Johnson, in the course of his career, participated in no less than 64 1-0 games, winning 38 and losing 26 (including two in relief). He took part in twice as many minimum scoring contests as any other hurler. Not counted is his classic 12-inning 0-0 tie game with Jack Quinn of the Yankees on May 11, 1919. Quinn gave up 10 hits, including one to Johnson, and the Big Train gave up only two in 12 frames. He retired 28 men in a row (George Halas of later football fame going 0-5), but the Nats couldn’t get him any runs.

The longest 1-0 game for Johnson was his 18-inning win over Claude Williams of the White Sox on May 15, 1918. He also had three that went 15 innings and five others that went overtime. Walter also had a half dozen 1-0 losses in extra time. In the 11-inning game of July 29, 1918 at Chicago, he pitched only the last 1 and 2/3 innings in relief of Harry Harper and was the loser.

Thirty-four different hurlers were Johnson victims, with Doc White, Addie Joss, John Wyckoff, and A. Rankin Johnson being double losers. Twenty-one pitchers defeated the Washington star, with Ed Walsh and Babe Ruth each winning three times, and Ray Collins twice. It is interesting to note that although George Sisler won only 5 games in his career, one was a 1-0 thriller over Johnson in 1916. Following is a complete listing of Johnson’s 1-0 games.

1-0 games won (38)

1-0 games lost (26)

* Left game because of sore arm; replaced by C. Smith.

** Lost in relief; Harry Harper started game.

*** Left for pinch hitter in 8th; Ray Francis pitched ninth inning in relief.

Ken Sanders of Milwaukee appeared in 83 games in 1971, which is no record, but he finished 77 of these games, and that is a major league mark. This pairs him off with oldtimer William White of the 1879 Cincinnati club who set the all-time mark with 74 starts. But who pitched the most games in a season neither starting or finishing? In 1965 Jim Dickson of Kansas City was “middleman” 48 times in 68 games, and Dan McGinn of Montreal equaled that mark in 1969 In 74 total gases.

As we ramble down the base lines to review Cobb’s many records, we come across numerous, amazing feats that confounded his opponents.  Probably the most unusual feat of Cobb is his record of stealing home-base 32 times in regular season play (plus one time in a world series).  Only two others — Johnny Evers and Frank Schulte – come anywhere near the fast-moving Tiger with 21 steals each.  Their records were made primarily in the days of Frank Chance’s great Chicago Cub teams which were known for their aggressiveness on the basepaths.

In looking over the list of Cobb’s steals of home, one of the first things to be noted is that they are well distributed over his career, with the high of six coming in 1915 when he set his American League record of 96 stolen bases.   On June 18 of that year, Cobb stole home twice in one game against the Nats, once in the first inning and again in the fifth.  The Detroit victory, by a 5-3 margin, indicated the importance of those two runs.   Washington had two catchers in this game because Dutch Henry left with a spike wound after Cobb slid home in the first inning.   Joe Boehling was on the hill during both steals and thus became one of only two hurlers to suffer through two thefts of home by Cobb.  The other was Ray Caldwell of the Yankees.  The second time it happened to Caldwell, on June 4, 1915, he was so angry at the call of safe by Umpire O’Loughlin that he threw his glove in the air..  He was quickly ejected from the game.  Cobb’s favorite catthers were Agnew, Ainsmith, Carrigan, Crouse, Hartley, Lapp, Nunamaker, and Picinich, each of whom had double embarrassment at the hands (and feet) of the elusive base thief.

Cobb had three spectacular days where he stole second, third, and home, in the same inning.   The first time was July 22, 1909, against the Red Sox, the second was July 12, 1911 against the A’s, and finally1 July 4, 1912 against the Browns.  In the 1911 game, he stole the three bases on consecutive pitches in a 9-0 Tiger romp.

Three times Cobb stole home as the lead man of a triple steal.  In 1915 he did it with Veach and Crawford; in 1919 with Heilmann and Shorten, and in 1927 with Simmons and Branom.  Cobb had four steals of home with the Athletics in 1927-28 when he was over 40.   Of these, his biggest day was April 26, 1927.   He collected three hits, including a double knocking in the winning run; he also walked and stole home in the seventh inning as the relief pitcher was about to deliver his first pitch.   This was considered quite a feat, considering that a left-hand batter, Jim Poole, was at the plate, giving the catcher full access to the 40-year old base runner.   In this same game, in the ninth inning, Cobb made a shoe-string catch in shallow right and trapped the runner off first in an unassisted double play that ended the game.   No wonder he was called the greatest all-around player!

