OTD Brooklyn Semipros 7/18/1935: Bay Parkways Defeat The Homestead Grays In First Ever Night Game At Erasmus Field

From the desk: NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE & BROOKLYN SEMIPRO

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Friday, July 19, 1935

On Thursday, July 18, 1935, not more than two miles from where I presently live, Joe Rosner's Bay Parkway Dukes defeat Cum Posey's Negro National League Homestead Grays in the first-ever night game at Erasmus Field, McDonald Avenue at the Avenue M Station along the Culver Line.

Times Union (Brooklyn, New York), 

Friday, July 19, 1935

BAY PARKWAY DUKES vs. 

HOMESTEAD GRAYS

With a new lighting system in place, George Smith starts for the Bay Parkways and is opposed by Tom "Big Train" Parker for Homestead.  The Grays apparently see the ball well as they jump out to a prompt 2-0 lead in the first.  Bay Parkway answers with runs in the third and fourth innings.  The Homestead Grays then take a 3-2 lead in the fifth, but it does not last again.  The Dukes tie the game in the sixth, then erupt for three runs in the seventh for a 6-3 lead.  The teams again traded two runs apiece in the eighth inning, giving Bay Parkway an 8-5 lead and the final margin of victory, but not before Homestead poses one last threat.

With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, and first baseman Buck Leonard due up, manager Harry Hesse removes George Smith in favor of Al Morris.  Leonard had previously doubled and homered off Smith.  When play resumes, Al Morris strikes out Buck Leonard on three pitches to end the game.  

George Smith yields five runs on seven hits and five walks with ten strikeouts through 8.2 innings pitched for the win.  Four of Homestead's seven hits go for extra bases; left fielder Vic Harris goes 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored; center fielder Ray Brown triples in four at-bats and pitches in relief of Big Train Parker (striking out four with one walk), while Buck Leonard accounts for six total bases.

Homestead starter Tom Parker allows eight runs on seven hits and seven walks with 13 strikeouts in a losing effort.  The slugging Parkways make their hits count as five go for extra bases.  Right fielder Bruce Caldwell leads the Dukes, going 2 for 4 with a double, home run, and two runs scored, and Frank Posnack is 2 for 5 with two doubles and one run scored.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Friday, July 19, 1935

First Night Game at Erasmus Field, Brooklyn

 

OTD 6/23/1935: Bushwick Splits Games of Twin Bill With Homestead Grays at Dexter Park

From the desk: NEGRO LEAGUES vs. BROOKLYN SEMIPROS

Times Union (Brooklyn, New York),

Monday, June 24, 1935

On Sunday, June 23, 1935, Max Rosner's Bushwick nine split games of a doubleheader with Cum Posey's Homestead Grays at Dexter Park.

NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE

HOMESTEAD GRAYS

vs.

BUSHWICK

GAME ONE - Facing Homestead Grays right-hander Ray Brown, Bushwick musters seven runs on 13 hits and two walks.  The Grays open the scoring in the first, but Bushwick scores twice in the second, highlighted by right fielder Solly Mishkin's home run, and would never trail again.  Four more runs cross the plate in the sixth as Mishkin, second baseman Dutch Woerner, third baseman Jimmy Calleran all hit safely, and catcher Emil Gall smashes a two-run home run.  Mishkin and Woerner lead Bushwick with three hits apiece, and Jimmy Calleran goes 1 for 3 with two runs batted in.  Starter Charley Perkins yields five runs on nine hits and one walk with four strikeouts for the win.  Homestead third baseman  George Scales leads the Grays with three runs batted in.  He, along with center fielder Jerry Benjamin and second baseman Matt Carlisle wield two hits apiece.  However, first baseman Buck Leonard is held hitless in three at-bats.

GAME TWO - Grays starter Joe Strong limits Bushwick to just one run on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts for the win.  Native Brooklynite and former big leaguer of 30 games with the New York Giants Al Moore drives home, Emil Gall, with Bushwick's only run in the sixth.  In a losing effort, starter Art Smith yields two runs on eight hits and four walks over six innings pitched.  Jim Duffy allows three runs on four hits over two innings in relief of Smith.  Matt Carlisle goes 4 for 5, giving him six hits in the twin bill.  George Scales and shortstop Jelly Jackson hit for extra bases.  Buck Leonard is again held hitless in four at-bats, making him 0 for 7 for the day.  Jerry Benjamin and catcher Tommy Dukes post multiple hits.

"In 16 games with colored teams this season the Dexters have won twelve and lost four.  Against Negro National League teams they have won three out of five.  Aginst white clubs they have won eleven out of twelve, making their record to date 23 victories against five defeats." - Times Union, Brooklyn

OTD Negro National League 6/17/1935: Brooklyn Eagles Fall To Homestead Grays at Altoona, Pa.

