75 Years Ago Today 5/5/1946: Newark Eagles Leon Day Tosses Opening Day No-Hitter Against Philadelphia Stars

From the desk: THE BRICK CITY NINE

ON THIS DAY
May 5, 1946

In 1946, the Newark Eagles put forth one of the greatest single seasons in Negro League history.  They clinch the Negro National League pennant with a 50-20 (.714) record, outpacing the New York Cubans, Homestead Grays, and Baltimore Elite Giants each by 13.5 games in the standings.  Newark finishes the season with a 56-23 (.709) record when all is said and done.  

Managed by the long-time catcher and future Hall of Famer Biz Mackey, the Eagles defeat the Kansas City Monarchs from the Negro American League to capture the 1946 Negro League World Series championship, four games to three.  

The Newark Eagles also feature fellow future Hall of Famers Monte Irvin, Larry Doby, and right-handed pitcher Leon Day.

On Sunday, May 5, 1946, Day throws a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Stars in the first game of the regular season at Ruppert Stadium, Newark.  He joined Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller (Apr. 16, 1940) as the only two major league pitchers to ever hurl no-hitters on Opening Day.

The Philadelphia Inquirer

After two years of service and having landed at Utah Beach on D-Day, Leon Day received his honorable discharge from the United States Army in February.  In his first game back on the hill, Leon Day faced 29 batters, striking out six and walking three, with two fielding errors behind him.  However, no baserunner ever reached second.  Larry Doby drives home and scores the only two runs of the game.

Bedford and Sullivan Podcast: Celebrating Jackie Robinson Day 2021 with Negro League Historian Phil S. Dixon

From the desk: A SAM MAXWELL PRODUCTION

BEDFORD & SULLIVAN 

Meets BROOKLYN TROLLEY BLOGGER

JACKIE ROBINSON DAY

April 14, 1947

FEATURED GUEST

Negro Leagues Historian, Writer, Speaker

PHIL S. DIXON

ninety-eight minutes

If you want to hear a truly unique and informative conversation about Jackie Robinson's first day in the National League (4/15/1947) take a listen as @NegroLeagueMan, Mike Lecolant and @THE_SamMaxwell go DEEEEEEEP! https://t.co/VVpBZkf9TR

— Phil S. Dixon (@NegroLeagueMan) April 16, 2021

 

Bedford & Sullivan Podcast: On Jackie Robinson, Negro Leagues Baseball, and Black History Month

From the desk: DEM BARNSTORMERS

BEDFORD & SULLIVAN 

PODCAST

a Sam Maxwell Production

On Jackie Robinson, Negro Leagues Baseball, & Black History Month

⚾

GUEST PANEL

Author and Journalist David Krell

Negro League Historian, Speaker, Author Phil S. Dixon

Forbes Contributor, Baseball Historian, Interviewer Nick Diunte

Video Director and Producer hailing from Crown Heights, Phil Maillard

TheBrooklynTrolleyBlogger and host Sam Maxwell

120 minutes

This was simply one of the best broadcast that I have participated on in sometime. Lots of wisdom was given. https://t.co/vnzkZbjTE9

— Phil S. Dixon (@NegroLeagueMan) February 26, 2021

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 

AND THE GREAT AMERICAN NARRATIVE

When Paterson Was The World: Negro Leagues Baseball at Hinchliffe Stadium

From the desk of: NEGRO LEAGUES CENTENNIAL

1932  ~  HINCHLIFFE STADIUM  ~  1997

"SILK CITY STADIUM"

Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Passaic River and neighboring Great Falls, New Jersey's historic Hinchliffe Stadium is named after the depression era Paterson Mayor John Hinchliffe.  Built during his administration, the park is one of just a few ballparks still standing to host Negro Leagues baseball games.

• Others include famous Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama; Hamtramck Stadium in Hamtramck, Michigan; Cooper Stadium, Columbus, Ohio; Cleveland's League Park and Jacksonville's J.P. Small Memorial Stadium.

Paterson resident John Ellerbee is one among a crew of locals who help build Hinchliffe Stadium - a 10,000 capacity cast concrete oval in Art Deco style, with an infield configuration and outfield dimensions somewhat resembling those of the Polo Grounds.  On July 8, 1932, Hinchliffe opened for business.  Third baseman John Ellerbee plays at Hinchliffe with the Paterson semi-pro Smart Set club alongside two young teammates named Monte Irvin and Larry Doby.

Barnstormers and independents immediately flock to Hinchliffe - which provided unsegregated seating and racially integrated play.  As word spread, Hinchliffe became known not only as on the most beautiful but one of the most welcoming stadiums in the state, according to Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium.

