The 1925 Colored World Series was the second edition of the

championship series In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match sy ...

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

. The series featured a rematch between the

Hilldale Club The Hilldale Athletic Club (informally known as Darby Daisies) were an American professional Negro league baseball, Negro league baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. Established as a boys team in 1910, the Hilldales we ...

Darby, Pennsylvania Darby is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is located along Darby Creek southwest of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia. The borough of Darby is distinct from the near ...

, champion of the

Eastern Colored League The Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs, more commonly known as the Eastern Colored League (ECL), was one of the several Negro leagues, which operated during the time organized baseball was segregated. League history Founding The ECL ...

(ECL), and the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

, champion of the Negro National League (NNL) and winner of the previous year's match in the first Colored World Series. In 1925, Hilldale won the best-of-nine series, five games to one. On the eve of the series, the Monarchs' star

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Bullet Rogan Wilber Joe Rogan, also known as "Bullet Joe" (July 28, 1893 – March 4, 1967), was an American pitcher, outfielder, and manager for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro baseball leagues from 1920 to 1938. Renowned as a two-way player who could ...

, who had pitched a shutout in the deciding Game 7 of the NNL championship series, was injured while playing with his child at home, when a needle ran into his leg, leaving him unable to play in the World Series. Kansas City's

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

and occasional pitcher was future

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

, 38-year-old

José Méndez José Colmenar del Valle Méndez (January 2, 1885 – October 31, 1928) was a Cuban right-handed pitcher and manager in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Cárdenas, Matanzas, he died at age 43 in Havana. Known in Cuba as ''El Diamante Negro'' ...

. Hilldale featured three future Hall of Famers—

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

Biz Mackey James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey (July 27, 1897 – September 22, 1965) was an American catcher and manager in Negro league baseball. He played for the Indianapolis ABCs (1920–1922), New York Lincoln Giants (1920), Hilldale Daisies (1923–1931), ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

Judy Johnson William Julius "Judy" Johnson (October 26, 1899 – June 15, 1989) was an American professional third baseman and manager whose career in Negro league baseball spanned 17 seasons, from 1921 to 1937. Slight of build, Johnson never developed as ...

, and 35-year-old backup catcher and

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

Louis Santop Louis Santop Loftin (January 17, 1889 – January 22, 1942) was an American baseball catcher in the Negro leagues. He became "one of the earliest superstars" and "black baseball's first legitimate home-run slugger" (Riley), and was elected to the B ...

. Attendance for series was disappointing—down more than 50 percent in comparison with the previous year's series. The financial results were so disappointing that one Kansas City Monarchs player said they would have been paid better barnstorming than playing in the series. For both teams, the 1925 season would represent the end to a three-year run as league champions. (Both teams had won their league championships in 1923, when no world series was played.) Kansas City would eventually return to win additional championships, appearing in the

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

and

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

series and winning in 1942. For Hilldale, however, the 1925 championship would be its last, as the team folded in 1932.

Route to the series

Kansas City Monarchs

In 1925, the NNL, which played in the

Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

and

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

United States, held a

split season A split season is a schedule format implemented in a variety of sports leagues. The season is divided into two parts, with the winners of both halves playing each other at the end for the overall championship. Split seasons are usually found in sp ...

championship, with 50 games scheduled for each half. The teams qualifying to play in the league were the Kansas City Monarchs, the St. Louis Stars, the

Memphis Red Sox The Memphis Red Sox were an American Negro league baseball team that was active from 1920 to 1959. Originally named the Barber College Baseball Club, the team was initially owned and operated by Arthur P. Martin, a local Memphis barber. In the la ...

, the

Chicago American Giants The Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball. Owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Fo ...

, the

Birmingham Black Barons The Birmingham Black Barons were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1920 until 1960. They shared their home field of Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, with the white Birmingham Barons, usually drawing larger crowds and equal pres ...

, the

Detroit Stars The Detroit Stars were an American baseball team in the Negro leagues and played at historic Mack Park. The Stars had winning seasons every year but two, but were never able to secure any championships. Among their best players was Baseball Hall of ...

, the

Indianapolis ABCs The Indianapolis ABCs were a Negro league baseball team that played both as an independent club and as a charter member of the first Negro National League (NNL). They claimed the western championship of black baseball in 1915 and 1916, and fini ...

