The 1948 Negro World Series was the championship tournament for the 1948 season of Negro league baseball. It was the seventh edition of the second incarnation of the

Negro 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 ...

and the eleventh overall played. It was a best-of-seven playoff played between the

Homestead Grays The Homestead Grays (also known as Washington Grays or Washington Homestead Grays) were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and remained in continuo ...

of the Negro National League and 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 pr ...

, champions of the

Negro American League The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and disbanded after its 1962 season. Negro American League franchises :''Ann ...

. The Homestead Grays played home games in both

Washington, D.C. ) , 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, ...

and

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. It was the fifth appearance for the Grays in the Series, the most for any team; Birmingham made their third appearance in the Series, with each being against the Grays (losing in

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

and

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

). The Grays won the series in five games. The Black Barons featured the 17-year-old

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...

in his first professional season.

Background

Interestingly, the Negro National League and Negro American League each had held a Championship Series to determine their respective pennants, which was the first time since 1939 (the National League held ten total series matchups, while the American League held just five matchups). There would not be an occasion again that baseball of any kind saw a "Championship Series" until

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

did so on a regular basis in 1969. In the NAL Championship Series, Birmingham faced 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 19 ...

. The Black Barons won the first three games by one run each, but Kansas City responded with wins in Game 4, 6, and 7; the fifth game had ended prematurely in the fifth inning in a 3-3 tie. The eighth and deciding game ended with the Black Barons winning 5-1 to clinch the championship. In the NNL Championship Series, Homestead, managed by Vic Harris, faced the

Baltimore Elite Giants The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from to . The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. The team w ...

(coincidentally, the last time Baltimore had competed in the postseason was against the Grays in 1939). Homestead won the first two games, but a controversial non-finish in the third game eventually led to the championship. In that game on September 17, the score was 8-4 with Homestead at bat in the top of the ninth inning, but the game was called because of an 11:00pm curfew, and the game had initially reverted to the score at the end of the last completed inning (i.e. 4-4 after eight innings). Game 4 happened two days later, and Homestead lost that game 11-3. After the game, the NNL ruled that Game 3 would be replayed from when that game was stopped - with Homestead up 8-4. Baltimore forfeited the game in response, and Homestead was awarded the NNL championship, the final one to be awarded. This was the tenth Negro National League pennant for the Grays, with Harris having led the team to eight of them as manager.

Summary

The first three games of the series were close, with the Barons missing chances in the first two games to avoid losing in the ninth inning (losing Game 1 after a play at the plate and losing Game 2 while having the tying run at the plate with a groundout). The Black Barons won Game 3 with their young star Mays in hand, who aided the team with speed and the glove, and it was his groundball hit through the pitcher in the ninth inning, that helped drive the runner on second base home to win it for Birmingham. However, that proved to be the only gasp of magic the team had, as the Grays dominated the Barons in the following two games to win the Series.

Matchups

Game 1

The Grays were out hit 8–6 (while facing four less batters than the Barons), but they had two doubles and one triple while the Barons had just one extra base hit (a double) as the Grays rode to victory on a three-run inning in the second. The hit leader for the game was catcher Pepper Bassett, who hit 3-for-4 for the Barons;

Dave Pope David Pope (June 17, 1921 – August 28, 1999) was an American Negro league and Major League Baseball outfielder who played one inning for the Homestead Grays and for four seasons in MLB for the Cleveland Indians in 1952, and from 1954 to 1955. He ...

made his one hit count for the Barons in scoring two runs on his triple in the third (he was then driven in by Luis Marquez three batters later).

Game 2

For Game 2, the series moved to

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

Rickwood Field Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States. It was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team-owner Rick Woodward and has served as the home park for the Bi ...

for a night game.

Bob Thurman Robert Burns Thurman (May 14, 1917 – October 31, 1998) was a professional baseball pitcher, outfielder and pinch-hitter. He played in the Negro leagues, the Puerto Rican winter league (where he was a star), and for a few years at the end o ...

of the Grays faced Bill Powell of the Black Barons. Thurman pitched a complete game, but Powell was knocked out after innings, and Jimmie Newberry finished the game for Birmingham. The Black Barons took the lead in the bottom of the second when they loaded the bases on a single by

Piper Davis Lorenzo "Piper" Davis (July 3, 1917 – May 21, 1997) was an American professional baseball player who played in the Negro American League from 1942 to 1950 for the Birmingham Black Barons. His nickname was the name of the mining town he was from ...

, a walk by Ed Steele, and another single by Jim Zapp. Joe Scott then hit a double, driving in two. The Grays scored five in the top of the fifth. Luis Márquez led off with a single, and Luke Easter followed with a double.

