J.L. Wilkinson Region - Filling the Void - Negro League Tournament - Round 1

While we may not have March Madness or even baseball for now, we can still have fun with a tournament of great Negro League players in our 64 player tournament

First and update on the results so far:

Today we feature the first round of the J.L. Wilkinson Region

2 - Josh Gibson vs. 63 Joe Black

Josh Gibson career highlights:

• Average - .359

• Slugging percentage - .648

• Home Runs - 800+ (Some estimate as high as 1,000)

• 12x All-Star

• 2x Negro World Series champion

• Washington Nationals Ring of Honor

• National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (1972)

• Homestead Grays (1930-31), Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932–1936), Dragones deCiudad Trujillo (1937), (1942), Homestead Grays (1937-39), Azules de Veracruz (1940-1941) & Homestead Grays (1942-1946).

• (Shop today and be like Josh Gibson)

Joe Black career highlights:

• 2x Negro Leagues Champion

• NL Rookie of the Year (1952)

• Baltimore Elite Giants (1943–1950), Brooklyn Dodgers (1952-1955), Cincinnati Redlegs (1955-1956), & Washington Senators (1957).

• (Shop today and be like Joe Black)

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31 - Frank Grant vs. 34 - Larry Doby

Frank Grant career highlights:

• Author Jerry Malloy described Grant as "the greatest Negro baseball player of the 19th century."

• National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (2006)

• Grant played for 10 teams over his 14 year career.

• (Shop today and be like Frank Grant)

Larry Doby career highlights:

• Joined the Newark Eagles at age 17

• Broke the color barrier for the American League (Cleveland Indians)

• 7× All-Star

• World Series champion

• 2× AL home run leader

• AL RBI leader

• Cleveland Indians No. 14 retired

• Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame

• National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (1998)

• Newark Eagles (1942–1944, 1946–1947), Cleveland Indians (1947–1955), Chicago White Sox (1956–1957), Cleveland Indians (1958), Detroit Tigers (1959), Chicago White Sox, Chunichi Dragons (1962), Manager - Chicago White Sox (1978)

• (Shop today and be like Larry Doby)

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18 - Leon Day vs. 47 - Willie Mays

Leon day career highlights:

• 7× All-Star

• Negro World Series champion (1946)

• Posted a perfect 13–0 season, with a 3.02 ERA and .320 batting average in one season

• Struck out 18 batters in one game

• National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (1995)

• Baltimore Black Sox (1934), Brooklyn Eagles (1935), Newark Eagles (1936–1939, 1941–1943, 1946), Baltimore Elite Giants (1949–1950), & Veracruz Red Eagles (1940, 1947-1948).

• (Shop today and be like Leon Day)

Willie Mays career highlights:

• Began playing in the Negro Leagues at age 16

• Helped Birmingham to the 1948 World Series

• 24× All-Star (1954–1973)

• World Series champion (1954)

• 2× NL MVP (1954, 1965)

• NL Rookie of the Year (1951)

• 12× Gold Glove Award (1957–1968)

• Roberto Clemente Award (1971)

• NL batting champion (1954)

• 4× NL home run leader (1955, 1962, 1964, 1965)

• 4× NL stolen base leader (1956–1959)

• San Francisco Giants No. 24 retired

• San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame

• Major League Baseball All-Century Team

• Major League Baseball All-Time Team

• National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (1979)

• Birmingham Black Barons (1948-1950), New York Giants / San Francisco Giants (1951-1952, 1954-1972) & New York Mets (1972-1973).

• (Shop today and be like Willie Mays)

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15 - Cristobal Torriente vs. 50 - Bill Gatewood

Cristobal Torriente career highlights:

• Lifetime batting average: .331

• Batting titles in 1920 and 1923

• National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (2006)

• Torriente played for 13 teams over 20 seasons

• (Shop today and be like Cristobal Torriente)

Bill Gatewood career highlights:

• Pitched the first no-hitter in NNL history

• Credited with giving convincing Cool Papa Bell to switch hit

• Credited with teaching Satchel Paige his "hesitation pitch".

• Gatewood played or managed for 21 teams over 23 seasons

• (Shop today and be like Bill Gatewood)

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10 - "Smokey" Joe Williams vs. 55 - Don Newcombe

"Smokey" Joe Williams career highlights:

• Began his career posting records of 28-4, 15-9, 20-8, 20-2 and 32-8.

• In 1914 he went 41-3.

• National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (1999)

• Williams played for 11 teams over 25 seasons

• (Shop today and be like "Smokey" Joe Williams)

Don Newcombe career highlights:

• 4× All-Star (1949–1951, 1955)

• World Series champion (1955)

• NL MVP (1956)

• Cy Young Award (1956)

• NL Rookie of the Year (1949)

• MLB wins leader (1956)

• MLB strikeout leader (1951)

• Newark Eagles (1944–1945), Brooklyn Dodgers / Los Angeles Dodgers (1949–1951, 1954–1958), Cincinnati Reds (1958–1960), Cleveland Indians (1960) & Chunichi Dragons (1962)

• (Shop today and be like Don Newcombe)

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23 - Jose Mendez vs. 42 - Oliver "The Ghost" Marcelle

Jose Mendez career highlights:

• Had a .747 career winning percentage over his career

• National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (2006)

• Mendez played for 9 teams over 19 seasons

• (Shop today and be like Jose Mendez)

Oliver "The Ghost" Marcelle career highlights:

• In 1922 hit .379 and .352 in 1924

• Rated the top 3B in the 1952 Pittsburgh Courier player-voted poll of the Negro Leagues' best players.

• Marcelle played for 6 teams over 10 seasons

• (Shop today and be like Jose Marcelle)

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26 - Jud Wilson vs. 39 Bruce Petway

Jud Wilson career highlights:

• Lifetime batting average: .351

• Washington Nationals Ring of Honor

• National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (2006)

• Baltimore Black Sox (1922-1930), Homestead Grays (1931-1932 & 1940-1945) Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932), & Philadelphia Stars (1933-1939)

• (Shop today and be like Jud Wilson)

Bruce Petway career highlights:

• One of the best throwing arms in the league.

• Received votes listing him on the 1952 Pittsburgh Courier player-voted poll of the Negro Leagues' best players ever.

• Petway played for 6 teams over 19 seasons

• (Shop today and be like Bruce Petway)

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7 - Rube Foster vs. 58. Luke Easter

Rube Foster career highlights:

• Known as the Father of Black Baseball

• Had a lifetime .592 winning percentage

• In 1905 pitched a 25–3 record.

• Was the first representative of the Negro leagues elected as a pioneer or executive.

• National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (1981)

• Foster played or managed for 7 teams over 15 seasons

• (Shop today and be like Rube Foster)

Luke Easter career highlights:

• Hit .363 and tied for the league lead in HR's, while leading the league in R's and RBI's for Homestead.

• 1x Negro Leagues championship.

• Homestead Grays (1947-1948) & Cleveland Indians (1949-1954).

• (Shop today and be like Luke Easter)

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