From the desk: WHERE THE EAGLES LEARNED TO FLY

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York), Tuesday, June 18, 1935

NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE

Brooklyn Eagles

vs.

Homestead Grays

On this day, Monday, June 17, 1935, in a Negro National League game, the Brooklyn Eagles fall to the Homestead Grays at Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Brooklyn jumps out to a 1-0 lead in the first and takes a two-run lead in the top half of the second.  But the Grays knot the game in the bottom half of the frame.  The teams then traded runs in the third.  Homestead takes their first lead with two runs in the fifth, then scores the game's pivotal run in the home eighth, as Brooklyn tallies single runs in the eighth and ninth innings but falls one tally short.

Eagles starter Will Jackman allows six runs (five earned) on ten hits and two walks with one strikeout in a losing effort.  Homestead right-hander Joe "Baby Face" Strong yields three runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts through five innings.  In relief of Strong, C.D. Mosley surrenders two runs on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts for the win.

For Homestead, first baseman Buck Leonard goes 4 for 4 with three doubles, a home run, two runs batted in, three runs scored, and a stolen base, left fielder Vic Harris is 2 for 4 with a double, one run batted in, and a run scored, and center fielder Ray Brown goes 1 for 3 with a double, stolen base, and a run batted in.  Starter Joe Strong also helps his own cause with a hit and two runs batted in

Second basemen Harry Williams homers for Brooklyn.  Catcher Leon Ruffin leads the Eagles with three hits and two runs scored.  First baseman George Giles goes 2 for 5 with a double, triple, and run scored.  Third baseman Javier Perez also doubles and drives in a run.  Leon Day played right field and went hitless in four at-bats.

OTD 5/19/1935: Brooklyn Eagles and Homestead Grays Split Double-Header at Ebbets Field

 From the desk: WHERE THE EAGLES LEARNED TO FLY

Times Union (Brooklyn, New York)

May 20, 1935

NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE II

DOUBLE-HEADER

Sunday, May 19, 1935

EBBETS FIELD

GAME ONE

Homestead Grays         9

BROOKLYN EAGLES  18

FINAL

Coming off Saturday's Opening Day defeat at the hands of the Homestead Grays, the Brooklyn Eagles again trail the visitors 9-7, entering the bottom half of the eighth.  With 5,000 watching at Ebbets Field, the home team erupts for eleven runs, sending 16 batters to the plate against Grays' relievers Harry Salmon and Willie Gisentaner.  

Brooklyn totals 19 hits, with seven going for extra bases.  Third baseman Harry Williams goes 4 for 6 with a double and two runs scored.  Shortstop Bill Yancy is 2 for 4 with a double and led the team with three runs scored.  First baseman George Giles, right fielder Ed Stone, and second baseman Dennis Gilchrist all wield three hits apiece.

Homestead third baseman George Scales hit the only home run of the game.  Second baseman Matt Carlisle goes 5 for 5, all singles.  Meanwhile, first baseman Buck Leonard is held hitless in three official trips to the plate.

Eagles right-hander Leon Day makes a start, yielding seven runs on eleven hits and six walks with three strikeouts through seven innings pitched but escapes with a no-decision.  Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe earns the victory for Brooklyn, with two runs allowed and a strikeout over the final two frames. 

The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, N.J.)

May 21, 1935

ICYMI:

• SERIES GAME ONE 5/18/1935: Homestead Grays @ BROOKLYN EAGLES

GAME TWO

Homestead Grays         4

BROOKLYN EAGLES    2

FINAL

Twirling game two for Homestead, right-hander Louis Dula limits the Eagles to a pair of runs on just five hits and three walks with three strikeouts through nine innings pitched.  Right fielder Ed Stone and catcher Clarence Palm account for two hits and score both Brooklyn runs in the fifth.  Double Duty Radcliffe, Harry Williams, and Bill Yancy are the only other Eagles to hit safely.  Homestead center fielder Jerry Benjamin leads the Grays, going 3 for 4 with a double and two runs.  Buck Leonard breaks out of a series slump with two hits, one for a double.  Ted Radcliffe takes the loss in this one, surrendering four runs on eleven hits and two walks.  The Eagles committed three errors behind him, two by Yancy.  

The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, N.J.)

May 22, 1935

Pulling "Double Duty" at Ebbets Field: Negro Leagues Great Ted Radcliffe

From the desk of: 100th ANNIVERSARY NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL

The Season Ted Radcliffe Pulls 

"Double Duty" at Ebbets Field

New York City author and syndicated sportswriter Damon Runyon indeed is responsible for devising the famous sobriquet "Double Duty" after witnessing Ted Radcliffe play behind the plate in the first game of a championship doubleheader, then with great proficiency pitch the second game at Yankee Stadium.