Cobb mastered all of the tools of the trade to make him the greatest base runner in the game.   By his own statement, Cobb was not the fastest runner.   However, he was the smartest and most aggressive.   He studied pitcher’s deliveries constantly and developed the fall-away slide and some six other sliding maneuvers to foil the basemen.   He also led the opposition into traps, and feigned injuries to mislead the defense.

All of this was buttressed by his ability to apply psychology to any given situation that gave him the edge on the opposition.   As an example of this, we cite his steal of home in the 1909 World Series against the Pirates.   Victor Willis, a veteran hurler of considerable stature, came in as a reliever in the October 9 game. Cobb, on third, noted that Willis was concentrating on the batter.  This created the lull that Cobb needed and he dashed for home before Willis could gather his senses and throw to catcher George Gibson.

Any one who took his mind off Cobb when he was on the bases was inviting trouble.   On June 23, 1915, in a game against the Browns, Cobb was at second with Crawford atbat.   Sam tapped to the pitcher, lanky Grover Lowdermilk, who took a somersault going for the ball.    Cobb went to third on the play, and seeing the befuddled Lowdermilk sitting on the ground with the ball in his hand, romped home for a clean steal.

Cobb stole home in each month from April to October.  He sneaked home at least once in each inning except the second.  In eight games the run he scored stealing home proved to be the margin of victory.  That was really the way he played — to win– and all it took was one run.  The full list of his thefts of home-base is carried below:

Bold indicates World Series.

This article originally appeared in the 1972 “Baseball Research Journal.”

In 1971, Ron Hunt was hit by pitches a record 50 times. The season averages indicate that the number 2 player in that category in the NL was teammate Rusty Staub, who was hit only 9 times. This gave Hunt more than s 5-1 margin.

The prime examples of major league runaway races in the various batting departments since 1900 are shown below:

This article originally appeared in the 1972 “Baseball Research Journal.”

Thomas Francis Holmes, a chunky, slow-footed Brooklyn native, was a fine natural hitter. He had spent six years as a Yankee farmhand before joining Casey Stengel’s Boston Braves in 1942. For the next ten years he staked out right-field at old Braves’ Field, endearing himself to the fans with his easygoing manner, steady hitting, and his knack of turning routine fly balls into shoestring catches.

Holmes had his biggest year in 1945. He led the league in slugging percentage, hits, doubles, home runs, and total bases. He also led in fewest times struck out, 9, marking the only time in modern baseball that the home run leader was also the most difficult to fan.

Holmes’ streak began in Philadelphia on June 6, in a noteworthy series consisting of a twilight game, a night game, and a doubleheader. The Braves won all four, and Tommy went 10 for 21, raising his average to .390.

For the most of the season he had been using a 35 ounce, 13-year-old bat which Johnny Frederick had used to hit 6 pinch homers for the 1932 Dodgers. Del Bissonette, a Braves’ coach and an apple farmer, had collected a number of bats when he had been a player with the Dodgers; and the well-seasoned bats had been lying in an attic in Winthrop, Maine, for years until Bissonette brought them to Boston in the spring of 1945.

Another series at the end of the month, this time against the Cardinals, provided Holmes with an opportunity to extend his streak to 28 games and to raise his average to a heady .397. In those three games he went 7 for 10, hitting 4 homers and driving in 9 runs

The Braves met the Cubs on July 3 in Boston where Holmes broke the city’s major league record of 28 games set by George Netkovich with the Red Sox in 1944. And by singling three times against the Cubs’ ace Claude Passeau he raised his average to .403. But Holmes’ second single on a Passeau fork ball broke the 1932 bat he had been using; however, he singled again in the ninth with his own bat as the Braves bowed 24-2:

Holmes was one game short of tying Rogers Hornsby’s 1922 modern National League mark of 33 games when the Braves opened a doubleheader at home with the Pirates on July 6. A first inning double off Al Gerheauser tied the Hornsby mark, and another first inning double in the second game off Preacher Roe broke the 23-year-old record. If Holmes had been nervous, he showed no sign of it as he hit each double on first pitches. The umpires collected both balls and presented them to him as a rain-soaked crowd of 8,494 Braves’ fans cheered wildly.