Negro National League II Arrives at
 Hinchliffe Stadium

I - NEW YORK BLACK YANKEES (1931-1948)

Founded in 1931 as the independent Harlem Black Bombers, then rebranded as the New York Harlem Stars, the club initially plays home games at the Polo Grounds and Dykman Oval in upper Manhattan.  By 1932 the club is recognized as the New York Black Yankees partly owned by famous entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.

• According to NegroLeagueMuseum.com, the New York Black Yankees franchise is basically an extension of the New York Lincoln Giants who fold after the 1930 season.  In 1931 John Henry "Pop" Loyd managed the Harlem Stars' interim team, which serves as a bridge between the two long-time franchises.

In 1933 they take up residence at Hinchliffe Stadium and stay through 1937, then return during the 1939-1945 seasons.  For one season in 1938, they play home games at Triborough Stadium on Randall's Island, and from 1941 through 1947, they also famously play at Yankee Stadium.

On Sept. 22, 1933, Hinchliffe Stadium hosts the "Colored Championship of the Nation" featuring the New York Black Yankees versus the Philadelphia Stars.  The latter defeat the Black Yankees fourteen runs to eight.  The 1933 Stars feature Hall of Fame members Jud Wilson and Biz Mackey, while the Black Yankees boast notables Walter Cannady, Fats Jenkins, John Beckwith, George Scales, and Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe.

On July 13, 1935, New York Black Yankees pitcher Terris McDuffie pitches an 8-0 no-hitter against House of David at Hinchliffe Stadium.  Led at the plate by Dave Thomas, Thad Christopher, and Pete Washington, the New York Black Yankees top the 1935 Independent Clubs standings.

In 1936 they joined the Negro National League II.  Over the next twelve seasons, Hall of Famers Willie Wells, Mule Suttles, and Satchel Paige variously take turns donning a Black Yankees uniform and plying their respective talents in front of NY/NJ metropolitan area crowds.

But to thwart declining attendance due to Jackie Robinson's arrival at Ebbets Field and to separate themselves from other metro area competition (namely the New York Cubans and Brooklyn Royal Giants), the Black Yankees uproot local operations after the 1947 season and relocate to upstate Rochester, N.Y., where after the 1948 season they ultimately fold all operations.

II - NEW YORK CUBANS II (1935-1950)

The New York Cubans (reorganized under owner Alex Pompez) also take up residence at Hinchliffe Stadium in time for the 1935 season and, like the Black Yankees, waste no time hosting some of the game's premier teams and players.

The Pittsburgh Crawfords capture the 1935 Negro National League II first-half title and finish in first place overall, while the New York Cubans recover from a poor start to finish the season in third place and win the second half flag.  On Sept. 13, Hinchliffe Stadium hosts game one of the Championship Series.  The Paterson watches Cubans starter Frank Blake yield just four hits against a Crawfords lineup that features such greats as Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Pat Patterson, Judy Johnson, Sam Bankhead, Cool Papa Bell, and Jimmie Crutchfield.  

Facing Pittsburgh starter Harry Kincannon, New York's lineup featuring Lázaro Salazar, Alejandro Oms, Martín Dihigo, Rap Dixon, Clyde Spearman, and Dave Thomas defeat the Crawfords nine to three.  Games two and three are held at the Polo Grounds.  In-game two, New York's John "Neck" Stanley whitewashes the Crawfords on just four hits.  The series then shifts to Pittsburgh.  In game four, Martin Dihigo is opposed by Crawfords' starter Leroy Matlock.  New York wins the game six to one, giving the Cubans a commanding 3-1 series lead.  However, the Crawfords win game five at Pittsburgh, then sweep the next two games held at Philadelphia to win the championship.

After 1936 the New York Cubans fail to field a team for the next two seasons.

They resume playing in 1939 as members of the Negro National League II.  

In 1941, the New York Cubans line-up featured Caribbean Leagues star Juan "Tetelo" Vargas (who leads the team with a .327 average) and Pedro Cepeda (father to Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda).  Others include Ramón Heredia, Clemente "Sungo" Carreras, Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre, and Dave Barnhill.  The Homestead Grays are first-half champs and finish in first place overall.  New York wins the second-half flag, but bow to the Homestead Grays three games to one in the Championship Series.

The Cubans in 1943 and 1944 post-back-to-back second-place finishes again behind the Homestead Grays.