"Runyon ... gave me that name - that it's worth the price of admission of two to see Double Duty Radcliffe in action." - Ted Radcliffe

That quote is from the Black Diamonds interviews (1978) with Stephen Banker.  These recordings are invaluable.  In listening to Mr. Radcliffe, I hear a very affable, straightforward, endearingly, strong-minded person.  So, in the name of history, and in honor of the 100th anniversary of the original Negro National League founded in 1920 by Rube Foster, please allow me to respectfully stir up some trouble.

Mr. Radcliffe opens the interview saying the nickname dates back from the 1931 championship series between his Homestead Grays versus the New York Lincoln Giants.  My heart says to go along with it.  However, I'm afraid that Double Duty misspeaks.  The Lincoln Giants cease operations after the 1930 season.  I also disagree with Britannica insofar as Homestead's opponent is the New York Black Yankees.  Radcliffe correctly recalls playing the 1931 championship series as a member of the independent Homestead Grays.  That much is true.  However, according to the Center for Negro Leagues Baseball Research, Homestead defeats the Kansas City Monarchs six games to three.  Radcliffe is a teammate alongside, among other numerous greats, Josh Gibson and Oscar Charleston.  However, the same holds true for 1932 when they are members of the Pittsburgh Crawfords - a simple oversight over 45-years later.  For reference sake, there is an L.A. Times version regarding his nickname I believe to be the correct one: Double Duty and the independent Pittsburgh Crawfords oppose the Monroe Monarchs (of the Negro Southern League) in 1932 at Yankee Stadium.

First off, the matchup itself is made possible when the original Negro National League folded in 1931, and the Negro Southern League (a minor circuit established in 1920 by Tom Wilson) is declared major for the upcoming 1932 season until a new Negro National League II is established in time for the 1933 season.  The 1932 Monroe Monarchs finish the regular season in second place with a 34-14 overall record, just one game and mere percentage points behind the Chicago American Giants. Meanwhile, the Nashville Elite Giants, despite finishing the regular season in fourth place, are second-half champs (league standings according to Seamheads).  Chicago (first-half and regular season champs) and Nashville square off in a best five of nine championship series.  According to the Center for Negro Leagues Baseball Research,  Nashville wins two of three games in Chicago.  The American Giants then square the series, winning two of three at Nashville.  Chicago wins games seven and eight to clinch the championship.  According to Baseball-Reference, the Monroe Monarchs dispute the regular season standings and their lack of post-season consideration and defyingly proceed forward with a championship series against the Pittsburgh Crawfords.

Circling back to the interview and the original double-header in question, I believe Radcliffe is spot on when he recalls being behind the plate for Satchel Paige, who wins game one (4-0), then serves double duty on the mound (whitewashing the Monroe Monarchs, 3-0) at Yankee Stadium.

Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe makes his professional debut in 1928 as a catcher with the Detroit Stars.  After which, he variously plays for the St. Louis Stars, the aforementioned Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords, and the Columbus Blue Birds, until coming east in 1933 to play with the New York Black Yankees.  By 1934 he is back west with the fabled Chicago American Giants.

In 1935, twelve years before Jackie Robinson's arrival at 55 Sullivan Place, all-time negro league great Double Duty plays home games donning a Brooklyn uniform at Ebbets Field.  He is enticed by better pay to join Brooklyn, where the Eagles kick off their inaugural season.  At the plate, he bats .268 and posts a 4-6 record on the mound, according to Negro Leagues Museum, with 21 strikeouts in 11 games, and 57.2 innings pitched according to Seamheads.  Another source points out Radcliffe has trouble securing his release from the Brooklyn Eagles but eventually succeeds.  By late June, he plays for the integrated Bismarck Churchills, where he joins future Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Hilton Smith, and other players familiar with him.  Together they win the first National Semi-Pro Championship.

The Brooklyn Eagles are owned by Abe and Effa Manley, who promptly relocate the Eagles to Newark before the 1936 season.  Thus rendering 1935 Brooklyn's lone season as a participating member in the Negro National League II.  For one season, at least, the cast of future Hall of Famers and league standouts who (potentially) play at Ebbets Field is a veritable roll call of baseball legends.

1935 Negro National League-II Comes to Ebbets Field:

• Brooklyn Eagles - Double Duty is teammates with Hall of Famer Leon Day, outfielders Rap Dixon, Fatz Jenkins, Ed Stone, and first baseman George Giles.

• Pittsburgh Crawfords - treat Ebbets Field fans with Hall of Famers Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Judy Johnson, Cool Papa Bell, and standouts Pat Patterson, Sam Bankhead, Leroy Matlock, and Spoon Carter.  

• Columbus Elite Giants - star pitchers Jim Willis and Andy Porter pitch from the Ebbets Field mound.

• New York Cubans - hailing locally from Hinchliffe Stadium in Patterson, N.J., Ebbets Field crowds welcome Hall of Famer Martin Dihigo and Cuban Hall of Famers Alejandro Oms and Lazaro Salazar.  