The new record intact, Holmes’ streak went to 35 games the next day thanks to the first break he had had since June 6. A bad bounce single off Pirate first baseman Prank Col- man’s glove in the fourth inning saved Holmes who went on to hit in two more games with the Pirates. The All-Star break found him with a .401 average and 37 consecutive games.

The Braves faced the Cubs in a doubleheader on July 12 in Chicago. With Hank Wyse feeding the Braves sinker balls and sliders before 30,000 fans, Holmes drove “Peanuts” Lowery to the left field wall with a line shot in the first inning which the speedy Cub hauled in. He grounded out to second base in the 4th and 6th innings, and the streak was finally broken in the 9th when Tommy grounded weakly back to the box and Wyse completed his 6-1 victory, a sparkling 3-hitter. Paradoxically enough, Wrigley Field should have been

a good park for a hitter like Holmes, but the Braves’ slugger had only hit .150 there up to the fateful July 12 game.

Outside of the Boston newspapers, little notice had been taken of Holmes’ shattering of Rogers Hornsby’s mark, and even less when his own streak was stopped. Although he set four offensive Braves’ records in 1945, he lost the batting title late in the season, .352 to .355, to Phil Cavarretta, the long-time Cubs’ first baseman.

The Boston sportswriters made up for any lack of attention to Holmes’ achievement elsewhere by awarding him the Peter F. Kelley memorial plaque as the city’s outstanding player for the year. The Braves and their fans rewarded their hero with one of the most highly prized objects imaginable in the last of the war years, a new Ford sedan.

In summary, Holmes went to bat 156 times in his 37-game streak. He collected 66 hits, giving him a batting average of .423. This compares to the .408 average compiled by Willie Keeler in his oldtime National League record of 44 consecutive games in 1897. Holmes’ extra-base hits included 11 doubles, 3 triples, and 9 homers. He scored 43 runs and knocked in 42, while playing against all seven NL opponents. It was a truly fine performance.

This article originally appeared in the 1972 “Baseball Research Journal.”

Since 1901, when the American and National Leagues began operating simultaneously, through 1971 there have been a total of 374 triple plays in the majors, 188 in the AL and 186 in the NL. Detroit leads all teams with 30, followed by the Cards and Pirates with 26. Players at all fielding positions have participated in triple killings, although, as might be expected, outfielders seldom have a chance to get into the act. For the Tigers, the number of players taking part in a triple play has ranged from one (Johnny Neun on Nay 31, 1927) to five (Gehringer, York, Kress, Higgins, and Tebbetts on July 18, 1940). In the latter case, the Tigers ganged up on the batter, Marv Owen, a former teammate who was playing with the Red Sox.

What player has taken part in the most triple plays as a fielder? One of the slickest fielding shortstops of them all, Owen “Donie” Bush, took part in nine, eight with the Tigers and his last one as a member of the Nats. See below:

Bush also hit into one triple play, against the Browns on August 31, 1919. He thus ties George Sisler as the player participating in the most triple plays as a batter and as a fielder, 10. Sisler fielded in seven and batted into three.

More than 20 players have hit into triple plays at least twice, and Ty Cobb is numbered among them. As noted above, Sisler hit into three. The all-time leader (through 1971) is Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles, who hit into four triple plays in his career, as shown below:

• Related link: To view the SABR Triple Plays Database, click here.

This article originally appeared in the 1972 “Baseball Research Journal.”

This was the first homer ever hit in a regular game by the immortal Babe Ruth, and the box score deserves a place in every fan’s scrapbook. Ruth hit only one minor league homer, and this was it. After advancing to the majors he hit 714 regular season fourbaggers, plus 15 in World Series play, and one in the first All-Star game in 1933. This does not include an unknown number of exhibition game homers hit in almost every sizeable city in the U.S.

Let’s take a look at Ruth’s record in batting and pitching in 1914, his only minor league experience. He played with Baltimore and Providence and performed as follows:

Batting

Pitching

(Editor’s note: See Babe Ruth’s complete minor league record at Baseball-Reference.com.)

Note his strange distribution of extra-base hits, including 10 triples. It must have been a great year for triples because teammate Guy Tutwiler of Providence set the league record with 29. Other interesting names in the box score include Ray Powell, later a star with the Boston Braves, and the Onslow brothers, Ed and Jack, who was the Babe’s batterymate and later manager of the Chicago White Sox. Toronto’s line-up included former NL home run king Timothy Jordan.

