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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
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)
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
Cleveland Indians No. 14 retired
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)
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
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
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)
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)
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:
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)
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)
26 - Jud Wilson vs. 39 Bruce Petway
Jud Wilson career highlights:
Lifetime batting average: .351
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)
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)
History In Your Size