, and the

Cuban Stars (West) The Cuban Stars were a team of Cuban professional baseball players that competed in the United States Negro leagues from 1907 to 1930. The team was also sometimes known as the Cuban Stars of Havana, Stars of Cuba, Cuban All-Stars, Havana Reds, Alm ...

. The first half opened on April 27 and closed on July 8, and the second half ran from July 11 through September 16. The American Giants got off to an early lead in the NNL first half race, winning six of their first eight games. The next week, Detroit pulled ahead, but by May 26 the Monarchs reached first place when they took three games of four from the visiting Detroit Stars. The following week, the Monarchs took five straight from the American Giants, opening a lead on the other teams. In mid-June, the St. Louis Stars narrowed the lead but weren't able to catch the Monarchs, and on June 29 the Monarchs clinched the first-half title with a 2–1 victory over the Cuban Stars. The St. Louis Stars started the second half going 7–1, jumping to an early lead. Soon the Chicago American Giants gained a slight lead, and during the first half of August the race between St. Louis and Chicago was neck and neck. When the American Giants dropped three games of four to the Monarchs from August 15–18 and then lost three straight to St. Louis on August 22–24, they dropped to third place and fell out of the race. Kansas City were now in second place, and when they swept four games against St. Louis on September 5–8, they moved to within just .005 the Stars.; St. Louis held onto their lead, and finished the second half with a .760 winning percentage, .022 ahead of second place Kansas City. The NNL scheduled a best-five-of-nine championship series, with the first three games in St. Louis on September 19–21 and the next three games (

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

games for the Monarchs) played in Chicago because the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

's Kansas City Blues were finishing their season at home, tying up Muehlebach Field. Kansas City won the first game 8–6, as

pitched a

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

and

Newt Allen Newton Henry Allen (May 19, 1901 – June 9, 1988) was an American second baseman and manager in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Austin, Texas, he began his Negro league career late in 1922 with the Kansas City Monarchs and, except for brief ...

Dobie Moore Walter "Dobie" Moore (February 8, 1896 - August 20, 1947) was an American shortstop and right-handed batter in the Negro leagues who played his entire career with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League. His career ended after only ...

, and Frank Duncan hit

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. St. Louis won the second game 6–3, behind the pitching of Roosevelt Davis and excellent plays in the field by

Willie Wells Willie James Wells (August 10, 1906 – January 22, 1989), nicknamed "The Devil," was an American baseball player. He was a shortstop who played from 1924 to 1948 for various teams in the Negro leagues and in Latin America. Wells was a fast ...

Cool Papa Bell James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell (May 17, 1903 – March 7, 1991) was an American center fielder in Negro league baseball from 1922 to 1946. He is considered to have been one of the fastest men ever to play the game. Stories demonstrating Bell's s ...

, and Branch Russell. Rain prevented the third game from being played on September 21 or 22. The league directors met and decided that the league championship series should be shortened to a best-of-seven series instead of best-of-nine. On September 23, St. Louis won the third game 3–2, behind a home run by Dewey Creacy, an RBI

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

by Bell, and another run scored by Bell on a wild throw by Moore. Kansas City evened the series in game four, played in Chicago on September 26, beating St. Louis 5–4 with

not only pitching, but also getting four hits, including a game-winning

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

in the bottom of the ninth. The next day, St. Louis won 2–1, scoring both runs in the top of the ninth. On September 28, the final two games were scheduled as a doubleheader, with Kansas City needing to win both games to avoid elimination. The Monarchs won the first game 9–3 behind a strong pitching performance by William Bell. Rogan took the mound for the second game with only one day of rest and pitched a 4–0

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

over the Stars, winning the league championship and the chance to face Hilldale in the World Series.

Hilldale

The ECL agreed to a 70-game schedule, with the league consisting of eight teams: the

Bacharach Giants The Bacharach Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Founding The club was founded when two African-American politicians moved the Duval Giants of Jacksonville, Florida, to Atlantic City in 1916 an ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, the

Baltimore Black Sox The Baltimore Black Sox were a professional Negro league baseball team active between 1913 and 1936, based in Baltimore, Maryland. Founding The Black Sox started as an independent team in 1913 by Howard Young. They were one of the original six ...