Here is the box score of that historic game, Ruth’s one-hit shutout of Toronto, and his first, and his only minor league home run, September 5, 1914, in Toronto.

E-O’Hara, Fabrique. R-Platte, Shean, Tutwiler, Powell, Bauman 2, J. Onslow, Ruth 2. 2B-Powell, 3B-Platte, J. Onslow. HR-Ruth, BB-Off Johnson 5, Ruth 3. SO-By Johnson 3, Ruth 7. HBP-By Johnson 1, DP-Fitzpatrick to Jordon. SB-Fabrique. LOB-Toronto 4, Providence 7. Time: 1:30.

Umpires-Nallin and Hart.

As the late Hall of Fame historian Lee Allen once wrote in his popular “Cooperstown Corner” column in The Sporting News, “There have been others, over the years, who have tried to sort the facts concerning the game’s players, but it is a discouraging business. New players arrive in the National and American leagues at the rate of about 120 per year. Some of them are so obscure and remain so short a time that it is almost impossible to trace them. In recent years, with each club employing a public relations director, the task is fairly simple, but when you burrow into the past and try to identify some of the men who have played in the majors, the chase becomes futile. There are too many of these mysteries for one man to handle. Although it is generally believed that baseball history is well documented, the fact is that the early years are a thicket of vagueness and contradiction. If the game is ever going to clear a path through this jungle, it will have to be a cooperative effort.”

Just such a cooperative effort was described by the current Hall of Fame historian, Cliff Kachline, in SABR Bulletin No. 2. A smell group of researchers, referred to by Allen as his “Research Club”, has been quietly at work digging up data on little-known and long-forgotten players as part of a Hall of Fame project of obtaining a questionnaire for every man who ever played major league ball. With the formation of the Society for American Baseball Research it is hoped additional cooperation will be forthcoming from the organization’s members through a mutual exchange of information.

Proof that such cooperation between SABR members can bear fruit is evidenced by the recent solution of a puzzle that has long perplexed the game’s historians.

Those of us who attended the organizational meeting of SABR in Cooperstown last August will long remember that walking-talking baseball encyclopedia, Tom Shea of Hingham, Mass. He had many of us spellbound as he recounted in his fine New England twang innumerable anecdotes and personal data of the early day players.

One player who had always mystified me was Claude Gonzzle, a one game second baseman with the 1903 St. Louis Browns, supposedly born in Niles, Ohio (according to baseball encyclopedias). When asked what he could remember about Gonzzle, Shea promptly said, “Well you know, the name Gonzzle is a typographical error. His name was actually Gouzzie and he was not born in Niles, Ohio, but played ball there. I believe he was from the Pittsburgh area. If you find a Gouzzie in the Pittsburgh directory I’m sure he’ll be a relative of the player. It seems to me he died many years ago.”

A check of the Pittsburgh phone book revealed only one person with that name, a Richard L. Gouzie (note only one “z”) of Upper Saint Clair, a town just south of the Steel City. I sent him a letter together with a Hall of Fame questionnaire expressing the hope he was a descendant of the player. (He turned out to be a nephew who said the family dropped one “z” years ago to facilitate spelling).

Some weeks later I received a partially completed questionnaire signed by Albert L. Gouzie of Detroit, the 84-year old brother of Claude Gouzzie. From the questionnaire it was learned that Claude had died of tuberculosis in Denver, Colo. October 6, 1907, and was buried in the Charleroi (Pa.) cemetery. A right hand batter and thrower, he stood 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 170 lbs. Of French descent, he was never married and never served in the armed forces.

To verify some of this information a copy of Gouzzie’s death certificate was obtained from the Colorado Dept. of Health. The certificate showed that Gouzzie actually died on September 21, 1907 (not October 6), that he was 36 years old, born in Pennsylvania about 1871, single, and occupation professional baseball. The death certificate listed his first name as Clyde but his brother says Claude is definitely correct.

Enclosed with the questionnaire from Gouzzie’s brother was a copy of a story by William Eckel which appeared in the October 11, 1907 edition of the Charleroi (Pa.) Mirror, and read as follows:

“I and many others of Claude’s friends ere very sorry to hear of his sad ending. Claude and I were very good friends for about 17 years. He always came to me for advice on all matters pertaining to baseball. I started him in baseball in the year 1890. I first noticed him playing around the grounds with the small boys. Every time I would go to the ball field Claude was there, so I watched him for awhile and finally went to him and asked him if he wanted to be a ball player. He said he would rather play than eat, so I told him he was the kind of a young man I was looking for.