At the same time Jackie Robinson is breaking in with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Cubans are still splitting games between Hinchliffe and the Polo Grounds.  In 1947 the Newark Eagles won the Negro National League II first-half flag, and the Cubans win the second half flag and finish in first place overall.  There is no playoff, and thus New York is declared the champion.  Led by Luis "Lefty" Tiant (father of Boston Red Sox pitching great Luis Tiant) and Orestes "Minnie" Minoso, the New York Cubans go on to defeat the Negro American League champion Cleveland Buckeyes for the 1947 Negro World Series Championship.

The New York Cubans affiliation with the Negro National League II ends after the 1948 season.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation says the (independent) New York Cubans continue playing games at Hinchliffe Stadium until the team folded in 1950.

Newark Eagles Swoop Through
 Hinchliffe Stadium

Hailing from nearby Orange, N.J., Monte Irvin plays ball for East Orange High School and the Paterson semi-pro Smart Set when, during a Newark Eagles tryout at Hinchliffe Stadium, he is scouted and signed in 1937 by Abe Manley.  Monte makes a brief debut in 1938 as a 19-year old but effectively begins his Hall of Fame career in earnest the following season.  Shortly after that, a 17-year old local Paterson resident Larry Doby in 1942 is likewise signed by Abe Manley during a Newark Eagles tryout held at Hinchliffe Stadium.  However, Doby's upbringing is far more intertwined and, for that matter, intimately connected with Paterson's sports complex, for Larry is All-State in football, basketball, and baseball.  In 1941 and 1942, he leads Eastside High School to consecutive championships at Hinchliffe Stadium.  Monte and Larry play at Hinchliffe as teammates with the Smart Set; they visit Hinchliffe together as members of the Newark Eagles; then oppose each other in the 1954 World Series pitting the New York Giants versus the Cleveland Indians.  They are two of only four players to play in both a Negro World Series and a major league World Series, according to Negro League Baseball Museum.

List of Legends Who Play at Hinchliffe Stadium

American Hall of Fame/Cuban Hall of Fame

Over twenty future Hall of Famers
play games at Hinchliffe Stadium:

JOSH GIBSON    OSCAR CHARLESTON    SATCHEL PAIGE    WILLIE FOSTER  

LARRY DOBY    MONTE IRVIN

WILLIAM "Judy" JOHNSON    JAMES "Cool Papa" BELL    JOHN HENRY "Pop" LOYD

JAMES "Biz" MACKEY    GEORGE "Mule" SUTTLES

RAY DANDRIDGE    WILLIE WELLS    JUD WILSON    TURKEY STEARNS 

BUCK LEONARD    LEON DAY    RAY BROWN

American/Cuban Hall of Fame
MARTÍN DIHIGO **

Cuban Hall of Fame
ALEJANDRO OMS    LÁZARO SALAZAR

As Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby begin integrating major league baseball and other premiere African-American players follow, so begins the Negro Leagues baseball enterprise's demise.  Hinchliffe Stadium is forced into hosting more varied sporting events such as boxing and auto racing.  In 1963 the Paterson school district took over ownership of the stadium.  It remains in use through the 1980s when the original dirt and grass playing surface is replaced with astroturf.  The infield is also rotated clockwise from its actual alignment.  All the while, Hinchliffe Stadium falls further and further into widespread disrepair.  By 1997 extensive deterioration and matters of public safety force its closure. Hinchliffe is chained shut and ignored, left unattended to fend against relentless nature and weathering.

Finally, the restoration of Hinchliffe Stadium begins in earnest when in 2013, the National Park Service designates the park as a National Historic Landmark.  It also stands as baseball's only Historic Landmark.  Seven years later, the National Trust for Historic Preservation lists the stadium as one of the country's most endangered historic places.  Both are essential steps towards renovating the complex.  Last year, work commenced on the facade, ticket windows, decorative tile, main entrance gate, and (most recently) the cast concrete stadium signs.

Better yet, the Paterson city council earlier this month (August) approved a tax break for developers to rebuild their historic stadium.  The mega project includes senior housing, parking, and a restaurant.  Groundbreaking is expected in October with a grand opening in two years, according to newyork.cbs.com.

Larry Doby "... had fond memories of those times." - Larry Doby Jr.

Hopefully, Larry's field of dreams is restored in a manner befitting its former glory.

