| Biz Mackey | |
|---|---|
 Mackey in 1924 | |
| Catcher /Manager | |
| Born:(1897-07-27)July 27, 1897 Luling, Texas, U.S. | |
| Died: September 22, 1965(1965-09-22) (aged 68) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| Negro leagues debut | |
| 1918, for the San Antonio Black Aces | |
| Last Negro leagues appearance | |
| 1950, for the Newark Eagles | |
| Negro leagues[a] statistics | |
| Batting average | .328 |
| Home runs | 52 |
| Runs batted in | 604 |
| Managerial record | 186–143–9 |
| Winning % | .565 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2006 |
| Election method | Committee on African-American Baseball |
James Raleigh"Biz"Mackey (July 27, 1897 – September 22, 1965) was an Americancatcher andmanager inNegro league baseball. He played for theIndianapolis ABCs,New York Lincoln Giants,Hilldale Daisies,Philadelphia Royal Giants,Philadelphia Stars,Washington / Baltimore Elite Giants, andNewark Dodgers / Eagles.
Mackey was regarded as black baseball's premier catcher in the late 1920s and early 1930s. His superior defense and outstanding throwing arm were complemented by batting skill which placed him among the Negro leagues' all-time leaders intotal bases,runs batted in andslugging percentage, whilehitting over .300 for his career. Mackey was elected to theNational Baseball Hall of Fame in2006.
Mackey was born inEagle Pass, Texas, to a sharecropping family that included two brothers.[3] He began playing baseball with his brothers on the Luling Oilers, a Prairie League team, in 1916 in his hometown ofLuling. He joined the professional San Antonio Black Aces two years later. When the team folded in 1920, his contract was sold to the Indianapolis ABCs in time for theNegro National League's first season. After three years under managerC. I. Taylor, in which he hit .315, .317, and .344, he was picked up by Hilldale when theEastern Colored League was organized in 1923.
In his first season with Hilldale, Mackey batted .423, winning the ECL batting title and pacing the team to the pennant, and followed with eight consecutive seasons batting .308 or better. In 1924, he finished third in the batting race as Hilldale repeated as champions, but lost to theKansas City Monarchs 5 games to 4 in the firstNegro League World Series with Mackey playingthird base. At first platooning behind the plate with the agingLouis Santop, while also sharing time atshortstop withPop Lloyd andJake Stephens, he took over the full-time catching job in 1925. In that year's Negro League World Series, Mackey helped Hilldale to the title over the Monarchs with a .360 average. He drove in the lead run in the 11th inning of the first game, which Hilldale won in 12 innings. After scoring the winning run in a 2–1 victory in Game 5, his three hits in the deciding Game 6 clinched the title.
Mackey's barnstorming tours included a highly successful trip toJapan in 1927, during which he became the first player to hit ahome run out ofMeiji Shrine Stadium, doing so in three straight games. He was particularly well received on the tour and made later trips to Japan in 1934 and 1935. In 1931, he won his second batting title with a .359 average, as Hilldale also finished with the best record among eastern teams.
In voting for the firstEast–West All-Star Game in 1933, Mackey was selected at catcher over the youngJosh Gibson, battingcleanup. He played in three more All-Star Games by 1938. In 1934, he batted only .299, as the Philadelphia Stars' won the NNL second-half pennant, but had a good postseason, batting .368 and driving in the first run of a 2–0 victory in Game 7 to defeat theChicago American Giants four games to three.
By 1937, Mackey was managing the Baltimore Elite Giants, where he began mentoring 15-year-oldRoy Campanella in the fine points of catching. Campanella later recalled:
Mackey joined the Newark Eagles in 1939, replacedDick Lundy as manager a year later, and continued his work with young players such asMonte Irvin,Larry Doby, andDon Newcombe. When Doby joined theCleveland Indians of theAmerican League in 1947, it was Mackey who recommended moving him fromsecond base tocenter field.
Personality conflicts with Newark ownerEffa Manley led to Mackey's departure from play after the 1941 season, moving toLos Angeles. While there, he worked atNorth American Aviation duringWorld War II. He returned to the Eagles in 1945 when Manley had a conflict with his replacement,Willie Wells.[4] Mackey managed the team in 1946 as the Eagles won the Negro League World Series four games to three, again over the Monarchs, who featured pitcherSatchel Paige. Even in his forties, Mackey was still an effective player – he batted .307 in 1945, and appeared in the 1947 All-Star Game at age 50. When the Eagles moved toHouston in 1950, he retired from baseball following the season.
In the 1950s, Mackey moved to Los Angeles and began working as aforklift operator. In 1952, he was selected by aPittsburgh Courier poll as the Negro leagues' greatest catcher, ahead of Josh Gibson. Mackey received more attention on May 7, 1959, when Campanella was honored at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum following his paralysis from a car accident. Mackey was introduced to the crowd of over 93,000 for an exhibition game between theLos Angeles Dodgers andNew York Yankees.
Mackey lived in Los Angeles until his death in 1965. He is buried in that city'sEvergreen Cemetery.[5] Through the 1990s, reference sources widely reported his death as having occurred in 1959; this seems to have resulted from Campanella's recollection in John B. Holway's 1988 bookBlackball Stars that Mackey "passed away right after" the Coliseum event, an apparent error that Campanella repeated in other interviews. In 2006, Mackey was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mackey's grandsonRiley Odoms played 12 seasons for theNational Football League'sDenver Broncos.
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