George H. Wilson (July 1875 – November 26, 1915) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

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 ...

. He played for major teams from 1895 to 1905 and pitched for Havana in the Cuban winter league of 1907.

Baseball career

Wilson lived in

Palmyra Township, Michigan Palmyra Township is a civil township of Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,366 at the 2000 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and ...

when the Page Fence Giants were founded in

Adrian Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the m ...

, the Lenawee County seat, for the 1895 season. At age 19 he pitched one game for the 1895 Giants but spent that season with Adrian's

Adrian Demons Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the mai ...

club in the

Michigan State League The Michigan State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in various seasons between 1889 and 1941. The league franchises were based exclusively in Michigan, with the league forming on six different occasions. Twenty two different ...

. There he was one of the last black players in organized baseball before 1946. He batted .327 and posted a 29–4 record as a pitcher, but the number of racially mixed leagues was already very low, the Michigan State League did not return, and none of Adrian's black players were rehired for 1896. With Page Fence in 1898, the Columbia Giants in 1899–1900,"Colored Champions" Muskegon Daily Chronicle, Muskegon, MI, Tuesday, May 15, 1900, Page 7, Columns 3 and 4
/ref> and during his first two seasons with the

Chicago Union Giants The Leland Giants, originally the Chicago Union Giants, were a Negro league baseball team that competed independently during the first decade of the 20th century. The team was formed via a merge of the Chicago Unions and the Chicago Columbia Gia ...

in 1901–1905, Wilson worked with catcher

Chappie Johnson George "Chappie" Johnson Jr. (May 8, 1877 – August 17, 1949) was an American baseball catcher and field manager in the Negro leagues. He played for many successful teams from 1895 to 1920 and he crossed racial boundaries as a teacher and ...

. Wilson spent some years playing ball in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In 1907 he pitched for the

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with ov ...

club and remained there that winter. An article at that time indicated Wilson had seen better days on the mound. "In his palmy days he was considered the swiftest pitcher in the country, but illness has reduced his speed and he has joined the minor leagues."The LaCrossse (Wisc.) Tribune, November 26, 1907, Page 2. Wilson played at least one winter season in Cuba, and during one of those seasons it appears his professional baseball career came to an end. He returned to his farm near Palmyra Township, Michigan and continued to pitch Sunday games for local teams until he was nearly 40 years old.

Death

According to news reports, Wilson died at the age of 40 while living in an asylum at the Kalamazoo State Hospital in 1915. Reports say his body was shipped to his hometown of

, where he is buried."George Wilson, Noted as Ball Player, is Dead" Adrian Daily Telegram, Adrian, MI, Saturday, November 27, 1915, Page 1, Column 7
/ref>"Former Athlete Dies in Asylum" Kalamazoo Gazette, Kalamazoo, MI, November 28, 1915, Page 8, Column 5
/ref> While research still needs to be done regarding why and when he was admitted to the hospital, the report says Wilson was admitted to the hospital "following a trip to Cuba several years ago." It also says "his mind became clouded." Wilson's body was returned to his family's home in Palmyra Township, Michigan, and is buried on the family plot with his parents, Jerry and Mary (Lambert) Wilson; and sister, Mary.

References

* *(Riley.

Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley (confirmed 2010-04-13)

External links

*Baseball statistics and player information fro
Baseball-Reference Black Baseball Stats
an
Seamheads
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, George 1875 births 1915 deaths Adrian Reformers players Columbia Giants players Habana players Leland Giants players Page Fence Giants players American expatriate baseball players in Cuba Baseball players from Michigan People from Lenawee County, Michigan