Very educational. Put a face to the names, as they say. I was shocked when I got to Josh Gibson at number two. But now I will have a new found reverence for Mackey!
This article leads me to a question I’ve wondered for a long time, and I would guess you might be able to answer definitively. The 1971 Pirates fielded the first all black lineup in MLB, as is annually written about. Every article and feature and blurb says the “first” all black lineup, but my contention is that it’s almost certainly the *only* all black lineup. (Obviously this was before the Negro Leagues were recognized as major leagues.)
To me, it all starts with a black catcher and pitcher, and then you go from there (ie. Dock pitching to Manny.) So I think of how many times did Charles Johnson or Russell Martin catch black pitchers, and in those instances was there any chance of the other seven guys being black. To me the answer is no.
But watch next year and all the articles will say “first” instead of “only”…
Oh man. No Elston Howard.
Very educational. Put a face to the names, as they say. I was shocked when I got to Josh Gibson at number two. But now I will have a new found reverence for Mackey!
This article leads me to a question I’ve wondered for a long time, and I would guess you might be able to answer definitively. The 1971 Pirates fielded the first all black lineup in MLB, as is annually written about. Every article and feature and blurb says the “first” all black lineup, but my contention is that it’s almost certainly the *only* all black lineup. (Obviously this was before the Negro Leagues were recognized as major leagues.)
To me, it all starts with a black catcher and pitcher, and then you go from there (ie. Dock pitching to Manny.) So I think of how many times did Charles Johnson or Russell Martin catch black pitchers, and in those instances was there any chance of the other seven guys being black. To me the answer is no.
But watch next year and all the articles will say “first” instead of “only”…
As usual Patrick i learned about great players id barely heard of. Thank you for shining a light on these hidden gems🙂👍⚾️
Jeff, thank you for reading and for the feedback. I sincerely appreciate it.