JOSH GIBSON

Josh Gibson, considered one of the finest baseball players of all time, was the greatest power hitter of his era. He began his professional career at age 18 with the Homestead Grays in 1930. According to legend, Gibson, who was attending the first night game at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, volunteered his services after Gray’s catcher Buck Ewing cut his hand. Stepping out of the bleachers, the youngster donned a Homestead uniform, strapped on the catcher’s gear, and began his legendary career. Gibson jumped to the Crawfords in 1932 and captured the first of nine home run titles. Tales of his mammoth home runs became legend. The warm, fun-loving catcher also hit for average with his fluid, compact swing. As a result, he batted .426 in recorded at bats against big league pitching and compiled the highest lifetime batting average in Negro League history. In 2024, Major League Baseball incorporated Negro League statistics into its own and Gibson became the MLB career batting average leader. Defensively, Gibson had a strong arm and was a good handler of pitchers. Tragically, he died at the age of 35, just three months before the integration of baseball in the major leagues.

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Images courtesy of Dick Perez