, the

Brooklyn Royal Giants The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1905 by John Wilson Connor (1875–1926), owner of the Brooklyn Royal Cafe, the team initially played against white semi-pro teams. ...

, the

Cuban Stars (East) The Cuban Stars (East) were a team of professional baseball players from Cuba and other Latin American countries who competed in the Negro leagues in the eastern United States from 1916 to 1933. They generally were a traveling team that played onl ...

, the

Harrisburg Giants The Harrisburg Giants were a U.S. professional Negro league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Originally formed in April 1890 by Colonel William "C.W." Strothers as an amateur team, they became semi-professional by 1894. They joined ...

, the

Lincoln Giants The Lincoln Giants were a Negro league baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930. Founding The Lincoln Giants can trace their origins back to the Nebraska Indians, of Lincoln, Nebraska, from the 1890s. According to Sol White ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and the Potomacs, formerly of

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, who announced that they were moving to

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

for the 1925 season. The season opened on April 25 and finished on September 19. Hilldale started the season with a 9–2 record, jumping to an early lead. By June 13, Harrisburg had taken a narrow lead and was scheduled to face Hilldale in a two-game series. Hilldale won the first game 11–9, retaking the lead, and the next day second game was called due to rain after Harrisburg had taken a 6–2 lead, prompting an outraged letter to the editor from

Oscar Charleston Oscar McKinley Charleston (October 14, 1896 – October 5, 1954) was an American center fielder and manager in Negro league baseball. Over his 43-year baseball career, Charleston played or managed with more than a dozen teams, including the Home ...

, Harrisburg's

and star

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

. Charleston complained about the quality of the umpiring in the first game and the decision to call the second game. Charleston's outburst prompted a strong rebuttal from

Ed Bolden Edward Bolden (January 17, 1881 in Concordville, Pennsylvania – September 27, 1950 in Darby, Pennsylvania) was an American baseball executive and owner in the Negro leagues. Early career Bolden's first occupation in baseball was as a voluntee ...

, owner of the Hilldale Club and chairman of the ECL commission. Shortly after the game, Harrisburg retook the lead and held it for nearly a month. On July 19, Hilldale regained the lead when Baltimore swept a doubleheader from Harrisburg. In mid-July, George Robinson, owner of the Wilmington Potomacs, announced that his team was folding; the league contracted to seven teams and the Potomacs players dispersed to other teams. Over the next few weeks Hilldale widened its lead, and by early September they appeared to have the championship in hand. With the Potomacs no longer playing and with many teams having missed games, teams in the league were unable to complete their 70-game schedules. Hilldale easily won the ECL championship, finishing the season with a 45–13 record, while second-place Harrisburg finished 37–18.

Series plans

The ECL commissioners and

Rube Foster Andrew "Rube" Foster (September 17, 1879 – December 9, 1930) was an American baseball player, manager, and executive in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. Foster, considered by historians to have been per ...

, president of the NNL, announced that the World Series would be a best-five-of-nine series. The first four games would be played in the home field of the NNL champion on October 1, 2, 3, and 4, with October 5 and 6 available for make-up games in case of rain. Then the series would move to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, the home for Hilldale, on October 8, 9, and 10. On Sunday, October 11, play would move to

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.blue law Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons ...

s in Philadelphia (though the leagues originally planned to play the game in New York City), and game nine (if necessary) would be played back in Philadelphia on October 12. Because the parks had to be secured in advance, the teams agreed to play exhibition games on October 10 and 11 if the series ended early. The games in Kansas City would take place at Muehlebach Field, the

ballpark, and the games in Philadelphia would take place at the

Baker Bowl National League Park, commonly referred to as the Baker Bowl after 1923, was a baseball stadium and home to the Philadelphia Phillies from 1887 until 1938, and first home field of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1933 to 1935. It opened in 1887 with a ...

, the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

park, and the game in Jersey City would take place at the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

park.

Rosters

Hilldale's regular lineup included Biz Mackey as the catcher, Tank Carr at

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Frank Warfield Francis Xavier Warfield (April 26, 1897 – July 24, 1932) was an infielder and manager in the Negro leagues. Career Standing at just 5'7", Warfield was known primarily for his fielding and baserunning excellence, but he also had several good yea ...