Bedford & Sullivan Podcast: Negro Leagues Centennial with Historian/Author Phil Dixon

From the desk of: A SAM MAXWELL PRODUCTION

BEDFORD & SULLIVAN meets

BROOKLYN TROLLEY BLOGGER

NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE

100th ANNIVERSARY

Sam Maxwell, myself and 

Historian, Author and Speaker Phil Dixon

From the desk of: BROOKLYN TROLLEY BLOGGER

• Dem Barnstormers: The Brooklyn Royal Giants
• Brooklyn To Newark I: Negro National League Eagles Take Flight
• Brooklyn to Newark II: Where Eagles Dare
• On Monte Irvin: A New Jersey Titan and New York Giant
• Negro Leagues Centennial: On William "Judy" Johnson

On Monte Irvin: A New Jersey Titan and New York Giant

From the desk of: 100th Anniversary of Negro Leagues Baseball

1919   MONTE IRVIN   2016

INSCRIPTION

"I always felt like I had a mission in life,

I thought I was born to play sports."

A New Jersey Titan and New York City Giant 

NEWARK EAGLES

1938  ~  1948

Monte Irvin is born on February 10, 1919, at Haleburg, Alabama.  His family moves north to New Jersey, where Monte attends and plays ball for East Orange High School, where he concurrently plays semi-pro ball with a negro team named the Smart Set at Hinchliffe Stadium in Patterson, N.J.  There, he is scouted by Abe Manley-1, who signs the young Monte Irvin to a contract with the Negro National League Newark Eagles.

At 19-years of age, Irvin's 1938 professional debut is fleeting.  Still effectively a rookie in 1939, he bats .257, with three home runs and 19 runs batted in, through 31 games and 109 at-bats.  By 1940 Monte begins revealing his true talents.  The shortstop slashes .371/.430/.573, with four home runs and 39 runs batted in, through 38 games and 143 at-bats.  What follows are perhaps the best two seasons of his ten year Negro League career.  In 1941 Monte Irvin led the Eagles in all major offensive categories, slashing .395/.441/.643 in 42 games and 157 at-bats with sixty hits, twelve doubles, eight home runs, and 48 runs batted in.  Monte Irvins then spends most of the 1942 season playing in Mexico (in what is speculated to be a pay dispute between him and the Eagles) and a small portion with Newark.  Irvin nevertheless slashes a prolific .412/.508/.792, with 21 home runs and 90 runs batted in, through 67 total games and 255 at-bats.

Monte spends the next three years (1943-1945) serving with the United States Army overseas in Europe.  Two years before Jackie Robinson integrates major league baseball, Branch Ricky, in 1945, attempts to sign Irvin.2  Monte declines, citing his recent discharge from military service and what he deems a lack of game preparedness.  As one of the greatest "what ifs" in all of baseball and American history, Monte Irvin himself says, "I don't have any regrets."-2

"Monte was the choice of all Negro National and American League club owners to serve as the #1 player to join a white major league team." - Effa Manley 2

Now 27-years old, Irvin returns to Newark in time for the Eagles historic 1946 season.  Allied with second baseman (and fellow Hall of Fame member) Larry Doby, the two are considered among the most extraordinary double-play combinations throughout baseball.  Irvin hits five home runs at the plate and leads the Eagles with a .363 batting average and 53 RBI.  Larry Doby hits a team-leading seven home runs while batting .339, with 47 runs batted in.  On the mound, the Eagles boast an exceptional pair of double-digit winners.  On Opening Day, May 5, 1946, Leon Day throws a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Stars.   He posts an 11-2 record (13-4 overall) with a 2.41 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 123 innings pitched.  Day leads the Negro National League in wins, complete games, innings pitched, and strikeouts.  Max Manning posts a 10-2 record and 2.80 ERA with 63 strikeouts over 109.1 innings pitched.  Complimenting Newark's one-two punch is pitching mate Rufus Lewis, who goes 7-2 with a 2.73 ERA and 49 strikeouts in thirteen appearances and 82.1 innings pitched.  Lewis goes on to play an essential role in the Eagles' post-season to come.

"If we had one game to win, we 
wanted Leon to pitch." - Monte Irvin 3

Newark dominates the Negro National League regular season, soaring to a 50-20 (.714) record en route to a perch atop the standings (and a 54-24 record against all comers).  The Eagles dethrone Homestead as Negro National League champions, snapping the Gray's historic string of nine consecutive pennants.  Newark next braces for the Kansas City Monarchs, as the Negro National League champion is pitted against the Negro American League champion in the fifth ever Negro League World Series.  Newark wins four games against three.  Meanwhile, the veteran Monte Irvin makes the 1946 series a personal showcase, leading all hitters with a .462 batting average, a .533 OBP, three home runs, and a .885 slugging average.  Monte's eight RBI for the series ranks second, two behind Kansas City center fielder Willard Brown.