• Homestead Grays - Ebbets Field crowds also witness Hall of Famers Buck Leonard and Ray Brown and top players Tommy Dukes and Matt Carlisle.  

• Chicago American Giants - Mule Suttles, Willie Foster, Turkey Stearns, and Willie Wells, all in the Hall of Fame, all play at Ebbets.

• Philadelphia Stars - Hall of Famer Biz Mackey, and outfielders Ted Page and Jake Dunn.  

• Newark Dodgers - Hall of Famer Ray Dandridge and outfielder Jim Williams.  

• Seamheads.com

Picking up in 1936, Ted Radcliffe spends the rest of his playing career with the Cincinnati Tigers, Memphis Red Sox, Birmingham Black Barons, Louisville Buckeyes, and Kansas City Monarchs.  Double Duty also puts in overtime as player/manager of the Cleveland Tigers in 1937, Memphis Red Sox (1938-1941), and the Chicago American Giants in 1943.

According to Seamheads, the right-hander posts a career 47-37 record and 3.94 ERA against negro leagues competition with 302 strikeouts in 627.2 innings pitched.  However, SABR member Gary Livacari takes things a leap forward by writing Radcliffe "is thought to have won about 500 games and had 4,000 strikeouts."

In Black Diamonds, Double Duty says the best game he ever pitched occurs while managing the Memphis Red Sox; he throws fourteen scoreless innings.  Opposing him is Satchel Paige, who hurls seven scoreless innings before yielding to the bullpen.  The game ends in a scoreless tie due to darkness.  

At the plate, biographer Kyle P. McNary estimates that Radcliffe owns a .303 lifetime batting average, 4,000 career hits, and 400 home runs in 36-years, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Radcliffe plays in multiple East-West All-Star games as both a pitcher and catcher.  He says one of his biggest thrills comes during the 1944 East-West All-Star Game.  Trailing midway against the East, Radcliffe's brother Alec triples, and Double Duty follows with a home run hit into Comiskey Park's upper deck, giving the West All-Stars the lead.

Needless to say, Double Duty's candidacy for baseball's Hall of Fame needs some drastic reconsideration.

Dem Barnstormers: The Brooklyn Royal Giants

From the desk of: 100th ANNIVERSARY NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL

1917 TEAM PHOTO

THE BROOKLYN ROYAL GIANTS

Negro Leagues Baseball is presently in the midst of its 100th anniversary, having been founded in 1920 by Andrew "Rube" Foster.  Congratulations, on your centennial celebration!  The  enduring impact you have on baseball, and moreover American society, are indelible.  Advent of competitive negro baseball, like the game itself, occurs during the mid to late 19th century.  Thus, its history is long and storied as any baseball lore.  Entering the 20th century, independent and barnstorming clubs begin to effectively create a template for the new business model still to come.  One hundred years ago, Rube spearheads the founding of the first negro major professional baseball circuit: the Negro National League. After which, capitalism is ... as capitalism does.  Within three years, baseball magnate Nat Strong helps establish the Eastern Colored League. The rest, as they say, is Negro Leagues history.  The Brooklyn Royal Giants are at the center of it all.  Imagine being a baseball fan in Brooklyn during the summers of 1916 and 1920, when both the National League Robins and the Royal Giants, respectively, vie for pennants.  "Dem Bums" are one of the most written about teams in baseball history.  But they share Kings County with another less written about titan of our National Pastime.  This is my humble effort in celebration of them, even if there are some conflicts in research, I rather embrace them than dispute them.  So, without further ado, I bring you the Brooklyn Royal Giants.

A loose affiliation of Independent Clubs commences playing in 1887.  These teams are not in concert with the concurrent National Colored Baseball League, which is founded and quickly disbanded that same season. 

Through the turn of the century, some of the circuit's various independents include Trenton Cuban Giants; New York Gorhams; Cuban Giants; Frye's Nine; Chicago Unions; Page Fence Giants; and Chicago Columbia Giants. 

In 1904, the circuit of Independent Clubs was represented by five teams: Cuban X Giants; Chicago Union Giants; All Cubans; Philadelphia Giants; and first-year entrant, the Brooklyn Royal Giants - who are managed by William Parker, himself a former outfielder with the Cuban X Giants and Cuban Giants.  On the field, Brooklyn is winless in five games.

The Original 1904 Brooklyn Royal Giants Nine:

• 1B - William Warrick
• 2B - Rube Barns
• 3B - Gus James
• SS - George Wright
• LF - Stewart,
• CF - Edward Reeves
• RF - Fred Delaney
•  C - Big Bill Smith
• SP - Ross Best 

Otherwise, yes, the Brooklyn Royal Giants are traditionally recognized as being established in 1905 by businessman John W. Connor. However, players George Wright, William Warrick, Fred Delancey, and Big Bill Smith, who manages the 1905 Royal Giants, are identified as holdovers from the 1904 season, according to SEAMHEADS, Negro League Data Base.  Author Jim Overmyer says on Tim Hanlon's podcast that John W. Connor owned a semi-pro club in 1904.  This may be where the confusion lies.