“I know there never was a boy liked the national game any better than Claude did. John Tener and I have played with him from 7 o’clock in the evening to see if he would ever get tired or want to quit, but there was no let-up to him; he would have stayed all night, so I put him in a game.

“He wanted to be a catcher, but I told him no, I wanted to make a shortstop out of him, and I did. When he got started there was no one had anything on him at that position in 1890 and I don’t think the great Hans Wagner could play that position any better than my old friend Claude did that year. There never was a harder worker nor a more willing player donned a uniform. Whoever saw him quit in a game? He never gave up until the last man was out.

“Claude was like so many other young fellows who wanted to place themselves and say, ‘I am a catcher,’ or `I am a pitcher.’ That is the great trouble today. That is why so many young fellows do not make good. They must have someone to look them over and place them where they can play the best when they first start in the game.

“I think today that Claude was the best ball player that ever left our town. I played him for a few years and then signed him up with the Indianapolis team for a tryout to get him in faster company. They gave him a trial, but any ball player knows how hard it is to see two or three men on the bench that you have to beat out for the same position. I know that if the reader doesn’t. I have been there. They wanted to farm him out, so I told him to come home and I signed him up with Niles, Ohio, where he made good. He was one of the best ball players in the Ohio league, and all the managers in western Pennsylvania had their eye on him.

“After he was through with Niles the St. Louis American League team signed him up for a tryout and they wanted to farm him out, but he would not stand for that; he wanted to be free. He returned from St. Louis and signed with the Chester, Pa. team. He made good at Chester and returned here at the end of the season.

“During the following winter his health began to fail him. His brother Eagles thought a change of climate would restore him to health again, so they decided to send him to Denver, Cob. I was very much pleased at hearing this. After he landed in Denver I received a letter from him stating that he was improving so fast and felt so good he thought he would be able to play the game again. He addressed me as he always did, saying, `Cap, can you get me on the Denver team? If you do I will not go back on you but will make good.’ I wrote the manager of the Denver team and in a few days they signed him up, but in the meantime the poor fellow could not report. I had signed him for the last time.”

Later Shea passed on to me the date of the only major league game in which Gouzzie played. It was on July 22, 1903, and right here in Cleveland. Excerpts from The Plain Dealer account of this game read as follows:

“Capt Dick Padden was missing from second and in his place Friel and Gouzzie, the latter an amateur from Niles, were found … Then, as if the team was not already crippled sufficiently, Emmet Heidrick, the most reliable hitter upon the team with Burkett away, wrenched his ankle in the sixth inning and was forced to retire. This accident gave Gouzzie a chance to break into the game, Frial going to center and the man with the peculiar name taking Friel’s place at second.”

Gouzzie’s name was spelled correctly twice in the account of the game and also in the box score. How then did his name come out as Gonzzle in the encyclopedias? Shea thinks the scorekeeper might have been a dropout from a Spencerian penmanship class. Or perhaps it was a telegrapher who sent out this story which appeared in the New York Times, July 23, 1903:

“CLEVELAND, Ohio, July 22 – St. Louis was easy for Cleveland today and was shutout, Moore holding the Browns well in hand throughout. Cleveland bunched its hits off Evans in the third and sixth innings. Heidrick wrenched his ankle in the sixth inning and retired in favor of Gonzzle, an amateur from Niles, Ohio.”

Thus the name Gonzzle appeared incorrectly in the wire story and perhaps the same was true in other newspapers using the wire service.

Thanks to Tom Shea, we now have the player’s name spelled correctly, we have his date and place of death and a questionnaire for the Hall of Fame. The only other vital statistics needed are his date and place of birth.

Gouzzie’s brother does not recall whether Claude was born in France or Canada but the family is going to search further for this data.

Incidentally, the “man with the peculiar name” pronounced it Goo-ZAY.

This article originally appeared in the 1972 “Baseball Research Journal.”