, the manager, at

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

, Judy Johnson at third,

Jake Stephens Paul Eugene "Country Jake" Stephens (February 10, 1900 – February 5, 1981) was an American baseball player known for his slight stature, speed, and defense at the shortstop position. He played in the Negro leagues for 4 teams (–). Early ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

Clint Thomas Clinton Cyrus Thomas (November 25, 1896 – December 2, 1990), nicknamed "Hawk", was a professional baseball player born in Greenup, Kentucky. He was an outfielder and second baseman in the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1938, where he earned the nic ...

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

, George Johnson in center field, and Otto Briggs in

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

. Briggs was the

leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in any inning. Strategy Traditionally, the leadoff hitter has been utilized as a contact-oriented position. The leadoff hit ...

, while Warfield batted second in four of the six games, Carr batted third, Mackey was

cleanup hitter In baseball, a cleanup hitter is the fourth hitter in the batting order. The cleanup hitter is traditionally the team's most powerful hitter. His job is to "clean up the bases", i.e., drive in base runners. Theory The thinking behind the us ...

, Judy Johnson hit fifth, Thomas sixth, and George Johnson seventh. Their

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

s were Rube Currie,

Phil Cockrell Phillip "Fish" Cockrell, born Philip Cockrell Williams, (June 29, 1895 – March 31, 1951) was a baseball player in the Negro leagues. Cockrell started his career as a top-level Negro league pitcher in 1917, playing for both with the Lincoln Gian ...

Scrip Lee Holsey Scranton Scriptus Lee, Sr. (January 29, 1899 – February 13, 1974) was an American Negro league baseball pitcher. He played from 1921 to 1934 with several teams. He was nicknamed both Scrip and Script. Before his Negro leagues career, Lee ...

, and

Nip Winters James Henry Winters, Jr. (April 29, 1899 – December 12, 1971), nicknamed "Nip" and "Jesse", was a pitcher in Negro league baseball, playing for many top eastern teams from 1920 to 1933, and considered one of the top left-handed pitchers of hi ...

, with Red Ryan pitching in

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

. From the bench, Louis Santop, Namon Washington, and Newt Robinson played as pinch hitters or defensive replacements. Kansas City's roster took a major hit the day before the first game, when Bullet Rogan, their star pitcher, ran a needle into his leg while playing with his child on the floor. While attempting to remove it himself, he broke it, and had to have it removed surgically, leaving him unable to play in the series.

Utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

Dink Mothell Carroll Ray "Dink" Mothell (August 13, 1897 – April 24, 1980) was a catcher and utility player who played for 15 years in the Negro leagues. Known for his versatility, Mothell played every position. It was said you could use him "most any place, ...

was confined to bed and also unable to play. During the World Series, Kansas City's regular lineup consisted of Frank Duncan at catcher,

Lemuel Hawkins Lemuel Hawkins (October 2, 1895 – August 10, 1934) was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs, Chicago Giants and Chicago American Giants from 1921 to 1928. He was 5'10" and weighed 185 poun ...

at first base,

at second,

Newt Joseph Walter Lee "Newt" Joseph (October 27, 1896 – January 18, 1953) was an American third baseman and manager in Negro league baseball. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Joseph was the older brother of fellow-Negro leaguer Wilson Joseph. He played most ...

at third,

at shortstop,

Wade Johnston William Wade Johnston (April 9, 1898 – March 8, 1978) was an American baseball player. He was born in 1898 in Middleport, Ohio. He played in Negro league baseball, Negro major leagues as an outfielder from 1920 to 1932. In 12 seasons in the ...

in left field,

Hurley McNair Hurley Allen McNair (October 28, 1888 - December 2, 1948) was a baseball player in the Negro leagues and the pre-Negro leagues. At the age of 21, he was pitching for the Minneapolis Keystones. He left the Keystones halfway through the 1911 season ...

in center, and

George Sweatt George Alexander "Sharky" Sweatt (December 7, 1893 – July 19, 1983) was an American second baseman in Negro league baseball. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs and Chicago American Giants from 1922 to 1927. Life During his youth, Sweatt wo ...

in right. Their most common batting order had Johnston leading off, Allen batting second, McNair third, Moore in the cleanup spot, Joseph fifth, Hawkins sixth, Sweatt seventh, and Duncan eighth. The starting pitchers were

Cliff Bell Clifford W. Bell (July 2, 1896 – April 13, 1952) was an American pitcher in Negro league baseball. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs, Memphis Red Sox, and Cleveland Cubs from 1921 to 1931.William Bell, Nelson Dean, and

Bill Drake Bill Drake (January 14, 1937 – November 29, 2008), born Philip Yarbrough, was an American radio programmer who co-developed the Boss Radio format with Gene Chenault via their company Drake-Chenault.Douglas, Susan, "Listening In: Radio and the Am ...