• The Central Islips will play their initial game tomorrow against the Royal Giants - The Evening World, N.Y., Aug. 13, 1904

In 1905, the Center for Negro Leagues Baseball Research said the Philadelphia Giants claim their second "Colored World Championship" in a row by defeating the Brooklyn Royal Giants three straight games.

First and foremost, Brooklyn is a barnstorming club, traveling through regional states, taking on local clubs, both black and white; other barnstormers; minor league; semi-pro; amateur; even college teams.  Attempts to establish an organized circuit sputter on several occasions; the integrated International League of Independent Baseball endures a rocky season in 1906 before dissolving, according to History.com/Negro Leagues.

In 1906, bolstered by infielders Grant "Homerun" Johnson and Bill Monroe, Brooklyn defeats the Philadelphia Athletics in a pair of exhibitions, and in 1908 defeat the Cincinnati Reds in a November matchup, according to Baseball-Reference.

In 1907, the Brooklyn Royal Giants, Philadelphia Giants, Cuban Giants, and Cuban Stars of Havana joined together as charter members of the newly established National Association (National Association of Colored Professional Clubs of the United States and Cuba, also known as the International League).

The years 1908-1910 require a bit of clarification:

• Version One:  The Royal Giants win pennants in 1908 and 1909 and remain National Association members until the circuit folds after the 1910 season. However, the Center for Negro League Baseball Research says the association folds before the 1910 season.

• Version Two:  Brooklyn by 1909 is again listed as independent, and are the acknowledged eastern champions of 1909 and 1910, according to Negro Leagues Museum.

• Version Three:  Seamheads lists Brooklyn as National Association champions in 1908 and International League champions in 1909.  The Royal Giants finish the 1910 Eastern Independent Clubs regular season tied for first place with the Cuban Stars of Havana but own an edge in winning percentage.  However, Havana plays nearly three times as many games as Brooklyn, who finishes with a 9-4 record.

• Version Four:  The Royal Giants are eastern champions in 1910, defeating arch-rival Philadelphia, according to Covehurst.net/BrooklynBallparks.  Brooklyn is considered the best team in the East in 1909 and 1910, according to CNLBR.

Pair together seasons as you will, but let us agree the Brooklyn Royal Giants are back-to-back champions, with a strong case to be made for a third title.

The 1910 season also marks Brooklyn's new business manager, native New Yorker, and future owner, Nat Strong.  Within three years, he purchases the team from the original founder, John W. Connor.

At the end of the 1911 regular season, the New York Age newspaper calls for a playoff series between the New York Lincoln Giants, Brooklyn Royal Giants, New York Giants (Major League Baseball World Series Champions) the American League New York Yankees.  No response to the New York Age's challenge is ever received, also according to CNLBR.

The Royal Giants finish the 1913 season in second place, a mere four games behind their chief rival, New York Lincoln Giants.

Brooklyn wins two more eastern championships in 1914 and 1916, although the Center for Negro League Research provides a somewhat different account of the 1914 season.

The 1914 Royal Giants are led at the plate by right fielder/manager Charles Earle, who tops the team with a .317 average, center fielder Jules Thomas, who bats .303 with a team-high 27 runs batted in, and second baseman Bill Handy, who swats three home runs with 19 RBI and leads the team in slugging.  

On the bump, the Royal Giants feature notable ace and team captain, William "Dizzy" Dismukes, and Richard "Lefty" Harvey.  Other top notables include catcher Pearl Webster, left fielder Jimmie Lyons, and shortstop Morten Clark.

A Calendar of the 1914 Season

Herein Lies a Selection of Out of Town 
Newspaper Clips/NegroLeagues.bravehost.com

• Apr. 23, 1914, Wilmington - Unable to hit timely and fielding poorly, the Wilmington Chicks lost to the Royal Giants of Brooklyn yesterday, score 3 to 2.

• Apr. 28, 1914, Allentown -  The Brooklyn Royal Giants, advertised as the champion colored team of the world, defeated the Allentown Tri-State Club in an exhibition game here today by the score of 3 to 2.

• May 3, 1914, Harlem - The Royal Giants will make their first appearance in Harlem this season by playing the Lincoln Giants in a double-header at Olympic Field, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Street, and Fifth Avenue.

• May 9, 1914, Perth Amboy - Speedy Royal Giants vs. Pacers Saturday - The Brooklyn Royal Giants, one of the best-colored teams in the country, has been booked to play the Perth Amboy Pacers.

• May 16, 1914, Brooklyn - The Royal Giants beat the Cuban Stars last Saturday by a score of 4 to 2.

• June 13, 1914, Camden - Lefty Harvey Allows Only Five Hits - Brooklyn Royal Giants have easy picking against Camden ... Harvey, the crack southpaw, twirled a magnificent game at Camden yesterday.