Lou Gehrig is unquestionably the highest ranking player using either yardstick. He did not miss a game for 13 years (1926-38) and played 2130 consecutive games. Two other players with long streaks did not rank in the percent table. Joe Sewell missed only two games from 1921 to 1929, but missed 45 in 1930, finishing at 96.9 percent. Everett Scott played eight years (1917-24) without missing a contest, but over ten years he dropped to 94.1 percent. Billy Williams, the only other player with at least 1000 consecutive games, is continuing his fine record and ranks second on the percent listing.

Three other players with long streaks who rank in the percent tables are Stan Musial (895), Nelson Fox (798), and Richie Ashburn (730). But Eddie Yost and Gus Suhr, with streaks of more than 800 games, are not included. Neither is Charlie Gehringer who had two streaks of more than 500 games in one ten-year period, but in between missed 53 games in 1931. On the other hand, Willie Mays, who never played all his games in any one season, is high up on the percent list.

A good distribution of players from all periods is indicated. It should be noted that some 19th century players benefited from the fact that fewer games were scheduled in approximately the same number of days in those years.

The Chicago National League team of the 1880’s had the most consistent lineup in history. Cap Anson at first, Nate Pfeffer at second, and Ed Williamson at third and short are all among the top percent players. Tom Burns, who switched with Williamson, played 94.9 percent from 1881 to 1890. King Kelly, who played right field and sometimes caught, played 96.1 percent from 1878 to 1887, with 1880 to 1886 for Chicago. George Gore, the centerfielder, Abner Dalrymple, the leftfielder, and Frank Flint, the catcher, also had fine records. Five pennants were won during those years.

A more modern Cub combination, Ron Santo and Billy Williams, had the best record of any two players with, one club over the same period, averaging 98.8 percent for 1961 to 1970. In 1618 games, Williams missed 14 end Santo 23, a tremendous record of consistency over a long schedule.

Extending the period to 15 years finds only six players over 95 percent. They are Cap Anson (1878-92), Roger Connor (1880-94), Melvin Ott (1929-43). Nelson Fox (1950-64), Willie Nays (1954-68), and Henry Aaron (1955-69). Two others had exceptionally busy schedules over 15 years, but had their records disrupted by military service — Eddie Collins in World War I and Stan Musial in World War II.

Those 20 players who had the highest percentage of games played over a ten-year-period (through 1971) are listed below:

Iron man of the majors since Billy Williams ended his string of 1117 games on September 2, 1970, is Sandy Alomar of the Angels. His streak now stands at 458 games.

This article originally appeared in the 1972 “Baseball Research Journal.”

This marks the fifth tine that Mays has led his league in this department since the ML started “caught stealing” records on a regular basis in 1951. Previously they had done it 1920-25, and then stopped. The AL has done it almost continuously since 1920.

As can be noted from the listing below, the league leader in total thefts frequently does not have the best percentage. An asterisk indicates when the percentage leader also led in thefts. The beat percentage in the last 21 years was compiled by Amos Otis of Kansas City in 1970 when he was nabbed only twice in 35 attempts. Bobby Bonds of the Giants was caught only 4 times in 49 attempts in 1969.

The percentage leaders, based on 20 attempts for the 154-game schedule and 21 attempts for 162 games are carried below for each year since 1951.

(Editor’s note: An updated list of year-by-year SB% leaders can be found at Baseball-Reference.com by clicking here.)

This article originally appeared in the 1972 “Baseball Research Journal.”

Nat Rogers: Now 78 years old and a waiter at Memphis’ Peabody Hotel, Nat writes that he played for 45 consecutive seasons in organized baseball, compiling a batting average of over .340. Rogers was one of the few players, black or white, who hit Satchel Paige consistently well. Nat remembers a 31-game hitting streak as his best moment in baseball.

Ray Dandridge: Fifty-eight year old Ray Dandridge lives in Newark, N.J., and is a scout for the San Francisco Giants. A lifetime .312 hitter, Ray remembers 1950 as a banner year when he was selected as MVP in the Triple-A American Association, while playing with the Minneapolis Millers. A great 3rd baseman, Dandridge compiled a .455 batting average in 3 Negro All-Star games.

Willie Foster: Called by many the greatest left-handed pitcher in the black leagues, Willie won 4 World Series games in his long career, and may be the only pitcher, black or white, to have pitched a complete 9-inning All-Star game. Foster still retains a strong interest in baseball. He is Dean of Men at Alcorn College in Lorman, Mississippi, and also serves as baseball coach.