Two more seasons pass.  After spending his twenties with Newark, Monte's playing days with the Eagles end after the 1948 season.  Newark owners Abe and Effa Manley sell the fabled Eagles.  New ownership relocates the team to Houston, where they become affiliated with the Negro American League.  But far more importantly, Monte Irvin is purchased by the New York Giants National League baseball club.

Monte Irvin's Ten Seasons With Newark, according to Negro Leagues Data Base @ SEAMHEADS

NOTE: In any given year Negro League seasons could have consisted anywhere between 30 to 80 games sans barnstorming.

In 353 career games with Newark Monte posts a career slash .347/.425/.572, with 61 home runs, and 338 runs batted in.  SEAMHEADS translates this into an average 162 game season and this is what they come up with:

• AB: 593
• Runs: 133
• Hits: 206
• Doubles: 32
• HR: 28
• RBI: 155
• Slash: .347/425/.572

Perhaps this is why he is nicknamed Dr. Murder.

Monte Irvin, now 30-years old, debuts for the Giants in 1949, two full seasons ahead of Willie Mays' arrival in Manhattan.  Irvin spends that first season split between the Polo Grounds and the Giants International League affiliate at Jersey City.  By 1950, Monte is giving the National League a good taste of what they've been missing all these years, batting .299 with fifteen home runs and 66 runs batted in through 110 games and 374 at-bats.  In 1951, Monte Irvin, following previous all-time Giants slugging greats, lays siege to National League pitchers.  The 32-year old leads the team with a .312 batting average and .514 slugging average with 24 home runs, 121 runs batted in, and a team-high twelve stolen bases - all of which help elevate the Giants to their first National League pennant in fourteen years.  Monte goes on to bat .458 in the 1951 World Series against the Yankees and successfully steals home.  A broken ankle in 1952 limits Monte to just 46 games, but he returns in 1953 to post a .329 average, 21 home runs, and 97 runs batted in.  The following season, Monte, Willie Mays, and Leo Durocher's New York Giants reach baseball's mountain top when in the 1954 Fall Classic, they sweep four games from the favored Cleveland Indians.  Sadly, the following season abruptly turns into Monte's last with the Giants.  At 37-years of age, he is selected by the Chicago Cubs in the November Rule V draft, and just like that, upper Manhattan's beloved outfielder is gone.  Monte Irvin retires after the 1956 season.  Seventeen years pass until in 1973, he is finally inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame, voted in by the Negro Leagues Committee.

PLAQUE AT RENAMED MONTE IRVIN ORANGE PARK

"Monte Irvin was the best all-around 

athlete I ever saw." - Roy Campanella

NEW YORK GIANTS

1949 ~ 1955

1 - The Most Famous Woman in Baseball, Effa Manley and the Negro Leagues by Bob Luke
2 - Monte Irvin Created a Legacy MLB
3 - Leon Day SABR
Monte Irvin SABR
Negro League Stats SEAMHEADS
MLB STATS Baseball-Reference Monte Irvin
Kansas City PBS

Brooklyn to Newark Part Two: Where Negro National League Eagles Dare

From the desk of: 100th Anniversary of Negro League Baseball

EFFA MANLEY

MATRIARCH OF THE NEWARK EAGLES

Brooklyn to Newark Part One: 

Negro National League Eagles Take Flight

Part Two: Where Eagles Dare   

Born December 22, 1885, in Herford, North Carolina, Abe Manley eventually makes his way up the east coast with stops at Norfolk, and Camden, until finally arriving in Brooklyn, New York.  Along the way, Abe creates a living in real estate and running numbers (not uncommon for the time) through which he becomes a familiar figure within Negro League circles.  Effa Manley, born in 1897 and raised in Philadelphia, relocates after graduating high school to New York City, where she takes up residence in Harlem.  A fervent baseball fan and particularly fond of watching Babe Ruth play, she is often in attendance at Yankee Stadium.  Effa Manley recounts meeting Abe there during the 1932 World Series pitting the Yankees against the Chicago Cubs.  In June of 1933, the two baseball fans are married, and by November 1934, the Negro National League owners grant Abe Manley's years' long request for a franchise.

Abe and Effa Manley together establish the Brooklyn Eagles with home games slated for play at Ebbets Field.  The inaugural 1935 Eagles finish fifth, one game above par with a 32-31 record.  Out in Pittsburgh, the Crawfords cruise to the pennant finishing ten games ahead of the Columbus Elite Giants, New York Cubans, and Philadelphia Stars.  Finishing behind Brooklyn is the Chicago American Giants and Homestead Grays, while the Newark Dodgers finish in last place, 25-games out of first.  After the season, Abe Manley purchases the struggling Newark Dodgers club, merges them together with the Brooklyn Eagles, and transfers team operations to New Jersey, giving rise in 1936 to the fabled Newark Eagles Baseball Club.  