• Aug. 5, 1914, Atlantic City - Atlantic City Loses - The Brooklyn Royal Giants won out in the ninth inning from Atlantic City today, 7 to 5.  Shortstop Morten Clark had his glasses smashed by a ground ball and cut his eye.

• Aug. 18, 1914, Asbury Park - Royal Giants Captured Two - The Royal Giants, after beating the Clifton Club at Clifton Heights, 2 to 1, defeated the Asbury Park Atlantic League team, here, 7 to 6.

• Aug. 23, 1914, Philadelphia - Giants Show Them How - The Royal Giants big lead in the early innings was too much for Disston, who lost an uphill game, 17 to 8.

• Aug. 23-25, 1914, Chicago - Chicago American Giants complete a sweep of Royal Giants.

• Sept. 13, 1914, Indianapolis - Brooklyn Noses Out A.B.C.'s in Final Inning of Hot Battle - The Brooklyn, New York Royals made a ninth-inning finish at Northwestern Park Wednesday, defeating the A.B.C.'s, 3 to 2, in a fast game.

The culmination of Brooklyn's 1914 season, metaphorically speaking, begins back in 1902, when a 22-year old pitcher named Andrew "Rube" Foster initially helps the Cuban Union Giants of Western Independent Clubs to a first-place finish.  Next season, he leads the Cuban X Giants to a pennant in the Eastern Independent circuit over the Philadelphia Giants.  In turn, Foster elevates the Philadelphia Giants to back-to-back first-place finishes in the Eastern Independent standings.  During the 1907-1908 seasons, he guides the Chicago Leland Giants of the Western Independent Clubs to consecutive first-place finishes and another in 1910 before the team folds.  By 1911, Rube Foster establishes the fabled Chicago American Giants, who capture Western Independent Club titles in 1912 and 1914.  The last pennant prompts the 34-year old Rube Foster to issue Brooklyn a challenge to play a "colored world series" to determine the best negro team.  Brooklyn accepts and is swept in five games.  However, the loss does little to tarnish the Royal Giants' reputation as one of the premier eastern clubs.

On the significance of the 1914 season:  The pride of Brooklyn's African-American baseball community had played solid, at times dominant, ball all season long, establishing themselves as one of the finest all-black hardball aggregations in the East.  Dr. Leslie Heaphy, Kent State University professor, Negro League expert, and author, says the Royal Giants were a crucial ingredient of the heady brew of 1910's blackball.  Their heyday was definitely the 1910's. - an excerpt from, Remembering the Royals: Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Royal Giants of 1916 win another pennant for manager/outfielder Charles Earle, along with familiar names Pearl Webster, Bill Handy, third baseman Bill Kindle and right fielder Johnny Pugh who hits above .300 for the season.  Future Hall of Fame catcher Louis Santop bats .436 through 10 games and 35 at-bats.  On the mound, Brooklyn is sustained by Lefty Harvey and John "String Bean" Williams.

Brooklyn in 1920 again tops the Eastern Independent standings.  Similar to the 1910 season, the Royal Giants finish the season tied with the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, but hold an advantage in winning percentage and thus claim the pennant.  They are managed by the thirty-six-year-old shortstop and future Hall of Famer John Henry "Pop" Loyd, who also leads the team with a .305 average and .374 OBP.  In late September, the Royal Giants play the Cuban Stars for the self-proclaimed title of the "Colored World's Champions."  The three-game series is played at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.  Brooklyn wins two of three to claim the championship title.

In 1920, after a decade-plus of contemplation, Andrew "Rube" Foster finally established the first official Negro National League consisting of eight members: the Chicago American Giants, Chicago Giants, Dayton Marcos, Cuban Stars, Indianapolis ABC's, Detroit Starts, St. Louis Giants and Kansas City Monarchs.

Negro Leagues Centennial

1920 ~ 2020

• Tom Wilson, in 1920 organizes the Negro Southern League as a minor circuit.

On December 16, 1922, Nat Strong helped establish the Eastern Colored League, which kicks off the 1923 season with six members: the Brooklyn Royal Giants, Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, New York Cuban Stars, Baltimore Black Sox, New York Lincoln Giants, and Hilldale Club.  Brooklyn finished third in 1923, but over the next four seasons, never places better than fifth.

The short-lived Eastern Colored League folds after the 1927 season.  Brooklyn reverts again to the Eastern Independents.  But in truth, the heyday of Royal Giants baseball is by now long gone.  There are no records of the Royal Giants for the 1934 or 1935 seasons.  Nat Strong passes away in November of 1935.  They picked up again in 1936, but they have devolved to minor league and semi-pro status by this time.  After a 38-year run, the Brooklyn Royal Giants folded operations in 1942.

