First Black Player in the Big Leagues

[Astro]

With the 2nd annual Jackie Robinson day coming up, I have a nice little trivia question for everyone...

Who was the first black player in the big leagues, what year(s) did he play, what team did he play for?

[HitchedtoaSpark]

Moses Fleetwood Walker
1884
Toledo Blue Stockings (AA)

His brother Welday was also on the Toledo roster that year.

[Astro]

Very good, people seem to forget that there were numerous black players in the mid 1880s, before they were outlawed

[RuthMayBond]

Very good, people seem to forget that there were numerous black players in the mid 1880s, before they were outlawedDefine numerous

[Gaijin]

Moses Fleetwood Walker
1884
Toledo Blue Stockings (AA)

His brother Welday was also on the Toledo roster that year.

The question was:
Who was the first black player in the big leagues,
If the Toledo Blue Stockings were a AA ballclub then that is not the "Big Leagues," is it? AA means minor leagues, right?

Therefore I say:
Jackie Robinson
1947
Brooklyn Dodgers

[Bleacherbee]

The question was:

If the Toledo Blue Stockings were a AA ballclub then that is not the "Big Leagues," is it? AA means minor leagues, right?

Therefore I say:
Jackie Robinson
1947
Brooklyn Dodgers


AA is American Association, the big leagues

[bluezebra]

AA is American Association, the big leagues

Exactly. In that era, the American Association was considered a Major League. Today, "AA" is a level of Minor League Baseball, not a league designation.

Bob

[Astro]

Define numerous

I'm not sure how many exactly, but 3 were on the Blue Stockings that season, Fleetwood and Welday Walker and George Washington Stovey... Stovey and Fleetwood Walker were the first all black battery mates, Stovey actually won 35 games that year and still holds the International League's record for most Ws

[Gaijin]

So is that the American League now?

[westsidegrounds]

So is that the American League now?

No, the old major-league AmAssoc broke up after the 1891 season ... some teams joined the National League, others just went out of business. The American League grew out of the minor Western League.

[AG2004]

Who was the first black player in the big leagues, what year(s) did he play, what team did he play for?

It depends on how you define "black."

The answer could be William Edward White, who played in one game for Providence in 1879. White is the only major leaguer known to have been a former slave, according to the will of A.J. White found in Zebulan, Georgia. However, White was light enough to pass as "white," and described himself as white in the 1880 census.


http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050207/NEWS08/502070334

http://www.cubschronicle.com/wp/posts/2004/01/30/william-white-was-major-league-baseballs-first-black-player/

[Astro]

Very interesting article, thanks for the post

But, Since he classified himself as white in the census, I'll have to stick with Walker as the first black in the major leagues

[HitchedtoaSpark]

I'm not sure how many exactly, but 3 were on the Blue Stockings that season, Fleetwood and Welday Walker and George Washington Stovey... Stovey and Fleetwood Walker were the first all black battery mates, Stovey actually won 35 games that year and still holds the International League's record for most Ws
Stovey never played a game in the majors, let alone was Walker's battery mate on the Blue Stockings.

Incidentally, Moses and Welday were the only blacks known to have played in the major leagues until Robinson's debut in 1947.

[Astro]

That didn't sound right to me, but according to this link: http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/1black.htm it was, so went with it...


Soon, Walker had a black teammate, a fastball pitcher named George Washington Stovey whose skills were described by a rueful reporter in Birmingham, New York:


Well they put Stovey in the box again yesterday. You recollect Stovey, of course -- the brunette fellow with the sinister fin and the demonic delivery. Well, he pitched yesterday, and as of yore he teased the Bingos. He has a knack of tossing up balls that appear as large as an alderman's opinion of himself, but you cannot hit 'em with a cellar door. What's the use of bucking against a fellow that can throw at the flagstaff and make it curve into the water pail?
With Moses Fleetwood Walker catching George Washington Stovey, they became the very first black battery in organized baseball. That year Stovey won 35 games which is still a record in the International League.

[RuthMayBond]

Very interesting article, thanks for the post

But, Since he classified himself as white in the census, I'll have to stick with Walker as the first black in the major leaguesBut there were places where he was classified as black. I wrote some from Total Baseball in another thread

[Bronxbommers]

Hate to rain on your parade, guys, but actually Bud Fowler was the first black man to make it to the big leagues when he joined a white professional team in New Castle, Pennsylvania in 1878. Also, some have credited him with inventing the shin guard, as he was getting spiked so much by white players that he strapped wood splints to his shins

[RuthMayBond]

Hate to rain on your parade, guys, but actually Bud Fowler was the first black man to make it to the big leagues when he joined a white professional team in New Castle, Pennsylvania in 1878. Also, some have credited him with inventing the shin guard, as he was getting spiked so much by white players that he strapped wood splints to his shinsSince when is the New Castle team the big leagues?

[Brian McKenna]

No, the old major-league AmAssoc broke up after the 1891 season ... some teams joined the National League, others just went out of business. The American League grew out of the minor Western League.

the aa didn't actually break up - it merged with the national league - the new league was called the national league and american association of base ball clubs

bud fowler never played in what is recognized today as a major league baseball

In 1878 Bud Fowler, a Cooperstown native, joined the Lynn Live Oaks of the International Association. Back then, it was hard to determine exactly what was a major league or a minor league. International Association teams often traded wins with National League clubs during exhibition contests. Today, the International Association is listed as a minor league; then, the distinction probably meant little

[Bronxbommers]

I guess I made the assumption that since he was a professional player (he was paid to play the game) that made it the big leagues. Take it for what it's worth, he was a black professional baseball player in 1878