, with manager

pitching in relief. The only Monarchs bench player to appear in the series was pinch hitter Hooks Foreman.

Series

Game 1

Hilldale won the series opener in Kansas City, 5–2, in 12

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

s. The

winning pitcher Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * '' Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Foot Pole, 2022 ...

was Rube Currie, who

struck out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denot ...

six and gave up nine

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

s, two

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

s, and one

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ov ...

in a 12-inning

. Bill Drake, who pitched the last two innings for Kansas City in relief for starter Cliff Bell, was charged with the

loss Loss may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Loss'' (Bass Communion album) (2006) * ''Loss'' (Mull Historical Society album) (2001) *"Loss", a song by God Is an Astronaut from their self-titled album (2008) * Losses "(Lil Tjay son ...

. Otto Briggs drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the top of the 12th. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning, when McNair led off with a single to left, then scored on Moore's double to right. In the top of the seventh, Hilldale evened the score. Thomas drew a walk to lead off the inning, and with the infield drawn in looking for a bunt, George Johnson drilled a single into center, advancing Thomas to third. The next batter, Warfield, hit the first pitch for a long fly to right field, and Thomas scored after the catch. The game remained tied 1–1 through the ninth inning, so it went to extra innings. In the top of the 11th, Briggs led off with a line drive single up the middle, which Cliff Bell attempted to catch, hurting his hand. After Bell walked Stephens, Kansas City brought in Drake as a relief pitcher. The next batter, Carr, singled to left-center and Briggs attempted to score from second, but was out on George Johnson's throw to the plate. According to ''

The Chicago Defender ''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...

'', "in tagging Briggs, he uncanpulled him two feet off and away from the plate for an out. The crowd rose en masse to cheer. It was indeed a great play as well as a great peg by Johnston." However, the next batter, Mackey, singled to center and scored Stephens from second, giving Hilldale the lead. In the bottom of the inning, McNair reached with one out on an infield single. He then stole second, and Moore

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

d to right, scoring McNair. But when the next batter, Joseph, hit a ground ball to third, Judy Johnson was able to bluff Moore back to third before throwing Joseph out. Hawkins then grounded out to short, ending the inning with a 2–2 tie. In the top of the 12th, Drake

the first batter he faced, George Johnson. Warfield singled to right, advancing Johnson to third. After Currie struck out, Briggs singled to left, scoring Johnson, and advanced to second on the throw to the plate. After Stephens struck out, Carr singled and drove in McNair and Warfield. Mackey then struck out to retire the side, but Hilldale was ahead 5–2. In the bottom of the inning, Sweatt grounded out to the pitcher, Duncan flew out to left, and Foreman, pinch hitting for Drake, grounded out to second, ending the game.

Game 2

In the second game, the Monarchs evened the series with a 5–3 victory. Nelson Dean was the winning pitcher as he struck out two and gave up eight hits, three runs, and four walks in innings. William Bell got the save. The losing pitcher, Phil Cockrell, was hurt by a couple of costly