BASEBALL HALL OF FAME

The eleven-year career of infielder Frank Grant ends in 1907 upon completion of his lone season with Brooklyn.  A rookie in 1887, Grant retires with a career .338 average and .403 OBP.

A 26-year old Pete Hill plays sixteen games in left field for the 1908 Royal Giants, batting .298, with three triples and five stolen bases.  He retires a .329 hitter in over 2,500 negro leagues at-bats.  Hill additionally hits .327 in 31 games and 104 at-bats during exhibitions versus major leaguers.

Catcher Louis Santop spends four seasons (1916-1919) with the Royal Giants, slashing .386/.443/.554, with 22 extra-base hits and 44 RBI over 48 career games.  Also recognized for his outstanding play with the New York Lincoln Giants and Hilldale Club, Louis retires a .338 hitter, with 320 RBI through 455 negro league games.

Renowned negro league shortstop and manager John Henry "Pop" Loyd spends three seasons (1918-1920) with Brooklyn.  He posts a first-place finish in 1920 and a 26-25-2 overall record as manager.  At the plate, Lloyd wields a .314 batting average with thirteen extra-base hits and 28 runs batted in through 194 at-bats.  After a remarkable 27-year career, he retires with a lifetime .338 average in over 2,600 career at-bats and recognition for being one of baseball's best-ever shortstops with bat and glove.

In 1924, at 38-years of age, the great Smokey Joe Williams, in his only season with Brooklyn, posts a 3.74 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 96.1 innings pitched.  Smokey owns a lifetime 156-94 (.624) record and 2.45 ERA in 26 seasons and 311 career appearances.  On March 30, 1924, the semi-pro Brooklyn Bushwicks hosted the Royal Giants at Dexter Park.  Joe Williams enters the game in the first inning in relief of starter Lefty Flournoy and strikes out eleven of the first twelve batters he faces.  The game remains tied at two through the ninth.  The Royal Giants finally take a 3-2 lead in the top of the twelfth.  But the Bushwicks size up Williams for two runs in the bottom half of the frame for a 4-3 victory.  Despite the loss, Smokey Joe Williams - also known as "Cyclone" - strikes out 25 batters in the game.

First baseman Buck Leonard is famously known for his fifteen-year career with the Homestead Grays.  However, in 1933, a 25-year old Leonard plays his first-ever negro league game, donning a uniform of the Brooklyn Royal Giants.  Playing right field, Leonard goes 1 for 4 with a run scored.  It turns out to be his only game as a Royal Giant.  He debuts with Homestead the following season.  In an average 162-game season, Buck Leonard would slash .343/.447/.580, with 37 doubles, 26 home runs, 148 runs batted in, and 143 runs scored, according to Seamheads.

A member of the Cuban Hall of Fame, 27-year old Luis Bustamante in 1907, plays twelve games at second base for Brooklyn, going 16 for 44 (.364), with a .417 OBP and seven runs scored.

Another member of the Cuban Hall of Fame, 36-year old Rafael Figarola in 1918, appears in six games at first base for the Royal Giants, going 9 for 25 (.360), with four runs batted in and three runs scored.

BROOKLYN ROYALTY

Ponderous to me is that Charles "Chino" Smith is not enshrined in the Hall of Fame.  His career indeed is brief; seven years, five with Brooklyn.  However, his prowess at the plate is undeniable.  He owns a career .374 average in 404 at-bats with Brooklyn.  In 1927, he batted a career-high .457 in 127 at-bats.  In 1929, he batted .451 in a career-high 246 at-bats while with the New York Lincoln Giants.  The following season, he bats .417 in 175 at-bats.  Chino wields 376 total hits in 945 career at-bats for a .398 lifetime average.  Thirty-eight percent of his career hits go for extra bases, reflected in his .659 career slugging average.  Society for American Baseball Research has a somewhat different take on his statistics, but they are no less wondrous.  While in Cuba, Charlie "Chino" Smith becomes ill and passes away suddenly in 1931, at the young age of twenty-nine.

Another glaring omission from baseball's Hall of Fame, southpaw John Donaldson begins his career in 1913 with the multi-racial All Nations ball club based in Des Moines, Iowa, where he averages almost 20 strikeouts per game.  Two examples of his dominance: in 1913, he strikes out 27 batters in a one-hit, twelve inning effort against a semi-pro club at Marshall, Iowa; and in 1915, John strikes out 35 batters during an eighteen inning, 1-0 loss against Sioux Falls.  In 1919, he pitched against John McGraw's New York Giants, losing a hard-fought 1-0 encounter.  He is also said to have tossed three consecutive no-hitters - all this according to Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.  I yield to Wikipedia for the following: Newspaper coverage of Donaldson's games reveals a 413-161 career record, with 5,081 strikeouts, a 1.37 ERA, and 86 shutouts against all levels of competition.  He completes 92% of 322 career starts.  He is also credited with one perfect game and fourteen career no-hitters.  Twice did John strikeout 30 batters in a game; he achieves 25 strikeouts eleven times; fans twenty batters or more thirty times and strikes out at least fifteen batters 109 times throughout his career.  Donaldson also wields a .334 average with a bat in his hands in over 1,800 at-bats.  In 1918, a 27-year old Donaldson spent his lone season with the Brooklyn Royal Giants, posting four victories in ten appearances, with 1.99 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 77.0 innings pitched.  At the plate, he bats .318, with ten runs batted in, through 77 at-bats.  READ - MLB.com - The Untold Story of One of Baseball's Greatest Pitchers, and VISIT: The John Donaldson Network.

