Joe Black

For other uses, seeJoe Black (disambiguation).

Joseph Black (February 8, 1924 – May 17, 2002) was an American right-handedpitcher inNegro league andMajor League Baseball for theBrooklyn Dodgers,Cincinnati Redlegs, andWashington Senators who became the first black pitcher to win aWorld Series game, in 1952.

Joe Black

Pitcher
Born:(1924-02-08)February 8, 1924 Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: May 17, 2002(2002-05-17) (aged 78) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Professional debut
NgL: 1943, for the Baltimore Elite Giants
MLB: May 1, 1952, for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
September 11, 1957, for the Washington Senators
MLB^[a] statistics
Win–loss record	49–36
Earned run average	3.72
Strikeouts	454
Stats atBaseball Reference

Teams
Negro leagues Baltimore Elite Giants (1943–1950) Major League Baseball Brooklyn Dodgers (1952–1955) Cincinnati Redlegs (1955–1956) Washington Senators (1957)
Career highlights and awards
3xNgL All-Star (1947–1948, 1950) NL Rookie of the Year (1952)

Early years

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A native ofPlainfield, New Jersey, he starred atPlainfield High School.^[2] Black served in theUS Army duringWorld War II,^[3] and attendedMorgan State University on a baseball scholarship and graduated in 1950. He later received an honorary doctorate fromShaw University. He was a member ofOmega Psi Phi fraternity. He appears prominently in Roger Kahn's classic book,The Boys of Summer.

Negro and minor leagues

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Black helped theBaltimore Elite Giants of the Negro leagues win two championships in seven years. He andJackie Robinson pushed for a pension plan for Negro league players and was instrumental in getting the plan to include retired players who had played in the leagues before 1944. Black then played for a year in theBrooklyn Dodgers'minor league system.

Call up to Brooklyn

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The Dodgers promoted Black to the major leagues in 1952 at 28, five years after teammateJackie Robinson broke baseball'scolor barrier. He roomed with Robinson while on the Dodgers. Black was chosenRookie of the Year after winning 15 games and saving 15 others for the National League champions. He had a 2.15 ERA but, with 142 innings pitched, fell eight innings short of winning the ERA title.

Strapped for pitching, Dodgers managerChuck Dressen brought Black out of the bullpen and started him three times in seven days in the 1952 World Series against the New York Yankees. He won the opener with a six-hitter overAllie Reynolds, 4–2, then lost the fourth game, 2–0, and the seventh, 4–2

Black's Brooklyn Years

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The spring after the 1952 World Series, Dressen urged Black to add some pitches to his strong slowball, which was his favorite pitch. In six seasons, he compiled a 30–12 record, half of his wins coming in his rookie season.

After baseball

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After his career ended, Black was ascout for the Washington Senators (1959–60). He taught health and physical education at Hubbard Junior High School inPlainfield, New Jersey, and later became an executive withGreyhound inPhoenix.

In addition to lobbying for black players, he remained in baseball through his affiliation with thecommissioner's office, where he consulted with players about career choices.

In 1991, Black appeared as a fictional character, 'Joe 'Playday' Sims', in TV'sCosby Show, in the 7th Season episode, "There's Still No Joy in Mudville", which originally aired April 4, 1991.

He was a board director of theBaseball Assistance Team and worked for theArizona Diamondbacks in community relations after they joined theNational League in 1998. Black was a regular in the Diamondbacks' dugout during batting practice and in the press box. He also performed much charity work in thePhoenix area.

He wrote a syndicated column, "By the Way", forEbony magazine and an autobiography,Ain't Nobody Better Than You.

Years later,Peter O'Malley (son of Walter, who owned the team before Peter) awarded Black a 1955 championship ring (Black had been traded prior to the World Series run).^[4]

Black died ofprostate cancer at age 78 on May 17, 2002.^[5] He was interred in theHillside Cemetery inScotch Plains, New Jersey.

Honors and awards

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TheArizona Fall League's Most Valuable Player award is named for Black.^[6] First presented in 2002, the award honors the 1952 National League Rookie of the Year.^[6]

There is a plaque honoring him atChase Field alongside the Diamondbacks' championships and retired numbers.

Beginning in 2010, the Washington Nationals have presented the Joe Black Award to a Washington area organization chosen for its work promoting baseball inAfrican American communities. The award recognizes Black as the first African American player on the Washington Senators (1957).^[7]

In 2010, the Plainfield, NJ school board named the Plainfield High School baseball complex "The Joe Black Baseball Field" in his honor.^[8]^[9]

Notes

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^On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball declared the Negro leagues, from the span of 1920–1948, to be a "Major League".^[1] Black's statistics reflect his time in the Negro leagues from 1943-1948.