available evidence. Dixon’s research suggested the record could have been 7-2-1. This is quite possible; this timeline has opted instead just to list all dates when the Grays and Black Sox played or were to have played, showing game results when available, and otherwise indicating the absence thus far of any definitive information on the outcome of Homestead’s contest versus Baltimore on September 24 in Charleston, West Virginia.

Third, there is strong evidence that the Grays played a six-game series against the St. Louis Stars from September 5 to 9 in St. Louis, winning the last two games, despite the availability of corroborating box scores. On September 8, the Grays won 24-12 and on September 9, both the St. Louis Argus and Pittsburgh Courier note a Homestead victory, but without listing the score or providing a box score. Based on this information, this timeline accredits the Grays with these two victories while Dixon does not.

In summary, starting from Dixon’s 128 wins, this timeline adds the two semi-pro wins, subtracts one win against the Black Sox, and adds two wins against the Stars, arriving at 131.

Regarding the total losses, this timeline agrees with Dixon that more losses need to be added to the 22 the Tribune cited. The Grays lost 19 games to Negro League opponents, two to White minor league teams, and seven to semipro teams for a total of 28. This is one fewer than Dixon’s for the same reason cited earlier regarding the win total. A potential additional loss to the Black Sox is not included out of an abundance of caution, given the lack of information. As a result, rather than the Grays playing 25 games against Baltimore, this timeline shows a 23-game series against with Homestead winning 14, losing 8, with one tie. Finally, the Tribune, Dixon, and this timeline all have two ties in the books.

 

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Homestead Grays v. Negro League Teams

The Grays played an independent schedule in 1931 and significantly incorporated their primary Negro League rivals into it. Here is their record against each competitor.