They Dick Redding "Cannonball" because he is considered one of the fastest throwers in the game.  He first joins the Royal Giants in 1918 as a 28-year old right-hander posting a perfect 4-0 through 18.2 scoreless innings pitched in four appearances.  The following season, he goes 7-4 with a 1.31 ERA in twelve appearances, and 96.1 innings pitched.  After spending a few years away with the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, New York Bacharach Giants, and Habana of the Cuban League, Cannonball returned to Brooklyn in 1923.  He serves as player/manager from 1927 through 1933, compiling a 20-46 (.303) managerial record.  On the mound, Redding owns a 4.03 ERA in 48 career games, and 315 innings pitched for the Royal Giants.

Reputed dead-ball era slugger of eighteen seasons, Grant "Homerun" Johnson spends five with the Royal Giants, winning back to back championships and batting .298 with 61 runs batted in through 396 at-bats.  His 1906 season is arguably his best (.362/.459/.606, three home runs, 22 RBI through 24 games and 94 at-bats).  In 1895, he and Bud Fowler established the Page Fence Giants, for whom Johnson plays shortstop and manages.

Infielder Bill "Money" Monroe is renowned for his glovework and speed but is just as famous for being an on-field entertainer and one of the most outspoken athletes of his generation.  Monroe says of himself, "I never miss, hit it to me, and you are out," according to Baseball-Reference.  The main component of Brooklyn's 1908-1910 championship run, Monroe, hits an even .300 in 310 career at-bats spanning six seasons with the Royal Giants.

After making his 1917 debut in the Florida Hotel League, Irvin Brooks spends the next fifteen seasons patrolling center field for the Royal Giants.  He retires with a .306 lifetime average in 247 career games with Brooklyn.  His 1925 season is undoubtedly his best (.345/.405/.513, with a team-high six home runs and 36 runs batted in).

Brooklyn native Elbert "Cool" Turner is a veteran shortstop of seven seasons with Brooklyn.  He leads the 1923 Royal Giants with a .353 average and is second on the team with 41 hits, five doubles, and 21 RBI through 116 at-bats.

A member of the 1906-1907 Royal Giants, lead-off hitter and left fielder Andrew Payne hits .338 in 33 career games and 139 at-bats for Brooklyn,

Southpaw Billy Holland makes his debut in 1895 with the Page Fence Giants.  His career is brief, only six years, two of which (1906-1907) Holland spends in Brooklyn, where he compiles a 9-6 record with a 2.01 ERA through fifteen starts (thirteen complete games) and 125.1 innings pitched.

First baseman Eddie Douglass spends his entire eight-year career in Brooklyn.  He debuted in 1918, and by 1921 takes over as field manager until calling it quits after the 1925 season.  In 1923, Douglass batted .321, through 30 games and 134 at-bats, with five home runs and 23 runs batted in.

Add the names Dizzy Dean; Cool Papa Bell; Carl Hubbell; Dazzy Vance; Joe Medwick;

and a host of other significant stars black and white who've played at Dexter Park.

ROYAL GROUNDS

I - Washington Park (1906-1907)

• Home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

II - Meyerrose Park (1908-1911)

• Ridgewood, Brooklyn/Queens border, at Covert Avenue and Woodbine Street.
• The biggest crowds at Meyerrose Park were usually for double-headers.  Typically, two popular Negro League teams such as the Royal Giants and Philadelphia Giants would play, with Ridgewood to take on the winner. - excerpt from Covehurst.net/Brooklyn Ballparks

III - Ridgewood Grounds (1912-1917)

• Bounded by Wyckoff Avenue, Weirfield Street, Irving Avenue, Covert Street.
• Also known as Wallace Grounds.  On Sept. 17, 1917, a fire burned down the grandstand and damaged the bleachers.

IV - Dexter Park (1918-1937)

• Home of the independent semi-pro Brooklyn Bushwicks.
• One source says the Royal Giants were featured here prominently from 1905 through 1913.
• In 1922, Royal Giants owner Nat Strong and Bushwicks owner Max Rosner purchase and renovate Dexter Park. 

GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY

1874  NAT STRONG  1935

Business Manager: 1910 ~ 1912

Royal Giants Owner: 1913 ~ 1933