Abe is responsible mainly for scouting, drafting, and acquiring personnel.  He is the one who scouts Monte Irvin coming out of high school and from the sandlots of New Jersey.  He also acquires future Hall of Famer Willie Wells from the Chicago American Giants.  In fact, Ray Dandridge becomes a member of the Eagles through Abe Manley's purchase of the Newark Dodgers.  Otherwise, Abe plays a significant role in procuring many higher-profile players to ever don the iconic Newark Eagles uniform.  But that's where his team responsibilities unofficially stop, and those of Effa Manley officially begin.  

Mrs. Manley does not procure talent, but you answer to her once in the Newark Eagles fold.  Effa does not just step into the role of tireless chief executive and nurturing matriarch of the Eagles.   She assumes full responsibility for all team administration and baseball operations - handling the media, attending to marketing and promotion, ticket sales, travel arrangements, and accommodations, down to player contracts, and attending league meetings.  Effa Manley handles all of this with dignity, and grace, and professionalism, even when confronted by overt male sexism practiced by, among others, fellow league owners.

From 1936 through 1948, the Newark Eagles play at Ruppert Stadium, where they author one of the more legendary narratives in Negro National League and baseball history.  In thirteen seasons, they fall under par just five times. Otherwise, they register six third-place finishes, three second-place finishes, and one first-place finish culminating in a Negro League World Series championship.

Today there are 41 members from the various Negro Leagues enshrined into baseball's Hall of Fame.  Eight hail from the Newark Eagles: Effa Manley; Monte Irvin; Ray Dandridge; Leon Day; Willie Wells; Mule Suttles; Biz Mackey; and Larry Doby.

Other Newark greats and team standouts include future Brooklyn Dodgers hero Don Newcombe; Jimmy Hills; Max Manning; George Giles; Ed Stone; Fats Jenkins; Harry Williams; Terris McDuffie; Fred Wilson; Jimmy Hill; Bus Clarkson; Lennie Pearson; Johnny Davis; Rufus Lewis; Pat Patterson; Leniel Hooker; among others.

After a 27-31 finish in 1936, the Eagles of 1937 are led on the mound by Leon Day and Terris McDuffie, who join together for eight victories in eleven combined starts.  McDuffie leads Brooklyn starting pitchers with a 3.12 earned run average.  First baseman Mule Suttles bats .318 and leads the team with seven home runs and 32 RBI.  Twenty-three old third baseman Ray Dandridge leads the Eagles with 45 hits, twelve doubles, and a .375 batting average, with shortstop Willie Wells right behind Dandridge boasting a .369 average.  The team finishes in second place with a 36-22 record, just 6.5 games out of first.

The Eagles of 1939 finish second behind the Homestead Grays, but their 37-21 record qualifies them for post-season play.  During the season, a 22-year old Leon Day posts a 7-3 record with a 3.41 ERA.  James Brown authors a fine 1.89 ERA through eight appearances and 38 innings pitched, and Jimmy Hill goes 5-1 with an even 3.00 earned run average.  At the plate, Fred Wilson leads the team with a .368 average.  Ed Stone bats .342 with a team-leading seven home runs and 31 runs batted in.  At 38-years of age Mule Suttles has another big season batting .351 while tying for the team lead in home runs and finishing second with 25 runs batted in.  However, the Eagles place fourth with a 1-3 record in a four-team round-robin playoff against the victorious Baltimore Elite Giants, the Homestead Grays, and Philadelphia Stars.

In 1940 the Eagles posted a 26-21 record good for third place, only five games out of first.  One game in the final standings separates the second-place Baltimore Elite Giants from Homestead Grays, who capture yet another pennant.  Meanwhile, the Eagles are led by Biz Mackey, Fred Matthews, Bus Clarkson, Lennie Pearson, and Monte Irvin, whom all bat over .300 for the season.  Center fielder Lennie Pearce boasts a .347 average, drives in 33 runs, and ties Bus Clarkson for the team lead with eight home runs.  Monte Irvin leads the team with a .371 average and posts a team-high 39 runs batted in.  Pitchers Jimmy Hill and Max Manning join together for 32 appearances and combine for 182.1 innings pitched in which they post a joint 18-6 record with a 3.65 earned run average.

