The 93-year-old baseball icon was born near baseball's oldest ballpark and played there one season for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues.
New York Giants' Willie Mays , takes a batting practice swing on June 24, 1954, in New York. Major League Baseball said Tuesday, May 28, 2024, that it has incorporated records for more than 2,300 Negro Leagues players following a three-year research project. Mays was credited with 10 hits for the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League, raising his total to 3,293.
Mays played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York and San Francisco Giants and New York Mets en route to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Yet he began his professional career in 1948 with the Barons in the Negro American League. This week, 10 hits from that season were added to his career total (
He shared this in his autobiography, “Sey, Hey”: “My father didn’t have money for me to go to college. And at that particular time, they didn’t have black quarterbacks, and I don’t think I could have made it in basketball because I was only 5-11, so I just picked baseball.”
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
MLB will celebrate Negro Leagues All-Star Game on Memorial Day WeekendThe New Black View
Read more »
MLB, MLBPA announce expanded financial assistance programs for former Negro Leagues playersMajor League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced they are expanding existing financial assistance programs to support living Negro Leagues players.
Read more »
Black former players to play in Negro Leagues All-Star Game tribute on Memorial Day weekendThe East-West Classic will highlight the launch of a Negro Leagues exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum with an All-Star game featuring Black players and coaches.
Read more »
MLB records set for major shakeup as Negro Leagues stats set to be officially recognized: reportRoughly three-and-a-half years after recognizing the Negro Leagues as 'major league,' MLB will be inputting their stats in the record books, causing major shakeups.
Read more »
Josh Gibson becomes MLB career and season batting leader as Negro Leagues statistics incorporatedJosh Gibson became Major League Baseball’s career leader with a
Read more »
Josh Gibson becomes MLB career and season batting leader as Negro Leagues statistics incorporatedJosh Gibson became Major League Baseball’s career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb’s .367, when records of the Negro Leagues for more than 2,300 players were incorporated after a three-year research project. Gibson’s .466 average for the 1943 Homestead Grays became the season standard, followed by Charlie “Chino” Smith’s .
Read more »