James Arthur Proctor (born September 9, 1935) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player. A

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 ...

, he appeared in two games for the Detroit Tigers of

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), ...

during the season. He is one of the last major-leaguers to play in the

Negro leagues 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 ...

, and one of the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

s to appear in a Tiger uniform. Proctor was born in Brandywine, Maryland. He graduated from Frederick Douglass High School in

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...

and attended the

University of Maryland Eastern Shore University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a public historically black land-grant research university in Princess Anne, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High ...

. The , right-hander began his professional career in the Milwaukee Braves' organization in 1955, but was released after five games in the Class D Florida State League, enduring the strict

racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...

of the Jim Crow era. He then signed as a free agent with

Indianapolis Clowns The Indianapolis Clowns were a professional baseball team in the Negro American League. Tracing their origins back to the 1930s, the Clowns were the last of the Negro league teams to disband, continuing to play exhibition games into the 1980s. Th ...

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 ...

, where he won 16 games and lost only seven. After the season, the Clowns sold Proctor's contract to the Detroit Tigers' organization. Upon his return to "

Organized Baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

" in 1956, Proctor reached double-figures in games won in three of the next four seasons. Finally, in 1959, in the

Sally League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

, he posted a 15–5 record, led the circuit in complete games (20), finished second in

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(2.19), and was named Pitcher of the Year. When rosters expanded to 40 men after September 1, 1959, the Tigers called him to the majors. The 15th of the then-16

MLB 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), ...

teams to break the color line, the Tigers had been integrated by

Afro-Latino Black Hispanic and Latino Americans, also called Afro-Hispanics ( es, Afrohispano, links=no), Afro-Latinos or Black Hispanics, or Black Latinos are classified by the United States Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget, and other U.S. ...

Ozzie Virgil Sr. Osvaldo José Virgil Pichardo (born May 17, 1932) is a former professional baseball player and coach who was the first Dominican to play in Major League Baseball. He was a utilityman who played in MLB between 1956 and 1969 for the New York / S ...

in ; Baseball Hall of Famer

Larry Doby Lawrence Eugene Doby (December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003) was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) who was the second black player to break baseball's color barrier and the first black pl ...

had become the club's first U.S.-born Black player as a 35-year-old veteran on April 10, 1959, during his brief stint with the team. The 24-year-old Proctor became the first African-American to graduate from the Tiger farm system. Hampered by a sore shoulder, Proctor appeared in two games over the 1959 campaign's final month. He debuted September 14 against the Washington Senators at

Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium stood in Washington, D.C., from 1911 to 1965, between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street (left field), and between W Street and Florida Avenue NW. The site was once home to a wooden baseball park. Built in 1891, it was called Boundar ...

, throwing two innings of

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 th ...

and allowing four hits and one

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

. Then, 12 days later at Detroit's

Briggs Stadium Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of Michigan and Trumbul ...

, he was the starting pitcher against the league champion

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. He retired Chicago's first two men, including future Hall-of-Famer

Nellie Fox Jacob Nelson “Nellie” Fox (December 25, 1927 – December 1, 1975) was an American professional baseball player. Fox was one of the best second basemen of all time, and the third-most difficult hitter to strike out in Major League Baseball (M ...

, but then allowed the next six players to reach base on four hits and two bases on balls. He left the mound trailing 4–0 and was tagged with the loss, his only decision in the majors. Proctor returned to the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

in 1960 and promptly won 15 games in the Double-A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. But his career was winding down; he struggled at Triple-A in 1961, missed the 1962 season entirely, and left Organized Baseball after eight games in the Double-A Sally League in 1963. In the majors, he allowed eight hits, three bases on balls, and five earned runs in 2 innings pitched, for an ERA of 16.88. His stellar minor league record was 59–41 in 190 games pitched. Proctor's grandson James is a

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

graduate who pitched in the Cincinnati Reds' organization in 2021 and 2022 before a shoulder injury ended his career. He remained in baseball in 2023 as a young executive in the office of the

Commissioner of Baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

References

External links

1935 births Living people 21st-century African-American people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Nicaragua Augusta Tigers players Baseball players from Prince George's County, Maryland Charleston Senators players Detroit Tigers players Houston Buffaloes players Indianapolis Clowns players Knoxville Smokies players Lancaster Red Roses players Major League Baseball pitchers Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks baseball players People from Brandywine, Maryland Salt Lake City Bees players Terre Haute Tigers players Victoria Rosebuds players West Palm Beach Indians players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1930s-stub