East–West All-Star Game Explained
The East–West All-Star Game was an annual all-star game for Negro league baseball players. The game was the brainchild of Gus Greenlee, owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords. In 1933 he decided to emulate the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, using Negro league players.[1] Newspaper balloting was set up to allow the fans to choose the starting lineups for that first game, a tradition that continued through the series' end in 1962. Unlike the white All-Star game which is played near the middle of the season, the Negro All-Star game was held toward the end of the season.
Because league structures were shaky during the Great Depression and also because certain teams (notably the Kansas City Monarchs and the Homestead Grays) sometimes played entirely independent of the leagues, votes were not counted by league, but by geographical location. Hence, the games were known as the East–West All-Star Games. Votes were tallied by two of the major African-American weekly newspapers of the day, the Chicago Defender and the Pittsburgh Courier.
The Games
All games were held at Comiskey Park in Chicago unless otherwise noted.
1933–1939
-
- Notes:
- Bill Foster pitched a complete game for the West and Mule Suttles hit the first home run in East-West history.
- The West squad used only its nine starters for the entire game.
- The starting lineups reflected an imbalance in voting, as seven West starters came from the American Giants while five East starters were from either the Crawfords or Grays.
- East first baseman Oscar Charleston (Pittsburgh Crawfords) received the most votes, with 43,793.
- Batteries:
- East: Slim Jones (Philadelphia Stars), Harry Kincannon (Pittsburgh Crawfords), Satchel Paige (Pittsburgh Crawfords) (W) and Bill Perkins (Pittsburgh Crawfords)
- West: Ted Trent (Chicago American Giants), Chet Brewer (Kansas City Monarchs), Bill Foster (Chicago American Giants) (L) and Larry Brown (Chicago American Giants)
- Notes:
- Three East pitchers combined on a 7-hit shutout.
- Cool Papa Bell scored the only run in the eighth.
- West pitcher Bill Foster received the most votes, 48,957.
- Batteries:
- Notes:
- The score was 4–4 after nine, and each team scored four runs in the tenth inning.
- Mule Suttles hit a two-out three-run HR in the bottom of the 11th off Dihigo to win it.
- West shortstop Willie Wells (Chicago American Giants) got the most votes, with 16,262
- Batteries:
- East: Leroy Matlock (Pittsburgh Crawfords) (W), Bill Byrd (Washington Elite Giants), Satchel Paige (Pittsburgh Crawfords) and Biz Mackey (Washington Elite Giants), Josh Gibson (Pittsburgh Crawfords)
- West: Willie Cornelius (Chicago American Giants) (L), Floyd Kranson (Kansas City Monarchs), Andy Cooper (Kansas City Monarchs), Ted Trent (Chicago American Giants) and Harry Else (Kansas City Monarchs), Subby Byas (Chicago American Giants)
- Notes:
- East pitcher Satchel Paige received the most votes, with 18,275
- Alex Radcliffe and Cool Papa Bell each collected three hits.
- The Western teams played a second All-Star game amongst themselves in Memphis on August 29, and split into North-South alignment. The northern teams won 10–7, with Bill Foster of Chicago getting the win and Ted Strong on Indianapolis homering (while hitting for the cycle).
1940–1949
- Ted Radcliffe and his brother Alec contributed a home run and triple, respectively, and won $700 bonuses each, which they gave to their mother.
- The game was nearly cancelled due to a player strike, as the owners upped the players' individual share from $60 to $150 before the game could go on.
- Batteries:
- Notes:
- Satchel Paige refused to pitch in the game after a dispute with the promoters over money.
- Josh Gibson was not allowed to play in the game, having been suspended by the Homestead Grays for "flagrant and consistent training violations".
- Jesse Williams, Monarchs second baseman, had moved to that position this season due to an arm injury, made two hits for the West team, one of them a two-run triple in the second. Williams had 4 RBI for the game. He also played errorless ball in the field.