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

s, as he struck out four and gave up 10 hits and four walks in a complete game. In the bottom of the eighth, Kansas City broke open a 2–2 tie when an error by Jake Stephens was followed by RBI singles by Lemuel Hawkins and Frank Duncan. In the top of the ninth, Hilldale answered with one run, but was unable to catch the Monarchs. Kansas City got the first run on the board in the first inning, when McNair knocked a one-out double over Thomas's head in left field and Allen drove him in with a single to right. In the top of second, Hilldale responded with two runs. Mackey led off with a walk and Judy Johnson bunted him to second. Thomas then singled to left center, driving home Mackey. George Johnson hit a single to center, and Thomas advanced to third and Johnson to second when McNair fumbled the ball. Hilldale then put on a squeeze play to score Thomas, with Warfield out at first. Hilldale held onto their 2–1 lead until the seventh inning. In the top of the fourth, they threatened when Judy Johnson led off with a single and stole second. With two outs, Warfield hit a line drive headed for right field, but Hawkins made a leaping catch. In the bottom of the seventh, Sweatt led off for Kansas City with a single to center. Duncan sacrificed, then Dean doubled to right to score Sweatt, tying the game at two runs apiece. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Allen led off with an infield hit. Moore struck out, but Joseph reached when Hilldale shortstop Stephens fumbled a ground ball. Hawkins then singled to center, scoring Allen. Next, Sweatt walked, loading the bases, and Duncan hit a bounder to third that Judy Johnson had to leap to catch, allowing Joseph to score an unearned run and Duncan to reach first. Dean then hit a fly ball that Stephens caught on the edge of the grass, but he let Hawkins score from third. ''The Chicago Defender'' wrote, "The crowd was puzzled, because it looked like Stephens had plenty of time to set himself to throw. It looked to the scorers as if he hadn't figured wheretu Hawkins would take a chance to score after the catch. When he did wake up he threw wide to Mackey." The Monarchs now led 5–2. In the top of the ninth, Warfield led off with a walk. Cockrell grounded into a force play by Moore at second, then Briggs singled to center. Santop, pinch hitting, made the second out on a fly to right center, then Carr singled to right to score Cockrell. An intentional walk was issued to Mackey, and Judy Johnson ended the game with a fly out to center.

Game 3

Hilldale won the third game, 3–1, in ten innings, taking a series lead of two games to one. Red Ryan, who pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Hilldale starter Scrip Lee, was credited with the win, and Monarchs manager and pitcher José Méndez, who gave up all three runs in a three-inning relief outing for starter William Bell, was charged with the loss. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the eighth, when Kansas City scored a run, which was matched by Hilldale in the top of the ninth. Hilldale's decisive runs in the top of the tenth—an RBI double by Namon Washington, followed by an RBI single by Newt Robinson—were provided by late inning substitutes. Although no runs were scored in the first seven innings, Hilldale mounted several threats. In the second inning, they left runners at second and third after a walk by Thomas and a double by Stephens. In the third, Briggs led off with an infield single and was sacrificed to second, but was then picked off by Bell. In the fourth, Mackey led off with a single, and Judy Johnson followed with a double. Thomas then grounded to short, and Moore threw out Mackey at the plate. After Thomas stole second, George Johnson lined out to first. Stephens walked to load the bases, but Lee struck out to end the threat. In the top of the eighth, Carr led off with a walk, Mackey got an infield hit, and Judy Johnson singled to short left to load the bases with no outs. Méndez came in to relieve William Bell. Thomas grounded to short, and Moore threw out Carr at home. Santop pinch hit for George Johnson; according to ''The Chicago Defender'': "'Big Bertha' hit one to Moore that was hotter than tabasco sauce. Moore knocked it down with his gloved hand as it bounded fast over the ground, stumbled over second, forcing Thomas out and throwing to Hawkins from a half crouching position, getting Santop headed for first and making one of the prettiest of double plays." Meanwhile, Lee held the Monarchs hitless through the first four innings, and to one hit through seven. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, the Monarchs offense finally came alive, when Johnston singled to right, and McNair reached on an error by Carr. Allen then singled to right, driving in Johnston to take a 1–0 lead. Hilldale responded in the top of the ninth, when Cockrell, pinch hitting for Lee, reached base with a one-out walk. Briggs followed with a single to left, and Warfield grounded to shortstop, forcing Briggs at second. With two outs, Carr singled to right, scoring Cockrell and tying the game. In the bottom of the ninth, Hilldale reliever Ryan retired the side in order. In the top of the tenth, Judy Johnson led off with a single to center. Thomas sacrificed him to second, then Washington doubled to center to drive in the go-ahead run. Robinson singled to right, scoring Washington, and took second on the throw to the plate, but was thrown out trying to take third as well. In the bottom of the tenth, Duncan hit a one-out double to left, but Foreman and Johnston both flied out to end the game, with a 3–1 victory for Hilldale.

