JOSH GIBSON

Baseball Superstar

He never played in the Major Leagues, but had he been born just a little later, or lived a little longer, he might hold hitting records there even today. To people who know about him, just the name makes them think of a big, muscular, powerful hitter. Because he was born black, he was not allowed to play in the Majors. But he was allowed to compete against them, and he did so successfully.

About 1930, when Babe Ruth was making $80,000 (more than the President), Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson commented on Gibson. He said: There is a catcher that any big-league club would like to buy for $200,000. His name is Gibson... he can do anything. He hits the ball a mile. And he catches so easy he might as well be in a rocking chair. Throws like a rifle...Too bad this Gibson is a colored fellow.

Josh Gibson was born in Buena Vista, Georgia on December 21, 1911, The family moved to Pittsburgh when Josh was 13 years old. He lived on the North Side of Pittsburgh, and graduated from Allegheny High School. Over six feet tall, weighing 215 pounds, and arms bulging, he looked as powerful as he was. Gibson hit for average, was an excellent defensive catcher, but he will always be remembered for his home runs.

Gibson played for the Homestead Grays when he hit 75 home runs in 1931 and 69 home runs in 1934, and he played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1936 when he hit 84 home runs. These Pittsburgh area teams were considered the best of the Negro League teams. Statistics were not kept very accurately in those days, and many of the games were played against semi-pro teams. But nearly everyone who played with Gibson or against him believed him to be the best hitter in the game - Major Leagues included. He won the League home run title nine times, and the batting title 4 times.

There are many tales of Gibson's hitting prowess. Some are just for fun, like the home run he hit in Forbes Field that disappeared over the outfield wall. The next day in Philadelphia an outfielder caught a fly ball and the umpire called Gibson out - "...yesterday in Pittsburgh!" It is true he hit a ball 500 miles - it landed in a passing truck outside of the ball park! But more seriously, he is credited with the only homer ever hit completely out of Yankee Stadium, and he once hit a home run over the center field fence when the pitcher threw too close to the plate on an attempted intentional walk. He is said to have hit the longest home runs ever hit in at least three Major League parks, even though he played in them just a few times.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum credits Gibson with a .347 batting average. Other places make it as high as .391. In 18 games against major league teams, he hit for an average of .412. The greatest Negro League pitcher, Satchel Paige, made it to the Major Leagues late in his career. Of Gibson, Paige said," Josh was the greatest hitter I ever pitched to, and I pitched to everybody. Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle. None of them was as great as Josh." And All-Time great Leo Durocher said, "Everything said about him was true, and then some."

Gibson, according to many including Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson, was among the greatest catchers ever. He threw out runners without having to stand up first - a considerable advantage. But if statistics are vague on the hitting of that time, they are non-existent on fielding.

Gibson could have been the first black in the Major Leagues. The Pittsburgh Pirates wanted to sign him in 1943, but they were stopped by the commissioner, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Landis had done much to uphold the integrity of baseball, but he was determined to keep blacks out.

Gibson was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972, credited with nearly 800 career home runs. In spite of his amazing numbers, Gibson had many problems. He was heart broken in 1930 when his wife, Helen, died giving birth to their twins, Josh Jr. and Helen. He was committed to a hospital with a nervous breakdown in 1943, and after suffering from dizziness, nasuea, and headaches, it was discovered that he had a brain tumor. He also was bitterly disappointed that Jackie Robinson was to be the first Black Major League player - and that Gibson would never make it to the Big Leagues. He died on January 20, 1947, the year Robinson would integrate baseball. Gibson was only 35 years old, the prime for a muscular power hitter. In 1998 Harold Tinker, the now 92 year old manager who had first discovered Gibson, said he would have kept up with McGuire and Sosa, for Gibson "...was still developing when he died early."

And what did San Francisco's Barry Bonds say about McGwire and Sosa's record-breaking year? "They have to do 84."