- Jackie Robinson, Monarchs rookie shortstop, was named to the West team. He went hitless in five at-bats, though he fielded flawlessly at short.
- Quincy Trouppe had a single and three walks in four times to the plate.
- The Western teams played another All-Star game amongst themselves in September, and split into North-South alignment of Chicago and Cleveland versus Birmingham and Memphis. The northern teams won 8–2.
1950–1959
- Batteries:
- Notes:
- There were only six teams in the NAL this year. The West squad was made up of players from the Kansas City Monarchs, Memphis Red Sox, and Louisville Clippers, while the East team consisted of the Indianapolis Clowns, Birmingham Black Barons, and Detroit Stars. The NAL was obviously struggling both at the gate and in its talent level, but the East-West Game was still a showcase of its young prospects for big league scouts.
- Buck O'Neil managed the West team, while Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston managed the East. Charleston, who played in the first East-West Game in 1933, would die two months later.
- Batteries:
- East: Aaron Jones (Detroit Stars), Elliott Coleman (Birmingham Black Barons), Jo Misky Carpedge (Birmingham Black Barons) (L) and Otha Bailey (Birmingham Black Barons)
- West: Satchel Paige (Kansas City Monarchs), Charlie Davis (Memphis Red Sox), Isiah Harris (Memphis Red Sox) (W), Enrique Moroto (Kansas City Monarchs) (S) and Juan Armenteros (Kansas City Monarchs)
- Notes
- Satchel Paige, described in nearly every news story as "ageless", returned to the NAL after his final stint with the St. Louis Browns and before signing with Bill Veeck's Miami team in the International League as the starting pitcher for the West. He pitched three hitless innings, allowing only one batter to reach on an error.
- There were only four teams in the NAL this year. The West was made up of players from the Kansas City Monarchs and the Memphis Red Sox, while the East team was composed of players from the Birmingham Black Barons and the Detroit Stars.
- Managers for the two squads were Buck O'Neil of the Monarchs (in his final season in the NAL) and Ed Steele of the Stars.
1960–1962
- Notes:
- During the fifth inning, recent Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who played for the Monarchs and in the East-West game in 1945, was honored and given a key to the city and numerous other awards in the fifth inning. Satchel Paige and a number of other former Monarch players were also introduced.
- This was the last East-West game. The NAL disbanded at the close of the season
Most selections
Three players were named to the East–West All-Star Game at least ten times: Alex Radcliffe (13, although he played 12), Buck Leonard (13, although he also played 12), and Josh Gibson (12, with 11 played).[2] Other players that were named to multiple games were Leon Day (9), Neil Robinson (9), Quincy Trouppe (8), "Wild" Bill Wright (8), and Bill Byrd (8).[3]
Further reading
- Holway, John. Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues (Hastings House, 2001)
- Lester, Larry. Black Baseball's National Showcase: The East-West All-Star Game, 1933–1953 (University of Nebraska Press, 2001)
- Peterson, Robert W. Only The Ball Was White, (New York: Prentice-Hall Englewood-Cliffs, 1970)
- New York Times New York, NY: Aug 13, 1951. p. 22; Aug 18, 1952. p. 21; Aug 17, 1953. p. 20; Sep 1, 1958. p. 16; Aug 11, 1959. p. 31; Aug 21, 1961. p. 27
- Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago, IL: Jul 3, 1955. p. A2; Aug 1, 1955. p. C4; Jul 29, 1957. p. C4; Aug 10, 1959. p. C5; Aug 22, 1960. p. C2
- Daily Defender, Chicago, IL: Jul 25, 1957. p. 24; Aug 22, 1960, p. 22; Aug 28, 1962. p. 22
- Kansas City Star, Kansas City, MO: Aug 27, 1962. p. 27
External links
Notes and References
- "Negroes Meet in All-Star Game September 10," Chicago Tribune, August 15, 1933, p. 18.
- Web site: East Meets West in Negro All-Star Game – Society for American Baseball Research.
- Web site: Most Seasons on All-Star Roster.