Buck Leonard Walter Fenner "Buck" Leonard (September 8, 1907 – November 27, 1997) was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball and in the Mexican League. After growing up in North Carolina, he played for the Homestead Grays between 1934 and 1950, ...

was intentionally walked to load the bases, and

Wilmer Fields Wilmer Leon Fields (August 2, 1922 – June 4, 2004) was an American baseball player who was a household name in the Negro leagues and other baseball circuits between the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Manassas, Virginia, Fields was a versatile two-w ...

hit into a fielder's choice that scored the first run. Eudie Napier doubled, driving in two more, and the Grays' third baseman hit a home run to make it 5–2. The Black Barons scored one run in the ninth, but the Grays held on to win 5–3. The Grays were ahead two games to one.

Game 3

Game 3 was played at Rickwood Field the following night. Tom Parker started for the Grays facing Alonzo Perry of the Black Barons. Birmingham scored a run in the bottom of the third, and in the top of the fourth the Grays tied it with a solo home run by Luke Easter. In the bottom of the inning, Parker pulled a muscle, so R.T. Walker came in to relieve. In the bottom of the sixth, Walker gave up two runs, giving the Black Barons a 3–1 lead. In the top of the eighth, Perry gave up two runs to the Grays, tying the game at 3 runs apiece. He was relieved by

Bill Greason William Henry Greason (born September 3, 1924) is an American former professional baseball player who later became a Baptist minister in Birmingham, Alabama.

, who held the Grays scoreless in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, 17-year-old

came to bat with two runners on base and two outs. He drove the ball up the middle to drive in the walk-off, game-winning run. The Black Barons narrowed the Grays lead to two games to one.

Game 4

Game 4 moved to

Pelican Stadium Pelican Stadium, originally known as Heinemann Park (1915–1937), was a sports stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1915 to 1957. Heinemann Park namesake Alexander Julius (A.J.) Heinemann was an officer and shareholder in the New Orleans Peli ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and was played on Sunday, October 3.

started for the Grays and pitched a complete game. Bill Greason started for the Black Barons, but he was knocked out early and Jehosie Heard, Jimmie Newberry, and Nat Pollard took turns in relief. The Grays scored four runs in the second inning. In the fifth inning, they added on five, four of which came from a grand slam hit by Luke Easter, his second home run of the Series. The Grays added on three more runs in the fifth and two in the eighth for a 14–1 win. The lopsided win put the Grays ahead three games to one.

Game 5

The teams returned to Birmingham for Game 5, a night game held on Tuesday, October 5. It was the last Negro World Series game, and the last game played by the Negro National League, which disbanded after the season. R.T. Walker was the starter for the Grays and Bill Powell for the Black Barons. Bill Greason relieved Powell in the sixth inning. Entering the top of the ninth, the Grays trailed 6–5. They tied the game on a pair of doubles hit by Luis Márquez and Luke Easter. The game went to extra innings, the Grays scored four runs in the top of the 10th on three walks, two singles, and a double. The Black Barons brought in Sam Williams to relieve Greason, but it was too late. The Grays sent in Wilmer Fields to pitch the bottom of the 10th, and he shut down the Black Barons to secure the Series win.

Aftermath

This proved to be the last great moment for the Grays, who left for the

Negro American Association The Negro American Association was the name of two different minor league Negro baseball leagues. Negro American Association (1939) The first Negro American Association was organized in 1939, lasting one season. This league was to be a farm sy ...

when the Negro National League disbanded. Of the six team in the NNL, four teams joined the Negro American League: the

Newark Eagles The Newark Eagles were a professional Negro league baseball team which played in the Negro National League from 1936 to 1948. They were owned by Abe and Effa Manley. History Formation The Newark Eagles were formed in 1936 when the Newark Do ...

(who moved to Houston),

New York Cubans The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics in ...

, Philadelphia Stars, and the

, while the

New York Black Yankees The New York Black Yankees were a professional Negro league baseball team based in New York City; Paterson, New Jersey; and Rochester, New York. Beginning as the independent Harlem Stars, the team was renamed the New York Black Yankees in 1932 and ...

did not stay on. The Grays played in the NAA for one season but found themselves in financial trouble, and they disbanded the following year.

retired that same year and he was inducted into the

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays basebal ...

in 1972. The NAL continued on until 1962, barnstorming to lessened crowds, and the Barons won one further league title in 1955. By that time, Mays had become a star for the New York Giants, where he would play for over two decades and eventually become inducted into the

in 1979.

References

{{Negro World Series

1948 Negro World Series 1948 Negro World Series Negro World Series

1948 in American sports