Game 4

Hilldale won the fourth game, 7–3, in front of the largest crowd of the series. The winning pitcher was Nip Winters, who pitched a complete game, allowing eight hits and three runs, striking out eight, and walking three. The loser, Bill Drake, also pitched a complete game and yielded 11 hits and seven runs, struck out three, and walked three. A high wind caused both teams trouble with judging fly balls. Hilldale took a 2–1 lead in the fourth when Biz Mackey tripled and Judy Johnson drove him in with a sacrifice fly. They added a run in the fifth, and Kansas City answered in the seventh, narrowing the margin to 3–2. In the top of the ninth, Hilldale broke the game open with four runs in the top of the ninth, and the Monarchs only managed one run in the bottom of the ninth as they fell behind in the series, three games to one. In the top of the first, Warfield singled with one out on a hit that Allen was just able to knock down. Carr then singled to center, with the wind causing an unusual hop that enabled Warfield to race home with the first run. In the bottom of the second, Kansas City answered, with Joseph hitting a one-out triple to right. Hawkins then grounded to Warfield, who threw home. Joseph slid into home spikes first, and Mackey dropped the ball, allowing the run to score and tying the game. In the top of the fourth, Mackey hit a one-out triple to right field. Judy Johnson followed with a long fly out to right, scoring Mackey and giving Hilldale a 2–1 lead. In the next inning, Hilldale added on. With two outs, Stephens grounded to short and beat out Moore's throw. He then stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball. Briggs singled to right, scoring Stephens. In the bottom of the seventh, Sweatt led off with a hit to right. After Duncan struck out, Drake hit a fly ball to center, which the wind caused George Johnson to misjudge; when it rolled away, Drake reached third with a triple, driving in Sweatt, and narrowing Hilldale's lead to 3–2. In the top of the ninth, George Johnson led off with a triple to center. Winters drove him in with a single to center. Stephens grounded to third, forcing Winters at second. Briggs followed with a double to right, advancing Stephens to third, and Warfield tripled to right-center, driving in two more runs, and scored himself when Joseph missed McNair's throw to third. Kansas City entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 7–2, and Joseph led off with a single to right. Hawkins beat out an infield hit to Judy Johnson at third. Sweatt singled to right, scoring Joseph and advancing Hawkins to third. The next three Kansas City batters, however, made easy outs, ending the game 7–3.

Game 5

The series resumed in Philadelphia, where Hilldale won their first home game, 2–1, taking a series lead of four games to one. The winning pitcher was Rube Currie, who gave up six hits and one run, striking out four and walking one in a complete game. The losing pitcher, Cliff Bell, lasted innings and gave up eight hits and two runs, striking out one. Both of Hilldale's runs came in the fourth inning, when Tank Carr hit a one-out solo home run, which was followed by a pair of doubles by Biz Mackey and Clint Thomas. Moore led off the top of the second inning with a hit off Currie's glove, but he was caught off first by catcher Mackey and thrown out trying to advance to second. In the top of the fourth, McNair led off with a single to right, and a one-out single by Joseph advanced him to second. Again, the Monarchs lost their opportunity to a baserunning blunder, when McNair was caught trying to steal third with two outs. In the bottom of the fourth, Hilldale took the lead with Carr's one-out solo home run over the high right field wall. Mackey followed with a double hit against the same wall. With two outs, Thomas hit a ground ball past Moore for a double, scoring Mackey, and giving Hilldale a 2–0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, they threatened again with Stephens and Currie hitting a pair of singles to lead off the inning. Briggs then hit into a double play, and with Dean brought in to relieve Cliff Bell, Hilldale tried a squeeze play, but Warfield was thrown out on the bunt. In the top of the sixth, Allen hit a one-out double to the fence in center field. With two outs, Moore doubled to right, driving in Allen and narrowing Hilldale's lead to one run. In the bottom of the sixth, Hilldale had runners on first and third with one out, and Thomas hit a fly caught by Allen in short right near the foul line. Carr tried to score from third, and was gunned down on the relay from Allen to Hawkins to Duncan. Kansas City's only hit in the last three innings was a one-out double by Duncan in the top of the seventh, so they were unable to catch Hilldale.