Now 22-years old, Monte Irvin highlights the 1941 regular season by slashing an exceptional  .395/.442/.645, with 60 hits, twelve doubles, eight home runs, 48 runs batted in, and eight stolen bases - all team highs.  Leon Day bats .316, with four home runs, and finishes right behind Irvin with 32 runs batted in.  On the mound, Day is limited to 27.1 innings with a 3.95 ERA.  However, with a 27-23 record, the Eagles again finish third, a distant 12.5 games back of the Homestead Grays.

Six future Hall of Famers characterizes the 1942 Newark Eagles: Ray Dandridge; Willie Wells; Leon Day; Monte Irvin; Mule Suttles, and newcomer Larry Doby.  Rookie second baseman Larry Doby joins the fold as an 18-year old.  Five years later, on July 5, 1947, Larry Doby breaks the American League color barrier as a member of the American League Cleveland Indians.  Two-way threat Leon Day, now 25-years old, posts a 7-2 record with a 1.82 earned run average and a .344 batting average in 128 at-bats.  Lennie Pearson edges Day with a team-leading .346 average while smashing eleven home runs with 56 RBI.  And lest we forget 37-year old player/manager Willie Wells who bats .343 in 181 at-bats.

After back to back sub-par seasons, Newark in 1945 finishes third with a slightly improved 27-25 record.  Center fielder Johnny Davis leads the Eagles with a .321 batting average, four home runs, and 21 runs batted in.  Monte Irvin appears in just five games due to military service.  Meanwhile, a 19-year old rookie pitcher named Don Newcombe bursts onto the scene with a 4-3 record and a 2.38 ERA, with 36 strikeouts through eight appearances and 64.1 innings pitched.

The 1946 Newark Eagles are heralded as one of the greatest Negro League teams ever.  As well they should be.  Second baseman Larry Doby and shortstop Monte Irvin must be considered one of the best double-play combinations of the day, if not all of baseball.  Irvin hits five home runs and leads the team with a .363 average and 53 runs batted in.  Larry Doby hits a team-leading seven home runs while batting .339, with 47 runs batted in.  First baseman Lennie Pearson drives in 50 runs with a .310 average and amasses a team-leading 17 stolen bases.  Left fielder Johnny Davis bats .319 and is the third Newark Eagle to drive home 50 runs or better.  Catcher Leon Ruffin, third baseman Pat Patterson, center fielder Jimmy Wilkes, and right fielder Bob Harvey round out the field.  On the mound, the Eagles boast an exceptional pair of double-digit winners.  Leon Day is 11-2 with a 2.41 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 123 innings pitched; Max Manning is 10-2 with a 2.80 ERA, with 63 strikeouts over 109.1 innings pitched.  Complimenting the duo is pitching mate Rufus Lewis who goes 7-2 with a 2.73 ERA and 49 strikeouts in thirteen appearances, and 82.1 innings pitched.

Propelled by their depth of elite talent, Newark dominates the Negro National League season, soaring to a 50-20 (.714) record en route to a perch atop the league standings.  As well, they post an expanded 54-24 record against all comers.  Newark dethrones the Homestead Grays as Negro National League champions, snapping the former champion's historic string of nine consecutive pennants.  That bears repeating: the mighty Homestead Grays, who still feature Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Cool Papa Bell, et al.  The second place Grays finish 1946 with a 36-34 record, a distant 14.0 games back of Newark.  The Baltimore Elite Giants, New York Cubans, and Philadelphia Stars fare no worse, but the New York Black Yankees finish dead last with a 12-45 record, a distant 31.5 games out of first.

Having unseated the mighty Homestead Grays, Newark turns its attention towards the Negro American League champion Kansas City Monarchs - transcendently famous and favored to win the 1946 Negro League World Series.  The Monarchs finish their NAL regular season with a similar 50-16-2 record, outpacing the second-place Birmingham Black Barrons by a 14.0 game margin.  And they own a 56-26 overall record in all contests.  Kansas City on the mound features the great Satchel Paige, Hilton Smith, Ford Smith, Steve Wylie, and Jim LaMarque.  In the field, the Eagles are opposed by Buck O'Neil, Willard Brown, Ted Strong, Herb Souell, and Hank Thompson.  And guiding Kansas City from the dugout is long-time Monarchs player and manager Frank Duncan.

1946 Negro League World Series
BASEBALL REFERENCE

Newark Eagles (4) defeat Kansas City Monarchs (3)

Kansas City takes Game One played at the Polo Grounds by a slim 2-1 margin.  Satchel Paige earns the victory in relief of Hilton Smith, while Newark's Rufus Lewis suffers a tough luck loss in relief of Leon Day.   