James Bell: Cool Papa Bell was probably the fastest ball player ever to don spikes. Bell, who regularly went from 1st base to 3rd on sacrifice bunts, enjoyed his peak years with the St. Louis Stars and Pittsburgh Crawfords in the early 1930s. Now 66, Bell lives in St. Louis where he is a guard at City Hall.

Ted Page: Ted starred with the great Josh Gibson on the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays in the 1930s. An outfielder and a solid hitter, Page resides in Pittsburgh, where he operates a bowling alley. Ted says shortstop John Henry Lloyd was the greatest ballplayer he ever saw.

Holsey Lee: A great pitcher for over 20 years, Scrip Lee spent most of his long career in the Eastern Colored League. Remembered as one of the few hurlers Josh Gibson had trouble hitting against, Lee writes that Martin Dihigo was the greatest player he ever saw. His biggest thrill came in the 1924 Negro World Series when he shut out the Kansas City Monarchs for 7 innings in relief. Lee lives in Washington, D.C.

George Scales: One of the strongest-hitting 2nd basemen of his time and a .311 lifetime hitter, George played in the big-time for nearly 25 years with 6 different clubs. He cites being selected to manage the East All-Star team in 1939 as his biggest moment. A native of Talladega, Alabama, Scales now lives in New York City.

Willie Wells: A .338 lifetime hitter, Willie Wells is often called the best shortstop to play in the black leagues. The 5’7″ Texas native was certainly one of the smartest players of his day. A member of 8 All-Star squads, Willie remembers a home run he hit in 1931 to win the pennant for St. Louis as his greatest baseball thrill. Wells, 66, is a New York City resident.

Jack Marshall: A star 2nd baseman for most of the top Chicago ballclubs, Jack still lives in the Windy City. He now operates a sporting goods store on the South Side. Marshall remembers occasionally playing 4 games a day when he was with the Philadelphia Stars and he says Satchel Paige was the fastest pitcher he ever saw.

Frank Duncan: A Kansas City native, Frank, 69, now operates a tavern in his home town. A good right-handed hitter, Duncan is always mentioned as one of black baseball’s best catchers. During his long career, Frank played on 7 pennant-winners with the Kansas City Monarchs.

Bill Evans: Bill (Happy) Evans enjoyed a brief career with the Homestead Grays in the early 1930s. Born average. Now a Los Angeles resident, Evans remembers playing against almost every great ballplayer, black and white, during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Newt Allen: For 20 years, Newt starred as the Kansas City Monarchs slick-fielding 2nd baseman. A speedy switch-hitter, Newt writes that Martin Dihigo and Dave Brown were the two greatest pitchers he ever faced. Allen’s best baseball memory is an unassisted triple play he made in the early 1930s. Newt still makes Kansas City his home.

Sam Streeter: The star pitcher for the Pittsburgh Crawfords in the 1930s, Sam pitched for the West in the inaugural Negro leagues All-Star game in 1933. Now 71, and a Pittsburgh resident, Sam says that Smokey Joe Williams was the greatest pitcher he ever saw while slugger Mule Suttles gave him the most trouble at the plate. Streeter’s biggest thrill in baseball was to hit a home run.

Jimmie Crutchfield: A slender outfielder, Jimmie signed with the great Pittsburgh Crawfords when he was only 19 years old. An excellent all-round ballplayer and a teammate of such greats as Josh Gibson and Oscar Charleston, Jimmie is a Chicago resident where he is employed at the post office.

Buck Leonard: Walter (Buck) Leonard combined with Josh Gibson for Negro baseball’s best 1-2 home-run punch. A high average hitter and an excellent first baseman, Buck played in 12 All-Star games. He says his greatest thrill was a home-run he hit in the 1940 classic in Chicago. Buck lives in Rocky Mount, N.C., where he owns a realty agency.

*****

WANTED: INFORMATION ON DAVE BROWN. The star pitcher for the Chicago American Giants of the Negro National League in the early 1920s was a young left-hander named Dave Brown. A native of Texas, Brown is reported to have pitched as early as 1917 with the Dallas Black Giants. He jumped to the Lincoln Giants of the Eastern Colored League in 1923 and pitched with them for 2 years. Following the 1924 season, he disappeared after a homicide in New York. Although Brown was never formally charged, there was not much question that the police suspected him. It has been 47 years since anyone last saw this man. To this day, no one apparently has any idea of his whereabouts or even whether he is still living.

This article originally appeared in the 1972 Baseball Research Journal.