Game 6

On October 9, heavy rain forced the sixth game to be delayed a day. On Saturday, October 10, play resumed despite freezing temperatures and gusting winds that kept all but the hardiest of fans away. Phil Cockrell, a

spitball A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of a foreign substance such as saliva or petroleum jelly. This technique alters the wind resistance and weight on one side of the ball, causing it to mo ...

pitcher, was the winner, as he allowed eight hits and two runs, striking out six, and walking four, in a complete game. William Bell, the loser, also went the distance, as he allowed nine hits and five runs, struck out four, and walked one. Hilldale scored runs in the fourth and fifth innings and two in the sixth, then Biz Mackey hit a solo home run to lead off the seventh. The Monarchs answered with one run each in the seventh and ninth innings, but fell to Hilldale, 5–2, ending the series with Hilldale victorious five games to one. The Hilldale Club was first to score in the bottom of the fourth, when Thomas hit a two-out double to center. George Johnson drove him in with a single to left. In the fifth, Warfield reached base with one out on an error by Moore. Carr walked, and Mackey doubled off the right field wall, driving in Warfield. Judy Johnson grounded to Bell, and Carr was thrown out trying to get back to third after attempting to score on the play. Thomas flied out to end the inning, and Hilldale was up, 2–0. In the sixth, Cockrell reached with one out on an error by Joseph. Stephens doubled, driving in Cockrell. Briggs grounded out to Allen, advancing Stephens to third, and then Stephens scored when Warfield beat out a hit to Joseph at third, widening Hilldale's lead to 4–0. In the top of the seventh, Allen led off with a single to right. McNair sacrificed, and after Moore flied out, Allen stole third. Joseph was hit by a pitch, and Hawkins beat out a slow roller to Judy Johnson at third, scoring Allen, and making the score, 4–1. In the bottom of the seventh, Mackey led off with a home run over the right field fence, making it 5–1. The Monarchs' final opportunity came in the top of the ninth, when McNair led off the inning with a double off the scoreboard. Moore followed with a double off the right field wall, scoring McNair. Joseph reached base safely on an error by Judy Johnson. But when Hawkins hit a short fly to left, Thomas raced in to catch it. Stephens fumbled a ground ball hit by Duncan, loading the bases with one out. Foreman pinch hit for Sweatt, but struck out, and George Johnson sprinted in to catch William Bell's fly for the last out, ending the game, 5–2, and the series, five games to one.

Exhibition Game

Because the ballpark in Jersey City had already been retained, the two teams played an exhibition on game in Jersey City on Sunday, October 11. The Monarchs' young pitcher,

Chet Brewer Chester Arthur Brewer (January 14, 1907 – March 26, 1990) was an American right-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, he played for the Kansas City Monarchs, and from 1957 to 1974 he scouted for the Pittsburgh ...

, held the champions to one run, as Kansas City beat Hilldale, 6–1. The Hilldale players made seven errors, and the Hilldale starter, Nip Winters, gave up five walks. Although the game did not count in the series, it was counted in the financial results of the series.

Financial results

Total attendance for the series (including the exhibition game) was 20,067, less than half the 45,857 who had attended the ten games of the 1924 series. Total receipts were $21,045, in comparison with $52,113 the previous year. Total expenses were $15,173, including $3,748 for park rent, $5,543 for railroad fares and hotels for the two ball clubs, $2,050 for war tax, and $827 for umpires. A surplus of $5,872 was available for distribution, with $1,233 going to the owners of the victorious Hilldale club, the same amount split among their players, and $822 each going to the owner and the players of the Kansas City Monarchs. Newspaper reports described the financial results as disappointing and attributed the poor attendance to cold weather and a shortened and lopsided series. Frank A. Young, sports editor of ''The Chicago Defender,'' noted that each player on the victorious Hilldale club received only about $80, or $6.66 a day, for his efforts, and quoted a Kansas City player who said, "We could have made more in two games barnstorming than we'll get out of the whole series."

Notes

References

* * * {{Negro World Series

Colored World Series The Negro World Series was a post-season baseball tournament that was held from 1924 to 1927 and from 1942 to 1948 between the champions of the Negro leagues, matching the mid-western winners against their east-coast counterparts. The series was a ...

1925 Colored World Series 1925 Colored World Series Negro World Series

1925 in American sports

Route to the series

Kansas City Monarchs

Hilldale

Series plans

Rosters

Series

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Game 5

Game 6

Exhibition Game

Financial results

Notes

See also

References