Newark wins Game Two by a 7-4 final at Ruppert Stadium.  Trailing 4-1 after six, Newark erupts for six runs in the bottom half of the seventh.  Despite yielding four runs winning pitcher Max Manning allows just two hits through nine innings pitched.  Ford Smith takes the loss for Kansas City, while Satchel Paige appears in relief. 

Game Three shifts to Blues Stadium at Kansas City where the Monarchs march to a commanding 15-5 victory.  Jim LaMarque goes the distance for Kansas City.  Newark's Cotton Williams takes the loss. 

Newark evens the series with an 8-1 victory in Game Four at Blues Stadium.  Rufus Lewis goes the distance, allowing just one run and limiting the Monarchs to a mere four hits.  Satchel Paige proves ineffective in relief for a second straight game.  Monte Irvin hits a three run home run, and Larry Doby connects for a double and triple. 

Game Five is played at Chicago's Comiskey Park.  Newark manufactures ten hits against Monarchs starter Hilton Smith, but only push across one run.  Max Manning suffers the loss upon yielding five runs on nine hits through nine innings.  Kansas City leads the series three games against two. 

Facing elimination, Leon Day and the Newark Eagles withstand a first inning barrage - five runs by the Monarchs.  The Eagles regroup by the second, and hold on for a 9-7 Game Six victory at Ruppert Stadium.  Monte Irvin hits his second and third home runs; Willard Brown likewise hits his third homer for the series; and Lennie Pearson also connects for a pair of home runs.  Leniel Hooker earns the victory in relief of Leon Day.

Game Seven: With two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Newark Eagles achieve a come from behind 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Monarchs at Ruppert Stadium, to capture the 1946 Negro League World Series championship.  The Eagles jump out to a first inning lead.  But Buck O'Neil ties the game in the sixth with his second home run for the series.  With Larry Doby and Monte Irvin on base in the Newark eighth, Johnny Davis doubles plating the tying and go ahead runs. 

SERIES NOTES: The now 27-year old Monte Irvin makes the 1946 series his personal showcase.  He leads all batters with a .462 batting average, a .533 OBP, three home runs, and an .885 slugging average, while his eight runs batted in rank second behind Kansas City center fielder Willard Brown's ten.  Rufus Lewis carries the pitching load for Newark going 2-1 with a 1.23 eared run average and a series leading 15 strikeouts.  Rufus also leads the series with a stellar 0.95 WHiP.  Max Manning ranks second with a 1.27 WHiP.  Manning is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA, and matches Lewis with 15 strikeouts.  Although largely ineffective as a reliever Satchel Paige fans 13 batters.

Despite achieving a second straight 50-plus win season, the New York Cubans clinch the 1947 pennant by six games over the Eagles.  Larry Doby and Monte Irvin once again lead the team.  Doby posts a team-leading .354 average, eight home runs, and 41 runs batted in.  Monte Irvin hits .304 with a team-high eleven home runs and 47 runs batted in.  Max Manning leads the pitching staff with one of his best seasons, going 12-4 with a 2.77 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 130 innings pitched.

The Eagles of 1948 finish third with a 33-32 record in what turns out being their last season at Newark and being the team's final season affiliated with the Negro National League.  Times are changing; major league integration is taking hold; the subsequent impact is transforming business conditions throughout Negro League baseball.  Abe and Effa Manley elect to sell the Newark Eagles, who are relocated to Houston and incorporated into the Negro American League.  A year later, the team again moves, this time to New Orleans.  Finally, after the 1951 season, the team folds operations for good.

• Monte Irvin makes his major league debut on July 8, 1949, with the New York Giants, two years before the arrival of Willie Mays.  After an eight-year career, Monte is inducted in 1973 into baseball's Hall of Fame.

The storied franchise founded in 1935 by Abe and Effa Manley ceases to exist - now relegated to history and lore.  Abe Manley passes away in 1952, thus sadly missing his wife's enshrinement as the only woman, to date, into Cooperstown's Museum and Baseball Hall of Fame.

"The Eagles were to (black) Newark 
what the Dodgers were to Brooklyn" - 

Newark Eagles pitcher Max Manning (aka Dr. Cyclops)

Effa Manley Society American Baseball Research   1946 Negro Leagues World Series Seamheads  

Kansas City Monarchs SeamHeads   Newark Eagles Seamheads    NegroLeagueBaseballPlayersAssociation  NegroLeagueBaseballMuseum.com   BOOK: The Most Famous Woman in Baseball, Effa Manley and the Negro Leagues by Bob Luke